R.J. Blain's Blog, page 11

Happy Book Birthday, Grave Affairs by Lilith Daniels!

Today is it! Grave Affairs has released. If you like dragons and fun pets, this book is for you. If you don’t like dragons, well, this book is probably not for you. Please note that this is the first part of a planned duet. As such, not every little bit of the mystery is solved. If I solved everything, there wouldn’t be a point in a book two in a series.

You can buy now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, and Smashwords.

Following an accusation of being a necromancer with no ...

Dead Weight Audiobook now available in the Patreon Store!

Greetings, folks! It turns out I did an oops and forgot to get the audiobook cover for Dead Weight, but since Patreon doesn’t need it, I’ve loaded it into the Patreon Store for your enjoyment.

It costs $15.99 due to length.

The bonus short story that was in the back of Dead Weight is also available as a public audiobook treat. You can click here to listen to the short. (If you have not read Dead Weight, you will be utterly lost and confused about what is going on. You have been warned.)

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Oops, I’m changing the name of that new fun series!

I don’t watch television or movies. I don’t like them, it’s not for me, and the only thing you’ll catch me watching? Dinosaurs eating people.

As such, when I named the Many Deaths of Mr. Magoo, I had picked the name because “it sounded right.” There’s another Mr. Magoo… and while it has nothing to do with my thing, I also don’t want there to be people thinking I used to watch the show or movie. (I haven’t seen either, don’t want to see either, and no, I don’t care what I’m ‘missing’; I do...

Notice re: print editions for Lilith Daniels

I will not be doing the mass market for the Lilith Daniels books. The price is too high for realistic purchase. Instead, I will be doing a trade hardback edition and standard trade edition.

However much I love mass market, I simply can’t justify the price for admission. The hardback costs more than the mass market, but you’re getting a better product for it, so that’s the route I will be taking. (Alas, it will probably mean I won’t have many print copies available in libraries, but that’s jus...

Booked for Kidnapping is on sale for $0.99!

If you haven’t had a chance to continue the adventures of Janette and friends, the time is now! Booked for Kidnapping is available for $0.99 at Amazon, Apple, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble for a limited time only.

Yes, this is my one last ditch effort to revive the series and make it productive / dig it out of the dark depths of being my worst performer.

To help Janette and friends, Pixie+ readers on my Patreon will be reading along with Booked for Murder. (Hoofin’ It just finished last week, a...

The Many Deaths of Mr. Magoo: a Magic Moguls Novel!

What is this? A new project? Yes!

Starting on Monday, Cindercorns and Spicy Ponies with Bite (Patreon) will be embarking on a new adventure with me.

We’re going to go through the entire creation process of a pilot novel. I have flagged the story as “A Magic Moguls Novel” in case the pilot does well. If not, the book is a standalone, and there’s no harm no foul. (I will not be presenting the story as a series for book one. Unless the novel hits certain sales targets, it will stay a standalo...

Please Chime in Re: Mass Market Print Size

However much it pains me to ask this question, the reality is, print prices have gotten beyond ridiculous.

$33 for a chonky mass market is insanity. You know that, I know that. Currently, I’m doing it because a: libraries b: accessibility (mostly via libraries.) I will continue to do mass markets, but the reality is… I can’t charge less than what I am and earning a respectable amount per book.

(I deserve to be paid for my work, as does everyone else in the book printing chain.)

Amazon, ...

Why are print editions so slow and so expensive?

Pictures speak louder than words.

This is for Dead Weight’s print edition. Please note that my earnings are less than what I make on ebook copies of the same title.

If you don’t do the retailer’s preferred 55%… the books are generally not listed and not available. The lowest I can go is 40%.

So, when you wonder why print editions are so expensive and I don’t prioritize them, this is why.

Experimental Voyage now available for Preorder!

One of my previous Pets in Space contributions, Experimental Voyage, is now available for preorder at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Apple Books! This will be one of two Christmas releases. (Murder Floof, Bernadette Franklin will be the second. It’s just not quite ready to be put up for preorder; I haven’t figured out how much the book will need to cost yet.)

About the Book:

When a spaceship accident costs Camellia her chance to explore the universe as a botanist, she jumps at the c...

The Process of Plotting a Mid-Series Book.

There are many different ways to write a book. As I’ve been working on the Vigilante Magical Librarians series, I thought I’d take the time to talk about how I’m breathing life into the midway book of the series. Booked for Theft will release in March of 2025, and you can preorder it now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo Books. Apple Books will be coming soon.

When I start a series like Vigilante Magical Librarians, it goes one of two ways: I know where the series conclusion is at… or I...