K.A. Wiggins's Blog, page 15
March 19, 2018
Who's your publisher?
Blind the Eyes and all other in-progress and full length works on this site are owned by K.A. Wiggins and no rights have been sold/licensed to any third parties as of March 2018. For all licensing enquiries, please contact the rights holder.
From September 2017 to March 2018 Blind the Eyes (Threads of Dreams book 1) was queried for representation and receieved multiple full requests. In March 2018, it entered an exclusive 45 day review period with Kindle Scout/Kindle Press for international ebook and audiobook rights.
What does that mean? Blind the Eyes is a 100% indie title at this time, and was written and produced with independent or hybrid publishing in mind.
Going indie means operating your own micro-sized publishing company. I had the great fortune to work with awesome professionals on every stage of bringing Blind the Eyes to life. If you���re looking for support with your own ventures, I highly recommend every name on this list.
Developmental Editing Round 1 on Blind the Eyes
Developmental Editing Round 2 on Blind the Eyes
Substantive/Line Edit on Blind the Eyes
Plot Accelerator on Threads of Dreams book 2
Proofread on Blind the Eyes
Digital and Print Cover Design on the on sale version Blind the Eyes
(Note: all other graphics and in-progress/pre-publication version covers are designed & copyrighted by K.A. Wiggins.)
March 6, 2018
Cover Reveal
If you���re subscribed to the newsletter, you already got your sneak peek yesterday. For everyone else, surprise! In addition to a brand-new, professionally-designed cover, I���ve got some other exciting news: Blind the Eyes is competing in Kindle Scout!
What does that mean?
Kindle Scout is the American Idol of publishing
Readers vote on pre-published books during a 30 day period
Editors read the manuscripts at the end of voting
Amazon publishes the best of the combined editor- and fan-approved books in ebook format
Amazon sends a free ebook to everyone who voted for (���nominated���) a book that gets published!
So if you want a chance to get a free copy of BTE, head on over to the Kindle Scout website, nominate it and hope it wins!
And hey, why not vote for some other faves while you���re at it? You get up to three nominations at a time.
What happens if it doesn���t get chosen for publishing?
You have to have a fully edited, finished book to compete in Kindle Scout. If BTE isn���t chosen for a publishing contract, that just means I���ll be able to indie publish it even faster because it���s already complete and ready to go out the door!
Look for the release date announcement by mid-April. It���ll come out by May 30 or earlier. And for those of you who aren���t fans of e-reading, yes, I���ll be putting out a bound paperback either way (and an audiobook as soon as possible afterwards). Plus, since I���ve already hashed out the plot of the next Threads of Dreams trilogy book with my awesome editor Lisa Poisso, you can look forward to the sequel coming in 2019!
What happened to all that querying you were doing?
Wow, it���s been over half a year and there are still some outstanding queries! There���ve also been several agents requesting the book, so that���s a great sign that it���s a good quality read. The thing is, I���m just not ready to spend another year or more (at least!) working on connecting with traditional publishing, and it���s not the right choice for every book or every author, either.
I���ve done a lot of research on the writing business and what���s best for books, for authors, and for readers. I���m confident that the indie path is right for me and Blind the Eyes. So, sorry for the long-ish wait while I sorted that out!
Cover Reveal:
Isn���t it amazing?! Feel free to share across social media and blogs, but please be sure to credit my incredible cover artist, Regina Wamba, at Mae I Design (http://www.maeidesign.com/) when you do. :)
And don���t forget to nominate Blind the Eyes on Kindle Scout for your chance at the free ebook!
March 4, 2018
Calling all bookbloggers~~
If anyone has an opening on their blog or whatever social channel you're rocking and would like to get involved in sharing the news/boosting the signal, please DM!
For everyone else, subscribers get exclusive first looks, breaking news, & previews at http://kaie.space/newsletter
February 5, 2018
Turtletime
Official announcements plus some updates for the new year! Where things are at:
I just pulled all the preview editions from ebookstores. The three chapter special preview edition of Blind the Eyes has done really well on Amazon and the other usual suspects, but it���s also been up for half a year longer than I expected, since I pivoted from indie publishing to querying. It���s a little hard to continuously build momentum while also pushing the release date further and further into the future, so for the moment I���m pressing pause on all book marketing initiatives. However, I���ll still be present and active on social media, and the onsite and newsletter-exclusive extended downloadables will remain available!
& on that note, yes, Blind the Eyes is still under query until at least March 2018. There���s been some good feedback and several agents have asked for additional materials to review. I���ll review opportunities in March and update you all accordingly! I���ve been eyeing the Kindle Scout program, so if I do go indie, that���ll be my first stop (after the cover reveal! You guys, it���s SO GOOD and I���ve been waiting over half a year to show you!)
but the other reason I���m turtling into my introvert shell for the rest of winter, besides, y���know, just straight up waiting for tradpublishing to get a move on, is because I just finished developmental consultation on book 2 with my awesome editor last week! Friends, it���s gonna be good! Blind the Eyes is just the tip of the iceburg, and things get crazy FAST in book 2 . . . at least, that���s the plan. I start writing this month.
Speaking of book 2, it doesn���t have a name yet because I finally clued in that you can���t just ���borrow��� song lyrics for titles. Oops! Which means the trilogy needs a new name. I was thinking ���Threads of Dreams��� would be a good one. What d���you all think?
Other stories are still on hiatus too, but hey, I managed to word-vomit one short story. No you can���t read it (yet). I took a shot at writing a topical contemporary piece, and instead it turned into a weird, profane, and decidedly paranormal take on the Fentanyl crisis in Vancouver. So . . . yeah, I���m thinking I should take some time cleaning that up before sharing. But yay accomplishments - anytime I finish something with a beginning, middle, and end, it���s a good thing!
Freelance writing and consulting work is picking up for the new year, which is another reason to pull back. Find me at Business Writing Solutions for website, technical, and copywriting, among other stuff.
Still in the Pacific Northwest - I totally had a trip back to the UK planned, and then realized I���d double booked over my nephew���s first birthday! But hey, I���m more likely to get that book in your hands sooner if I���m not digital-nomadding my way around the world anyways, right?
Thanks for sticking around for this (looong) journey! If you haven���t already, sign up for the newsletter for freebies, previews, and news when books are available, or follow me on social media, Goodreads, or BookLikes for reviews of recent and upcoming YA fantasy. Links on your left.
December 19, 2017
Booktree 2017
Microupdate plus #booktree end of year shout outs to everyone who sent me books this year!
Where things are at:
Blind the Eyes (G&S book 1) is still under query, so the tentative indie release date has been bumped to March 2018. There���s been some good feedback and it may still get picked up by tradpub, thus the long runway. :)
G&S2 plot is mapped out and undergoes developmental consultation on Jan. 10, so hopefully I���ll be at least mid-draft by the time book 1 comes out! Currently expecting G&S will be a trilogy.
Serial fiction Things Got Out of Hand is finally getting a proper plot map! I haven���t decided whether to continue its draft zero as a serial or take it down yet, so keep an eye on Wattpad in the new year just in case :)
Tiptoeing into some short story writing, since the serials are necessarily on hold for a while yet. The zero drafts need some polishing, but expect some short reads in the new year in a wider variety of genres (I tried for contemporary, but so far I can���t help sneaking in some fantasy or supernatural elements into every story)
Been rounding out my freelance portfolio and recently launched Business Writing Solutions in beta on the boring grown-up side of my life. The part of me that isn���t compelled to write about monsters and magic tends to geek out over template automation and well-crafted copy, lol.
Still in the Pacific Northwest for the foreseeable future. Travel���s on the radar, but there���re just too many bullet points to tick off to make #digitalnomad-ing practical right now!
So! On to the shout-outs. Special thanks to Goodreads, 49th Shelf and artist & book blogger Iryna Khymych who have taken the trouble and expense to send me books this year!
As promised in the social media posts that you probably followed to get here, here���s the full list of books with review and shopping links.
Kidlit
A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | �������� bookaholic (@kaie.space) on Sep 6, 2017 at 12:35pm PDT
Mr. Crum���s Potato Predicament by Anne Renaud & Felicita Sala (Canadian Read)
Goodreads | Amazon US | CA | UK
A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | �������� bookaholic (@kaie.space) on Dec 1, 2017 at 12:44pm PST
Dragonfly Song by Wendy Orr (Canadian Read)
Goodreads | Amazon US | CA | UK
YA Reads
A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | �������� bookaholic (@kaie.space) on Dec 20, 2017 at 1:25pm PST
Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson (Giller Prize Shortlist, Canadian Read)
Goodreads | Amazon US | CA | UK
A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | �������� bookaholic (@kaie.space) on Dec 19, 2017 at 12:15pm PST
Daughters of the Storm by Kim Wilkins
Goodreads | Amazon US | CA | UK
A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | �������� bookaholic (@kaie.space) on May 2, 2017 at 8:31am PDT
The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr
Goodreads | Amazon US | CA | UK
A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | �������� bookaholic (@kaie.space) on Aug 17, 2017 at 12:35pm PDT
Riven by Jane Alvey Harris (Indie Read)
Goodreads | Amazon US | CA | UK
A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | �������� bookaholic (@kaie.space) on Nov 16, 2017 at 11:56am PST
Enough Space for Everyone Else edited by J.N. Monk and Lee Black (Comics Anthology)
Goodreads | Amazon US | CA | UK
Adult Reads*
Bellevue Square by Michael Redhill (Giller Prize Shortlist, Canadian Read)
Goodreads | Amazon US | CA | UK
Minds of Winter by Ed O���Loughlin (Giller Prize Shortlist, Canadian Read)
Goodreads | Amazon US | CA | UK
Transit by Rachel Cusk (Giller Prize Shortlist, Canadian Read)
Goodreads | Amazon US | CA | UK
I am a Truck by Michelle Winters (Giller Prize Shortlist, Canadian Read)
Goodreads | Amazon US | CA | UK
A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | �������� bookaholic (@kaie.space) on Aug 31, 2017 at 12:07pm PDT
The Felix Chronicles: Freshman by R.T. Lowe (Indie Read)
Goodreads | Amazon US | CA | UK
Floating City by Kerri Sakamoto (Canadian Read)
Goodreads | Amazon US | CA
December 3, 2017
Books to check out NL3
This edition of book recommendations first appeared in Newsletter October 2017 (creepy reads) edition.
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff:For those who prefer their fae bloodthirsty and horrific instead of sparkly and romantic. This was a rare 5 star read for me. Excellent character development,��worldbuilding, and storytelling.
Also check out The Space Between for demonic thrills and chills, Fiendish for Southern Gothic-horror���yeah, just go ahead and add all her books to your TBR.
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake: Ghost hunter. Ghost girl bent on bloody revenge. Who wouldn���t fall in love with a girl ready to rip your heart out? Think Supernatural with teens.
Also check out another skilled WA-based author, Lili St. Crow���s Strange Angels for a super dark gender-swapped take on monster hunting.
The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong: Classic teens-with-powers, but one��happens to be a necromancer. The only thing worse than being trapped in a spider-infested, lightless��underground crawlspace is knowing something���s clawing its way up from below.
Also check out her YA thrillers Missing and The Masked Truth for horror sans paranormal.
The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab: Seems like this is the least-hyped of Schwab���s work, but��IMHO��definitely the creepiest. Seriously. Classic fantasy with a terrifyingly tangible setting and evil at every turn out to get you.
Also check out The Archived for even more ghost hunting.
The Diviners by Libba Bray: Left this one for last because it seriously pushes the limits of my horror tolerance - like, don���t-read-at-home-alone level scary.
The Roaring 20s historical fiction setting and over-the-top characters are lots of fun, but the monsters are��� yikes. Make sure you have a buddy to check under the bed for you.
November 26, 2017
Books to check out NL2
This edition of book recommendations first appeared in Newsletter August 2017 edition.
Best of Summer
A MONSTROUS REGIMENT OF WOMEN by Laurie R. King: I can���t believe I���m giving top billing to a non-YA, non-fantasy read, but this book honestly takes top prize for my summer reads.��All of King���s books seem to be excellent quality, and I���m still working my way through the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series, but if you can only read one King book, make it this one. Adult historical fiction/mystery with a feminist twist.
��
Best Indie
GIVE UP THE GHOST & The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe: Canadian Indie author bonus points! Crewe writes disarmingly authentic teens with complex and conflicted motivations, awkward, slow-moving romances and a touch of the creepy. The Way We Fall is first in a trilogy of excellent and very Hollywood-esque plague���pocalypse thrillers. Give Up the Ghost is contemporary-paranormal, and it���s FREE��to Crewe���s newsletter subscribers.
��
Best Canadian
Missing by Kelley Armstrong: The best thrillers aren���t just action-action-action. This tense, surprising read has a lot of heart. The slow-burn romance and challenging, complex characters were incredibly compelling. Armstrong also has a gift for making remote locations sound appealing. Love all her YA books. Add to your list for Halloween spine-tingling horror-lite (no paranormal, just human creepiness!)��
Bonus Round
Lockdown by Laurie R. King: I really don���t tend to recommend novels about school shootings . . . or contemporary novels, period, but this is a must-read. The level of craft alone - King writes in a dozen distinct voices, each with character development arcs and backstories -��mind-blowing literary skill. But what makes this story readable is that it brings��a distinct sense of hope to the otherwise traumatic subject matter.
November 19, 2017
Books to check out NL1
This edition of book recommendations first appeared in Newsletter June 2017 edition
Best of the Best:
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor: you need to read this. Seriously. Beautiful writing. Gorgeous language. Classic, epic storytelling. The richest worldbuilding you can imagine.
Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake best YA dark fantasy all year. Three competing protagonists with their own cast and setting. Plus, Kendare���s one of my fave writers who inspired the style and content of Blind the Eyes. PNW writers unite!
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas: and the sequel is even better, an incredible accomplishment when most second books are the weakest of a trilogy. Mature content warning.
Canadian reads to check out:
Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston: a strangely uplifting tale of teen rape. Non-explicit trigger warning for trauma, but an incredibly hopeful and instructive read of how to help in the aftermath, and how stepping in changes everything.
Missing by Kelley Armstrong: best YA thriller I���ve read in ages (well, since the last one she wrote, probably, lol.)��Just the right balance of compelling romance between complex, relatable and flawed people in a high-stakes fast-paced setting.
November 12, 2017
Book blog
So, I read a ton. Like, well over 150 books a year. And now that I���ve discovered Goodreads, I also rate and review most of those books, and then feature them with dubious quality photography on Instagram.
What I haven���t done is launched a book blog/reviews section here, because let���s be real; how often do I get around to updating? And how many of you hang out here on a regular basis? So.
However, just last month I discovered Booklikes, which not only shares reviews on-platform and pushes reviews to Goodreads, it collects them in a custom blog. Update one place with automatic syndication to all useful platforms? Yes please!
All that to say: Check out my book blog for (mostly) YA Fantasy recommendations!
I also do bimonthly book recommendations and ���best-of��� lists in my newsletter, and those I will to take the time to host on this site (eventually), so look forward to it!
November 3, 2017
BTE Targeting 2018
So there���s good news and there���s bad news.
The good news is, all that querying attracted some attention after all, literary agents do like Blind the Eyes, and the full manuscript has been requested. It���s not a publishing deal (yet, lol), but it���s actually pretty rare to get that far and it took less than 50 queries (many books take over 100 to even get that sort of response), so it���s definitely cause for celebration!
���The bad news is, now I can���t publish BTE in November like I was hinting at, which is super sad because my proofreader did an amazing job AND turned the project around in half the time I���d had scheduled, so it should have been right on target for a pre-holidays release.
Back to good news: this means I can (ahem, should) get the sequel(s) plotted out and written for fast, consecutive releases when BTE does come out. But, yet again, sorry to make you all wait longer and thanks for your patience!
While I���m at it, huge shout out to my awesome team:
Lisa Poisso did a spectacular job helping me work through the multiple rounds of develoid a pmental and line editing to make BTE a book worth reading
Catherine Milos caught the embarassingly obvious logic errors, typos and generally polished everything to a shine
Regina Wamba of MaeIDesign crafted a gorgeously artistic and iconic cover design (that one of these days I will finally get the chance to unveil, I hope!)
I highly recommend these guys if any of you are looking to form a publishing team of your own!
So what comes next? Well, there���s a lot of waiting. The waiting period for the querying stage wouldn���t have closed until this December (yeah, I was jumping the gun with a November release no matter how you sliced it) and, for a full mansucript request, you normally add at least six months. If an agent offers representation, that���s another week or so to alert any outstanding queried agents that they need to throw their hats in the ring, then paperwork to hire the agent, then they go to work selling the manuscript to editors. So, more waiting. Years of waiting. And at any point in that, potentially more edits and rewrites.
But, as I���ve said all along, traditional publishing isn���t right for every book and every author, so while it���s very exciting to see a positive response from the establishment, given the current market and opportunities, BTE may do better as an indie book, and as new information comes to light, I���ll be making a judgment call on whether to release it sooner. Again, all the pieces are in place except for final layout design, and I���ll probably book that and get it ready in the coming month or so too, so an independent release could happen fast.
For those of you book bloggers/reviewers who���ve gotten in touch, and those who are thinking about it, feel free to keep signing up, just know the timeline���s been pushed out to next year. I���m keeping a database of everyone who���s shown interest for when the ARCs are ready to go.
Until next time,
K.
