Two Days

We are on the eve of launching a major self-published novel titled THE FIRST CONFESSOR: The Legend of Magda Searus. It will be available in ebook format, simultaneously, world-wide (English), on Monday, July-2nd. It is an Author-released, ebook exclusive and can be found on Amazon, B&N, Apple, and Kobo.

In our own preparation for this release, we wanted to understand ebooks and their many available options as fully and comprehensively as possible. The entire team was brought in to perform exhaustive testing and analysis. We bought every form of ebook tablet available today, plus auditioned numerous software packages, reading options, testing environments, electronic store fronts, top-rated accessories, and much more. We read dozens of novels (among them THE FIRST CONFESSOR, of course) and clocked enough time on each device to test their manufacturer specifications. We then compared our notes with cumulative reviews and other crowd-sourced resources.

When we finished, we found we had amassed a startling amount of data and developed many certain conclusions about the best software, best tablet, best store purchasing experience, and much more. While some of our data points could be considered subjective, we are confident our testing format allowed for objective-based conclusions to arise.

It is highly unusual for a known Author to make public statements -- either positive or negative -- towards any one supporting entity. But these are brave new times and this book (THE FIRST CONFESSOR) stands at a time and a place that is wholly unique. We are now writing directly for you, the fans and the readers and as our thanks for your support, this document is for you too. We hope it will be of use.

Our 'Ebooks Guide & FAQ' is available here:
http://www.terrygoodkind.com/theoracl...

It's important to note a few things about what we're doing with THE FIRST CONFESSOR and why;

(1) It's not a money thing. We gave up a very lucrative advance and we risk all rewards, putting the content of the book first. It's success will now live and thrive upon your appreciation and acceptance.

(2) The publishing world does not like what we're doing. Upon release, this book will effectively be banished by publishers. It is unlikely you will ever see it in print (unless you managed to get one of the 300 Limited Collector's Editions which sold out very quickly).

(3) We've kept this book under lock and key, without any outside interference. We've brought it to you within weeks of having finished the final keystroke (with enough time for editing review and testing) and we plan on supporting it for a long-time to come. That means updates, free things on our website, additional content at a later date, and much more.

(4) I am still going to be publishing traditional, printed novels. Tor Books (my long-time publisher) will be releasing the sequel to THE OMEN MACHINE sometime later this year, possibly early next.

(5) We did it this way because we could, because the story needed to be told, and this was the best way to tell it. We love this book and you will too. It is possibly one of the most important stories I have ever written and it stands as the beginning of a long and perilous journey that eventually becomes the lives of Richard and Kahlan. To say Magda Searus is important would be an incredible understatement. She is the beginning and so is this book.
11 likes ·   •  23 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on June 30, 2012 19:45 Tags: sword-of-truth, terry-goodkind, the-first-confessor
Comments Showing 1-23 of 23 (23 new)    post a comment »
dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by Jerry (last edited Jul 01, 2012 12:50AM) (new)

Jerry Wayne  Hart I just hope the book is full-justified instead of left-justified. I hate those kinds of ebooks. I like mine to look as much like a regular book as possible, no spaces between sentences. Yuck! :-)


message 2: by Terry (new)

Terry Goodkind We are actually altering all of the books to be full-justified. After lots of testing, we completely agree. We're going to continue supporting and enhancing our ebooks. Thank you for the suggestion.


message 3: by Jasmine M (new)

Jasmine M as for me, I don't care if it was a single word per line, i'm reading it anyway


message 4: by Hephaestus (new)

Hephaestus Do I need to finish the Sword of Truth series to understand this story? I haven't finished the series just yet.


message 5: by Jasmine M (new)

Jasmine M I don't know, there is a mention of her story in "confessor" -oh how I love Confessor- and I think it's Mr. Goodkind intention, to tell us a story about a person we are almost familiar with...how far are you from finishing the series Hephaestus?


message 6: by Jamie (new)

Jamie It's unfortunate that this book will unlikely go to print. Not all of us avid book readers have or want to use ebooks. I guess the history of the First Confessor will continue to remain a mystery...


message 7: by Terry (new)

Terry Goodkind Great question, Hephaestus. We are anticipating an avalanche of "Don't read the book until you read the series!" proclamations tomorrow, after launch. Long-time readers will probably feel as though the book spoils a number of key events that happen later. But we disagree.

Consider the movie TERMINATOR 2. For anyone that watched the trailer or read up on the movie ahead of time, they knew Arnold Schwarzenegger would be be returning as a 'good' terminator from the future, now designed to protect young John Conner. The movie was a phenomenal success and people loved it. But for people that had no idea he was now a 'good' terminator, it was a terrific shock when he first appeared and helped Conner.

Does either perspective make it a better movie or is it just another way to see a key scene differently? We think TERMINATOR 2 is a good movie regardless and that's the analogy we've tossed around when we think about how readers new/old should see this book.

THE FIRST CONFESSOR: The Legend of Magda Searus is the beginning and new readers should start here.


message 8: by Hephaestus (new)

Hephaestus Excellent, thank you for the prompt reply. I will definitely pick this up (or rather, download) at release.


message 9: by Dawn (new)

Dawn Peers I can't wait to download and get my hands on this - it's the kind of release my Kindle was made for! But I must say, it's been difficult to follow all of this as a UK reader. I've been with the series since the first rule, and even started reading them in German whilst waiting for new ones to be released - but I have found information on this to be nigh-on impossible to find. I can't pre-order on Amazon (I've checked the .com and I'm guessing that's universal) but I also don't know what the release time of the title is. Simultaneous for which time zone? At which time? I only found out this was being released thanks to "liking" Mr Goodkind on Facebook too. I can gather that indie publishing will rely on social media somewhat, but the lack of pre-order availability (as I've preordered other Kindle titles before) is a wee bit mystifying. All this minor rant aside, I'm really looking forward to reading this book :) I'm expecting a lot, and hopefully an explanation on the history / origins of the Con Dar, which is an explosive element of Kahlan's power that I wish we could see more often!


message 10: by Casey (new)

Casey you claim this will be available on Barnes and noble and amazon but i cant find it on either site 0.o


message 11: by Sandy (last edited Jul 02, 2012 08:27AM) (new)

Sandy Lu well at least I'm not the only one having trouble finding this e-book! I need something to put on Cleo, my new GlowNook!!! Yes, I was entranced by your comments about e-readers and just invested in your top-rated reader!

I'm still jumping up and down in excitement over the way you're (as an author) embracing the new e-book technology! Very refreshing and exciting to see what happens next!

A rhetorical question on pricing: why are unused paper books 6-12 months or more from release date and priced at $8 available in 4 books for the price of 3 promotions while the same e-books aren't ever offered in this type of promotion? I purchase all my new books this way, purchasing the odd hardcover from a series I eagerly follow.

So, older e-books priced at $10 each (if that's where pricing eventually lands) are roughly 60% more expensive than their paper counterparts. Until this percentage drops to zero, I'll supplement by checking out e-books from a public library.

To those clamoring for paper books, watch more Star Trek and get used to the idea of hand held communicators and tablet computers (and e-readers!) LOL


message 12: by Ken (new)

Ken Sapp I very much look forward to buying and reading The First Confessor when it goes on sale.

I began reading The Sword of Truth series in high school when "Wizard's First Rule" was published and have been an avid fan ever since, picking up each book as soon as it hit and shelving other books until I was done.


message 13: by Jane (new)

Jane I picked up the book on Amazon yesterday and can't wait to read it. Thank you for all the hard work and care that you give your readers.

Jane


message 14: by Trista (new)

Trista It's still not available for me via the Kobo Books site. I'm in Canada...is there a reason for the delay? Are we going to get it before the lower price special expires?


message 15: by Pollen (new)

Pollen I can't get in either, being in Canada sucks for stuff like that.


message 16: by Pollen (new)

Pollen *it


message 17: by Sandra (LT) (new)

Sandra (LT) Terry has said on the Launch Event FB page that they are working on the issues with some countries at Amazon sites, as well as the problems with Kobo and Apple.

https://www.facebook.com/events/19211...


message 18: by Frode (new)

Frode I'm in Norway and Amazon says it's unavailable in Europe. Since this was supposed to have been a world-wide release, I assume Amazon just needs to be slapped around a bit?


message 19: by Erin (new)

Erin Does anyone know when this will be available in audio format? I can't find that information anywhere. Thanks.


message 20: by Jules (new)

Jules Terry I'm saddened that this is not available in paper back and that only 300 copies were released. I have the entire series and have been waiting for this book to come out. I'm a fan of books I can actually flip pages and crease the end to mark where I left off. I was really hoping to spend my Holiday vacation sipping wine and reading your book in front of the fireplace.


message 21: by Joanna (new)

Joanna I must say, I am personally very disappointed that this is not to be a printed book, I have no notion of switching to e-readers and the like- I love BOOKS, the feel and the smell and the weight in my hand. Say what you will, I like what I like :)


message 22: by Barbara (new)

Barbara Stevens Did you ever publish the supplement for the First Confessor, I have been looking for several years and have never been able to locate it.


message 23: by Tuba (new)

Tuba Nazeer Terry way of explanation is great.
Self Publishing is a long journey. Being an Indie author, I always help to have a support system to create an ebook cover, edit and proofread, interior design. For marketing, I use usabookreviewers.com to gather book reviews and bookbub.com to market my book. I also started gathering email subscribers. So much to do...


back to top

Terry Goodkind's Blog

Terry Goodkind
Terry Goodkind isn't a Goodreads Author (yet), but they do have a blog, so here are some recent posts imported from their feed.
Follow Terry Goodkind's blog with rss.