R.J. Blain's Blog, page 46

Yes, the Female is Human. Surprise.

Insert sarcasm font here.

Things the female is not:

PerfectCapable of withholding important (to her) opinionsNice (well, some of the time.)Tolerant of livelihood being threatened by anonymous strangers, probably with zero qualifications as an editorA machine (The female really, really hates being called a machine. It instantly triggers depression.)

Things the female is:

TiredDepressedAnxiousStressedUnhappy

Things the female has considered the past few days:

Quitting (because wo...

Amazon’s “Report Issues” Tool: Why, After Catnapped, R.J. Blain/Pen & Page Publishing Titles may be Unpublished from Amazon… and What You can do to Help.

Hey, folks. R.J. here.

Rather than give you an impersonal cats’ eye view of a rather troublesome problem I’m facing, I have the wheel on the blog for today.

I am strongly considering, after the release of Catnapped, pulling all of my titles from Amazon. Right now, there is a plague of “armchair editors” who are reporting issues on Amazon, which result in quality notices and threats of book suppression (AKA, our books are pulled from sale) if we do not adhere to the editing recommendations ...

The Delicate Art of Scheduling: 2021’s tentative schedule, plus other book talk and news!

Here. Have a flower.

Dear humans,

The female has had a lot of comments lately asking (or quietly grieving) that the next Vigilante Magical librarians book has a 12-18 month release window. I know, I know. Waiting sucks. It does! But, as we of the Furred and Frond management do enjoy being transparent, we’re going to take some time to talk shop with you, so readers know what and when to roughly anticipate upcoming books:

The female is tentatively considering moving the release of Wil...

Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews: Four paws up and a squeak!

Dear humans,

We of the Blain Household would like to take a moment to squeal over Ilona Andrews’ new release, Emerald Blaze. it kicks ass. We think you should read it. It was just a super fun continuation of the Hidden Legacy series.

We won’t lie, humans. The female likes Hidden Legacy more than she likes Kate Daniels. Silver Shark is still her absolute favorite. The female could read a bazillion stories about Claire and like it. Her feelings of this are not a secret.

But, seriously. Em...

Junkyard Cats is available today!

Dear humans,

The female’s soul sister, Faith Hunter, has a new ebook release today. Junkyard Cats can be acquired at all major retailers, so if you like post-apoc and kitties, you’re going to love this. The female has already read it, and has been sitting on this one forever and ever and ever. It was previously available as a Audible Original, but now it’s available in your standard ebook formats. Hooray!!

From the author of the best-selling Jane Yellowrock and Soulwood series comes a ...

Hoofin’ It is on sale for $0.99.

Happy reading, humans!

You can grab a copy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, and Google Play.

All Shane wanted was to get away from the wreckage of his career for a while. He picked New York City to provide him with a distraction from his early, unwanted retirement from the police force.

New York City delivered, distracting him with three corpses and a miniature llama with a spitting problem and an attitude. If he wants to return to a normal life, he’ll have to face off against ...

Helping authors with their new books, typecasting, and how to be a super reader!

Dear humans,

Before I begin, please enjoy this picture of my sister and her paw. She does love to hold the female’s hand. She is very needy.

Okay, now that we have gotten our daily dose of cat picture out of the way, let’s talk about some fun stuff, some not-so-fun stuff, and so on.

The female has been asked by a bunch of nice people this week about how they can help with her new releases. I’ve made a list for your enjoyment. Here it is!

1: Review the book as soon as you’re finis...

Booked for Murder is now available, humans!

Dear humans,

The female is doing that scrambling thing she always does when a new book comes out, so I’ve stolen the keyboard for a very short period of time. Booked for Murder: A Vigilante Magical Librarians novel (Book one of five to be precise) is now out in the wilds for your enjoyment. Hooray!

Here is the first scene. Enjoy.

Once upon a time, I had lived on the edge, but I’d fallen off somehow, emerging scarred and broken. Once upon a time, I’d lived in the ivory tower, looking dow...

For Authors: Preparing for a Major Sales Drive: Part One: Marketing Research, Targets, and Ad Systems.

Time to roll the dice!

Warning: get a drink. This is a long post. Readers, this one is for the authors out there, and it involves a LOT of nitty gritty about the publication world. You are, as always, welcome to read and ask any questions you may have, but you may find this boring. This is my way of trying to help other authors learn something very, very complicated and very, very important for their careers.

In May 2020, I posted about doing a $20,000 sales drive for a novel in my best-se...

A general update!

Dear humans,

According to the female’s schedule, she should be finishing A Chip on Her Shoulder today. She is not finishing A Chip on Her Shoulder today. In good news, she got through the hell scene, so she might be able to finish over the weekend and otherwise stay on target for the rest of her schedule.

Which is, admittedly, insane.

She isn’t going to get November off. She is now angling for a decent chunk of December off.

She is not holding her breath because she does not want to ...