So this week is full of big announcements! I’m surfacing from the Pit of Despair (just kidding…from editing my manuscript) to wave hi and let you know how things are moving along. So get a snack and hunker down.
1. Cinderella’s in Hardback!
IT’S FINALLY HERE!!!
My picture book Cinderella: An Illustrated Fairy Tale Classic is available now in both hardback and paperback! (There were WAY more technical difficulties than I ever care to remember…in fact, I’m trying to forget them.)
You can order it in Paperback from Amazon only, but you can get it in hardback form through Barnes and Noble, Walmart, Books-A-Million, Amazon, through your local library, and more! You can find four of these order links here, but if you go into any retail site, you can special order it there as well.
I’ll be doing a read-aloud video soon as well, so if you have littles, be on the lookout for that!
2. Going Wide
Most of my books are currently enrolled in Kindle Direct Publishing Select…also known as Kindle Unlimited, or KU. This means that whoever has a Kindle Unlimited subscription gets to read them for “free.” (Rather, for your $10/month fee).
When I put the books into KU, I never planned to leave them in for the long haul. While I’m immensely grateful to Amazon for all it did to change the publishing industry for authors, it makes me nervous to have all my eggs in one basket, so to speak. I also dislike the idea of Amazon attempting to run other businesses into the ground. There is also, of course, the draw of finding new readers on the other platforms as well.
The recent Amazon scare, however, was the final straw. To make a long story short, a bot (I’m decently sure it was a bot, since it kept doing it repeatedly without rhyme or reason) reported my Peter Pan print books as infringing on trademark and told me that I needed to contact Disney. After I picked myself up off the floor and restarted my heart, I contacted Disney, who said they didn’t report the book. I’m pretty sure it was an Amazon bot of some sort because every time I would get ahold of customer service with Amazon, the same books would get reported again. After a month-long fight with Amazon, I pushed the red button and contacted the Jeff Bezos email, which resulted in my books being reinstated.
That nice little scare gave me the courage to do what I’d been considering for several years, which means I’m now in the process of pulling my older books out of Kindle Unlimited.
The reason I’m letting you know this is because I know many of you read through KU, and I don’t want to give you a scare. The books will still be available through Kindle after I pull them out of KU. They just won’t be available in the exclusive KU store.
I’m also going to keep you updated as I slowly pull them out. That way, you can download them now if you haven’t already. Once a book is in your KU library, as long as you keep it there, you can still read it, and I’ll still get paid. It just won’t be available for new downloads once the chosen date passes.
I also plan to keep publishing into Kindle Unlimited for now. So the new books will move into KU, and the old books will be moved out. And again, the books will still be available in the Kindle Store. They’ll just be available for purchase instead of borrows.
The good news is, though, that when I make my book available in other stores, you’ll be able to request the ebooks through your local library using services like Hoopla and Overdrive. And if, for some reason, Amazon accidentally deletes my account (It’s happened to better authors than I), there will be other ways to get my books. I’m also considering some sort of direct sales method later on, where readers can get my books before they go live on the stores by buying directly through my website. Who knows? Sky’s the limit!
3. Sentinel’s Song Updates (and positions on the ARC Team!)
Sentinel’s Song: A Retelling of St. George and the Dragon is with out of my hands and with the line editor! Next it goes to the proofreader, and I’m hoping for a mid-May launch!
Pre-Order The Sentinel’s Song: A Retelling of St. George and the Dragon here.
If you’re on my newsletter team, remember to check your inboxes! You’re getting a new sneak peek tonight!
And before we go, check out the instructions to see if you’re interested in joining my Advanced Reader Team. I’ve got some slots open, and I’d love to see them filled! My goal is to get 50 reviews for launch if possible, so the more, the merrier!
Apply for my Advanced Reader Team here:
4. Book Recommendations
Author’s Note: I haven’t read these personally, but they’re from clean authors who are also my friends. While you’re waiting for my next book, you can enjoy these!
Kingdom of Beauty: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast – Debora White
5. Best Baddies Poll Semi-Finals
We’re getting so close! Gloves off! Time to find our real best baddies!
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