Rachel Vincent's Blog, page 2
June 27, 2015
Menagerie ARC Giveaway!
Last week, my ARCs of Menagerie arrived in the mail, and here’s your chance to win one!
ARCs are Advance Review Copies, which means they were printed before the final edits. As such, they can’t be sold.
I’m going to open this one up to international entries, so as long as UPS or the USPS will deliver to you, you can enter. If you’re under 18, you must have a parent/guardian’s permission.
Fill out the form below to enter.
NOTE: Both new and existing newsletter subscribers can enter with the newsletter option.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
June 15, 2015
Release week roundup!
So, The Stars Never Rise has been out in the US for a week now, and I’m hearing from lots of people who’ve already read it! Those of you in the UK will be able to buy it on June 18, and readers in any other territory can order a either the US hardback or the UK paperback from The Book Depository with free worldwide shipping.
In case you haven’t seen, I will be doing a live chat with Colleen Houck’s book club on June 27! Click the image below for details. The chat will be spoiler-free for The Stars Never Rise, but I can’t promise you won’t hear spoilers about some of my earlier work!
I’ve also done two interviews with really great questions, which you can check out here and here.
June 7, 2015
Another flash giveaway!
There are only TWO DAYS LEFT until The Stars Never Rise comes out! Some of you may have already found copies in the wild (sometimes book stores put them out early) but if you haven’t here’s one more chance to win a signed copy from me!
This is a 24 hr giveaway, so don’t delay your entry!
What’s up for grabs:
A signed hardback copy of The Stars Never Rise, along with assorted swag, including a numbered MENAGERIE ticket, which you can use later to enter giveaways for MENAGERIE as it’s on-sale date draws closer!
Here’s how you can enter!
The widget below gives you three options, but only one is mandatory. (Please note that while subscribing to my newsletter is one of the methods, this option works for those who are already subscribers as well.)
Eligibility: There’s fine print in the widget, but the basics are that you must be at least 14 years old (and have a parent/guardian’s permission) and you must be a resident of the US, Canada, or the U.K. Sorry international readers. I’ll do some international giveaways once the book is available in more territories, but you CAN order a copy through The Book Depository right now.
June 1, 2015
THE STARS NEVER RISE giveaway!
Guest what?!? The Stars Never Rise comes out in EIGHT DAYS! That means it’s time for a few giveaways, so check back in over the next week for a series of 3 flash (24 hr) giveaways, starting right now!
Here’s what’s up for grabs:
A signed hardback copy of The Stars Never Rise, along with assorted swag, including a numbered MENAGERIE ticket, which you can use later to enter giveaways for MENAGERIE!
Here’s how you can enter!
The widget below gives you three options, but only one is mandatory. (Please note that while subscribing to my newsletter is one of the methods, this option works for those who are already subscribers as well.)
Eligibility: There’s fine print in the widget, but the basics are that you must be at least 14 years old (and have a parent/guardian’s permission) and you must be a resident of the US, Canada, or the U.K. Sorry international readers. I’ll do some international giveaways once the book is available in more territories, but you CAN order a copy through The Book Depository right now.
March 12, 2015
Order a signed copy of LION’S SHARE!
[THIS OFFER IS NOW CLOSED, BUT YOU CAN STILL BY THE BOOK FROM ANY BOOKSTORE!]
The print edition of LION’S SHARE is for sale at Createspace and Amazon. Over the next few weeks, it will go on sale at the other “extended distribution” sites (like B&N). Unfortunately, that timing is beyond my control. The book is being distributed through Createspace, and it takes as long as it takes.
The print edition will be available in as many international markets as I can put it in, but I don’t yet know how soon it will appear in which markets. I will announce those as I become aware of the availability.
Book specifics:
The LION’S SHARE print edition is a trade paperback (the height of a Soul Screamers book, rather than a Shifters book). It is 350 pages long, 340 pages of which is actual story. The other ten pages include things like the title page, copyright notice, acknowledgements, dedication, and “also by Rachel Vincent.”
The price in all US markets is $13.99 USD. That is as low as I can reasonably make it and still qualify for “extended distribution” by Createspace.
Because I KNOW that that is expensive for a paperback, for a limited time (until Monday, March 16th), I would like to offer readers another, less expensive option. Selling the books on my own, I can afford to lower the price, because I don’t have to qualify for expanded distribution. This comes with two advantages and two disadvantages.
Disadvantages:
1. You will have to wait longer to get the book. First, I have to take orders, so I know how many to buy from Createspace. Then I have to wait for them to be shipped to me, before I can sign them and ship them to you.
2. This will be a bit of a pain for me–it’s much easier for me to just say “Buy it online!” But I want to try this, so I’m going to give it a shot! But I have to process the orders manually, so your invoice will not come instantly.
Advantages:
1. Your book will cost three dollars less coming from me. (International buyers will necessarily have higher shipping costs and longer waits. That is beyond my control.)
2. Your book will be signed and personalized by me, to you, or to whomever you’d like to give it to.
If you’d like to order your book directly from me, just fill out the form located at the link below. THIS OFFER IS GOOD UNTIL MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015, after which I will have to place my order.
[If you can’t click on the link below, copy and paste it into your address bar.]
http://www.rachelvincent.com/PrintOrder.php
Answers to the 3 most frequent questions about the “direct buy” option for LION’S SHARE.
– I ordered, but haven’t gotten my invoice yet. Why?
Because we have to send invoices manually. If you haven’t gotten it in a few hours, let me know.
– How much does it cost to ship overseas?
That depends on where you live. Fill out the form, and my assistant will get back to you with a shipping cost based on your address, and you’ll have the option to continue to the purchase or bow out, armed with that information.
– Is there a way to pay other than PayPal?
Not at this time. The attempt to install a shopping cart on my website is what crashed my site and obliterated my blog. HOWEVER, you don’t have to have a PayPal account to use PayPal. When you get ready to pay, you’ll see a screen like the one below, where you can click to use a credit or debit card instead.
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March 2, 2015
What I’ve learned from LION’S SHARE
So, one week after the release of my first indie (independently published) novel, I’m ready to say I’ve made several mistakes and have learned many things, all of which should help the publication of the sequels go much smoother. Those who are interested, read on…
(These are just the parts that affects readers.)
Speed of publication. Putting out an independent release is much faster than publishing a book with a traditional publisher.I finished the first draft of Lion’s Share at the end of October, 2014. Less than four months later, I released the book. That’s five months from the time I started the first draft until the day readers could read the book. During that five month period, I had fourdeadlines from traditional publishers, including two complete rounds of revision on MENAGERIE. Those deadlines HAVE to come first (they pay the bills) so even though I only worked on Lion’s Share between deadlines, I was able to put the book out much faster than with traditional publishing.
(For perspective, MENAGERIE has been in the works for 3+ years, I believe, and I sold THE STARS NEVER RISE two years ago this month, and neither of those books is out yet. For further perspective, even though I make a much larger percentage of each book going the indie route, I will likely sell far fewer copies of my indie books, without the NY traditional publishing machine behind me.
2. Quality. This is the aspect that kept me out of independent publishing for such a long time. Without a traditional publisher behind me, all of the editing (revision, copy editing, line editing, proofreading–the things that traditional publishing is VERY good at) has been up to me. I hired a professional copy editor to work on Lion’s Share (and he’s wonderful) and I had critiques from both my CP and a trusted beta reader, who is a professional technical writer. Even so, things were missed. It’s nearly IMPOSSIBLE to put out a book that has no errors, even with an entire team of traditional-publishing professionals behind you. I’m sure you’ve all read books that had typos and inconsistencies. In fact, many authors keep a “mea culpa” page with a running list of the mistakes made in previous books.
Putting out a quality novel on your own is even harder, and the mistakes in Lion’s Share are entirely mine.
Fortunately, one of the pros of indie publishing is the ability to update the e-version of the book as often as needed. In fact, I did that this morning. It hasn’t gone through yet, but later today, you should be able to download the updated version (at no additional cost), which hopefully has far fewer typos and inconsistencies.
Also fortunately, I caught most of the big ones before I released the book for print publication! I hope to have a new print proof to examine by the end of this week, and if it’s all good, I’ll release the print version for sale then.
My mea culpas. (other than simple typos)
The timeline issue in ch 2: As Jace and Abby pull into the driveway of the Lazy S, the sun is just setting (around 5 pm in December), yet when they go inside and smell Karen’s chili, it’s 10 pm. [ALL FIXED!]
My mis-remembering of Kaci’s backstory: Two wonderful readers have pointed this out to me, and they’re both absolutely right. It’s been 7 (or more?) years since I wrote Pride, and I confused Kaci’s backstory with that of a stray Faythe & co. found during her trial in the mountains. I’m terribly sorry about that, and I assure you it wasn’t on purpose. [ALL FIXED.]
Mistakenly assigning Abby to the Southeast Pride in chapter 20. She’s actually from the East Coast Pride, as mentioned earlier. [ALL FIXED.]
Jace putting his shirt on twice in ch. 19. [ALL FIXED.]
Confusing point which isn’t actually a mistake: Do not click to read this one unless you’ve actually finished Lion’s Share, because it IS A SPOILER!
Having said all of that, I just want to THANK all the Shifters readers who remembered my world and characters better than I did! That is the sign of a truly loyal and enthusiastic fan base, and I am honored by your close attention.
February 27, 2015
Help me name the new Shifters!
I’m getting ready to write the next Wildcats book (after I’ve met my current deadline) and I could use your help naming some new characters. For those who’ve already read Lion’s Share, these characters are the ones you meet at the very end. (For those who haven’t read it yet or are waiting on the paperback, don’t worry. You don’t need to know anything about the story to help me name these new characters.)
Yesterday, people on Facebook suggested a bunch of names, and I’ve put my ten favorite in this poll. You guys get to vote on which five I’ll use!
Have at it!
(If you can’t see the poll below, take this link.)
February 23, 2015
LION’S SHARE is out in all e-formats today!
If you haven’t already gotten your copy, you can find it at any of the links below.
If you’re holding out for a print copy, you won’t have to wait for long! I’ll be ordering my trade paperback proof tomorrow, and if it turns out like I’m hoping it will, you’ll be able to order a print edition early next week. A reminder, though: For reasons beyond my control (It’s a distributor issue) I can’t sell the print edition for as little as the ebook. But I can sign the print edition.
And, in celebration of the Lion’s Share release (and as incentive for anyone who might be on the fence), for a limited time, I’m giving away “Hunt” the short story that bridges the gap between the Shifters series and the Wildcats books. An early version of the first chapter of Lion’s Share is at the end of “Hunt.” You can get it at any of the following links:
Amazon (It’s not free here yet, but it should be when/if Amazon price-matches the other distributors. Feel free to report the price difference.)
And…if you entered the most recent giveaway, check your email! I’ve just notified the winner!
Thanks so much to everyone who gave this indie spinoff a chance and an extra special thanks to everyone who’s reviewed the book. Your support means so much to me, and it’s the only reason I’ve been able to dive back into the Shifters world!
February 6, 2015
Behind the scenes of the LION’S SHARE cover
In case you didn’t see it on one of the awesome blogs hosting today’s cover reveal, here is the front cover of LION’S SHARE (Wildcats Book 1), along with the back cover and blurb!
The cover concept is mine, and the cover design and art were done by Killswitch Media. For anyone who doesn’t know, Killswitch Media has one employee. He also happens to be my husband. I think he’s kind of awesome.
Coming from traditional publishing (and I intend to STAY with traditional publishing; I’m indie-pubbing Wildcats on the side), I’ve only ever gotten to come up with my own cover art once before, with “Hunt,” the short story that bridges the Shifters and Wildcats series.
The “Hunt” cover came first, and when we got ready to make a cover for LION’S SHARE, we knew from my experience in traditional publishing that we needed to accomplish a few different things with the covers.
Branding. We want the Wildcat books to be as easily distinguishable as a “Rachel Vincent” book as the Shifters books were/are.
Association with the Shifters series. We want the two series to look connected. Because they are. We (hopefully) accomplished this with the blocky white titles and “cat features.”
Differentiation from the Shifters series. We want the two series to look different. Because they are. We (hopefully) accomplished this by putting a couple on LION’S SHARE, to indicate that it’s a romance, rather than strictly an urban fantasy. We also used more muted colors.
Continuity. Rather than the leopard/tiger print that marked every Shifters cover, for continuity on the Wildcats covers, we’re using “shifted” eyes (which we shamelessly stole from the Rogue cover, my favorite!) and claw marks.
For comparison, here’s Rogue:
As a bridge story, “Hunt” has aspects of both series. Single female cover model. Shifted eyes. Blocky white cover in the Wildcat’s style.
Those of you who buy from places other than Amazon, fear not! LION’S SHARE is coming soon to all those other places!
August 20, 2013
At long last!
I’ve been waiting more than a year to talk about this project in public, so I’m thrilled to finally announce that my next book for adults is called Menagerie, and it will be coming in trade paperback from MIRA in October of 2014. Menagerie and its two sequels will be the 17th, 18th, and 19th books that my editor, Mary-Theresa Hussey and I have worked on together since MIRA published Stray, my first novel, back in June of 2007, and I am so glad for the opportunity to continue to work with her.
About the book… (There’s no official description yet, so I’m making this blurb up as I go.)
Like the rest of the world, Delilah Marlow knows all about living myths. Preternatural creatures. Monsters. Whatever you want to call them, she knows that they are sometimes beautiful, often lethal, and that they are not allowed to roam free in the U.S. Since long before she was born, living myths have only been allowed to exist in controlled environments, like official preserves, government labs…and in traveling carnivals, where, for a very steep fee, private citizens can get an up-close look at the dangerous and bizarre, like watching animals through fences at the zoo.
What Delilah does not know about living myths is that she is one of them.
When a visit to a traveling carnival exposes Delilah as a “monster,” she finds herself sold into the menagerie as an exhibit, stripped of all civil liberties, staring out through the bars of her cage at a world that now sees her as less than human. Locked up, denied even the most basic of rights and privileges, Delilah must call on her own inner strength and the bonds forged with her fellow captives to reclaim her future—and possibly spark a change in perceptions the world over.
As you can probably tell, this project deals with themes I’m drawn to and subjects I consider important. Strong female characters, independence, friend/family connections, and the importance of fighting for what we believe in.
The Menagerie world itself is dark and gritty, as befits the themes, against a rich and colorful carnival backdrop. The cast of characters is broad, and the story itself is told from multiple viewpoints, to allow for an extensive worldview. In short, this is a “bigger” book than I’ve ever written, in both ambition and scope.
I’m almost halfway through with the manuscript, and I love this story. I love this world. I love these characters and how strong they are, in spite of (or because of?) all they’ve endured.
I hope you’ll step into Menagerie with me next fall. Delilah is eager to meet you all.
[Questions? Leave them in the comments…]
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