The breakout novel that wasn’t
This is re-posted from the newsletter I sent out today.
Aloha,
This newsletter is about the publishing lifecycle—and a big ebook sale ( just 99¢! ) for a title some of you know well, and others may never have heard of. Let me explain�
The Red: First Light is the book that marked my return to writing science fiction after a very long-hiatus. I published it on my own and it did shockingly well—not in sales numbers, but with the critics. It was nominated for the Nebula Award, was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, and appeared on the Locus Recommended Reading List. Saga Press—at the time a newly minted imprint at Simon & Schuster—picked up the title along with two sequels (though I held onto the right to publish in the United Kingdom and Australia). Me, my agent, and my editor, all thought this was going to be my breakout novel. But no. Despite the mostly good reviews, sales never amounted to much. So it goes.
In the early days I did what I could to promote what we called the Red trilogy. But when it became obvious the books would never “earn out� I stopped all promotion on my side.
What does “earn out� mean? When a book is sold to a traditional publisher, the publisher pays a non-refundable “advance against royalties� to the writer. For each copy sold, a small amount of the cover price goes to the writer’s account, incrementally paying off the advance. Only when enough copies are sold to cover the advance, does the writer begin earning more money. That wasn’t going to happen for me.
Back in the nineties, prior to the advent of ebooks, a book would be published and then sell in print version for a few weeks to a few months. If it didn’t take off immediately, it would be removed from bookstore shelves, never, generally speaking, to be seen again. And because it cost money to store unsold copies, publishers tended to quickly put books out of print (ask me how I know) and it was easy to get the rights back.
But after ebooks became popular, publishers realized they could hold onto titles without paying any storage costs and it became really hard for authors to get the rights reverted despite nearly non-existent sales.
Why would I want the rights back? Because when I re-publish on my own, it becomes economically feasible to promote the title and maybe earn a little more for all those days of angst and effort spent writing the thing.
I did not think I could get back the rights to the Red trilogy, but I decided to try it anyway. The first time I asked, two or three years ago, the answer was no. But early this year I asked again, and to my shock and surprise and delight, this time the answer was a generous yes.
I received the official rights-reversion letter, updated my Mythic Island Press United Kingdom ebook editions, made sure the Saga Press copies* had been taken down, and then made my versions available worldwide at the five vendors I use: Kobo, Apple, Tolino, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.
I didn’t make an immediate announcement because I was hoping to set up a big promotion to kick things off—and that actually happened. I managed to get a spot in a newsletter with huge circulation. So for today and the next couple of days, the Mythic Island Press ebook edition of The Red: First Light is available for just 99¢ in the USA, with similar discounts in other countries.
I know many of you have already read this book (thank you!!), but if you haven’t, I hope you’ll take this opportunity to give it a try.
So what’s it about?
Well, obviously from the cover this is a military novel. It’s very near-future, very political, fast-paced, and cynical. I’ve been reviewing it, and honestly, I think it’s held up almost too well over the years. Even if you never read military fiction, I hope you’ll take a chance on this one. After all, it’s just 99¢.
Here’s the cover copy:
“There Needs To Be A War Going On Somewhere�
Lieutenant James Shelley commands a high-tech squad of soldiers in a rural district within the African Sahel. They hunt insurgents each night on a harrowing patrol, guided by three simple goals: protect civilians, kill the enemy, and stay alive—because in a for-profit war manufactured by the defense industry there can be no cause worth dying for. To keep his soldiers safe, Shelley uses every high-tech asset available to him—but his best weapon is a flawless sense of imminent danger…as if God is with him, whispering warnings in his ear. (Hazard Notice: contains military grade profanity.)
Oh right…I should probably leave you with some vendor links:
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Take Care, and Happy Reading!
� Linda
* Saga Press has retained the right to sell off whatever print copies they may have left, so you might still see those around.
FTC disclosure: On this website, links to Amazon are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases…though it’s definitely not big money.
