 [Amazon | B&N | Mysterious Galaxy] |
Looking back, it was exactly two weeks before the official release of The Mermaid’s Madness that I started to see copies trickling into the bookstores.
(If you do decide to rush out and search for the book, I strongly suggest calling the bookstore beforehand. The official release date isn’t until July 6, so most stores probably won’t have it in stock yet.) Anyway, I’m counting down to July 6 by giving away another book every week. Congratulations to Marla Rudas, who won last week’s giveaway with her entry, “The Stepsister Scheme: Kills bugs dead!” For this week’s giveaway, I want to know where you learn about new books. Friends and family? The library? Online reviews? Little book gnomes? Conventions? If there’s a specific resource you’d like to share, please do! (If it’s one I’m unfamiliar with, maybe I’ll try to send a review copy.) I’ll pick one commenter at random to win their choice of the following:
14 days and counting… I think I’ve mentioned the Ego Shelf once or twice before. We joke about authors and their egos, and there is some truth to the jabs. Authors do tend toward the egotistical. After all, we think our words are good enough that you should pay money just to read them. But the ego shelf isn’t about feeding the ego. (Not just about that, at least.) It’s not “Look upon this shelf and bask in my awesomeness!” It’s not about whose shelf is longer. It’s about … let’s call it positive reinforcement.
That shelf holds a copy of almost1 every magazine, anthology, and novel (both English and translated) I’ve ever done, along with my Writers of the Future trophy there on the left. And you know what? I’m damn proud of that shelf. I’ve been told pride is a sin, and I realize pride can get you into trouble. But I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with taking a moment to feel good about what I’ve accomplished over the past fifteen years. It’s a good reminder, something to get me through the slumps. I’ve spent ten months working on The Snow Queen’s Shadow, and it helps to look up and remember that in a year or so I’ll be adding another book to the shelf, and people all over the world will (I hope) be reading and enjoying it. I’d love to someday have an entire Ego Bookcase. And it would be fun to add a few more trophies. But no matter where you are in your career, I think it’s important to recognize and honor the work you’ve done, to feel good about that. Even when I only had a few semi-pro magazines on display … heck, back before I sold anything, I taped my rejection letters up because I was proud of them too. Because they meant I was writing and submitting and working, dammit! Writing is hard. It’s okay to be proud of your work. Not only okay, I think it’s important. Oh — and those of you with keen eyes or good monitors might have spotted something there on the right. Let me give you a close-up.
Oh, yes. Author copies of Red Hood’s Revenge [B&N | Mysterious Galaxy | Amazon] have arrived at the Hines household, and there was much rejoicing. Don’t they look pretty all lined up together like that? To celebrate, I’ve updated my web site with the teaser for The Snow Queen’s Shadow. This is the same text that appears in the back of Red Hood. If you want to see what’s coming next summer, feel free to take a peek. —
My next book, Red Hood’s Revenge [B&N | Mysterious Galaxy | Amazon] comes out on July 6. Only three weeks until we get to meet Little Red Riding Hood, deadly assassin, and learn some of the secrets of Sleeping Beauty’s fairy curse. I’m counting down the days by giving away a book each week. This morning I was told that Red Hood would be included in a DAW/Penguin dark fantasy floor display at Barnes & Noble. Sweet! Also, Sci-fi Fan Letter called it the strongest princess book to date. Insert contented smile here. Anyway, time to give away another book! This week, let’s forget that whole truth in advertising thing. What are the lesser-known benefits of reading the princess series? Be as creative or ridiculous as you’d like. For example… The Mermaid’s Madness increases your pets’ IQ scores by 20 points or more! The Stepsister Scheme: Gets out even the toughest stains! Leave your suggestion in the comments, and I’ll pick a winner at random to receive an autographed copy of one of the following books (your choice):
Please keep it PG-13 or better, and have fun! (And please feel free to spread the word, if you’d like.) Hm … I think I have ginmar to thank for the influx of new LJ friends. Welcome all, and please feel free to say hello! Or not, if you prefer. It’s all good. #
My next book, Red Hood’s Revenge [B&N | Mysterious Galaxy | Amazon] comes out on July 6, and I’m counting down the days by giving away a book each week. Congratulations to @bkwrrm_tx who won the Twitter giveaway. Today’s contest is a little different. My friend Lisa Shearin (author of the Raine Benares series) has an excerpt and giveaway for The Stepsister Scheme over on her blog. To be entered to win an autographed copy of Stepsister, just head over and comment on the blog post. Lisa will be drawing a winner tonight, so if you want to enter this one, you’ll have to be quick. And tune in tomorrow for … actually, I haven’t decided yet. Maybe another diabetes post. Maybe a follow-up to the whole “friending/defriending” phenomenon on social networks. Or maybe I’ll just talk about the crazy involved in trying to wrap up the second draft of this book… A discussion came up on one of my author e-mail groups about reading reviews of your work. The point was made that positive reviews can lead to a swollen ego. Negative reviews bring you down. Neither of these are good things. It’s a valid point. When I saw the (ahem) starred Publishers Weekly review for Red Hood’s Revenge, it certainly pumped my ego up a notch. “Transcends its predecessors”? “Worth visiting again and again”? Oh, heck yes! On the other hand, Harriet Klausner called the plot thin and only gave me four stars at B&N.com. (Klausner almost always gives five stars.) I don’t consider Klausner as serious or influential a reviewer as Publishers Weekly, but the review still stung. (Which is okay — it’s the reviewer’s job to review the book, not to coddle my feelings. The reviewer’s obligation is to their readers, not to me.) I’ve always read my reviews, both from major reviewers and casual bloggers. (Thank you, Google Alerts.) I plan to continue doing so. Partly it’s ego and insecurity. I want to know whether people are talking about my books. Positive or negative, as long as people are reading and discussing, that’s still better thing than radio silence. I also realized I could learn from reviews, though it’s a little tricky. The problem is, everyone reacts differently. One reviewer says a book is the best thing I’ve ever done. Another throws it across the room after only one chapter. Who’s right? Both. Neither. Heck if I know. But occasionally I read a review that just clicks. Someone will point something out that makes me go, “Oh, wow. They’re right, and how the heck did I miss that?” I commented yesterday about the way I wrote Talia’s character in Stepsister. It was a comment at a review that first got me thinking about that issue. In addition, as I read more reviews, I start to see patterns. I’m not the brightest guy in the world, but eventually it clicks that a lot of people were bored by this part, or a certain scene didn’t work for them, or everyone keeps complaining that I overuse this piece of description… It reminds me of workshop critiques: if one person says there’s a problem, I can take it or leave it. If many people point out the same issue, then it’s something I need to look at. Some authors point out that in the case of reviews, it’s too late to change the book, so why bother? They’re right of course. But I can apply those lessons to the next books. It’s not always kind to my ego, especially when people jump in and start agreeing with a negative review in the comments. I also have to fight the occasional urge to argue with reviewers.1 Overall though, I’ve learned a fair amount from reviews, and I very much appreciate everyone who takes the time to write them. —
Red Hood’s Revenge [B&N | Mysterious Galaxy | Amazon] comes out on July 6, and I’m counting down the days by giving away a book each week. Congratulations to Jenn Johnson, who won the third giveaway. This week, I think I’m going to go with something simple and straightforward. Next Tuesday I’ll randomly select one of my Twitter followers to receive an autographed copy of one of the following books (your choice):
# Like many authors, I don’t get much info on how things are doing behind the scenes. It’s one of the reasons many of us obsess over Amazon rankings. Those rankings might not mean much in the big picture, but they’re the only indication I get about preorders. I use TitleZ to track my books on Amazon. It’s a dangerous tool, allowing authors to completely obsess, but I like it. Among other things, I can pull up a graph of sales rankings over time:
Every one of those dips represents at least one person who was excited enough to order Red Hood’s Revenge. I have no way of knowing exactly how many orders this represents, but it’s significantly better than the preorders for Mermaid’s Madness. So thank you. At the risk of getting all sappy, I very much appreciate your trust. I know this series isn’t for everyone, but it’s an incredible feeling to realize so many people are excited about the story and the characters. And it makes me want to work even harder on Snow Queen, to do everything I can to live up to that trust. In addition to well over 100 comments on yesterday’s MZB Fanfiction write-up, I’ve received a number of e-mails on the subject. Some thanking me for the research, others telling me I’m wrong about one or more details. That’s very possible. Heck, it’s probable. First-hand accounts are often slanted, and (as was brought up in the comments) there may be settlement terms keeping some information quiet. My write-up is the best I’ve been able to research, but please keep in mind that we don’t know everything, and probably never will. # I discovered today, via a Twitter update from my agent, that Goblin Quest [B&N | Mysterious Galaxy | Amazon] is in its 5th printing. Not bad for a little goblin runt and his pet fire-spider! # Penguin just sent me 4000 bookmarks for Red Hood’s Revenge [B&N | Mysterious Galaxy | Amazon]. Please contact me if:
I’m also happy to autograph one for you, if you’re interested. Thus endeth the promotional part of today’s blog post. # Finally, over on YouTube, we get a sneak peek at the new line of LEGO toys. (I don’t generally embed video in the blog, so I apologize in advance if I mess it up.)
“More dramatic than previous installments, this latest story revolves mainly around Talia and Roudette, bringing to light more of their dark and horrible pasts … There’s plenty of the suspense and action that make this fantasy series great. Hines’ princess heroines from fairy tale lore are truly unique and completely enjoyable from start to finish.” Congratulations to mskiara, who won the second giveaway! For the rest of you, don’t worry — I’ve got six more chances for people to win. For the past two weeks, I’ve had a blast reading your creative and entertaining entries, so let’s keep going with the fun. To enter this week’s contest, imagine a princess video game. Danielle, Snow, and Talia vs. all manner of nastiness. Who would be the ultimate boss at the end of the game, and how do the princesses defeat said boss?1 Leave your answer in the comments, and I’ll select one person to win an autographed copy of one of the following books (your choice):
As in previous weeks, the winner will be chosen at random, so there’s no pressure. Just have fun. —
I love you people. We’re already at 70 or so warnings about Red Hood’s Revenge. A few of my favorites: From Christine: Surgeon General’s Warning: Red Hood’s Revenge may cause heroine addiction. From bodlon: Warning: Red Hood’s Revenge contains princesses under pressure. Do not shake. Talia may explode and cause serious injury. From several commenters: Do not taunt Red Hood’s Revenge. If you’re looking for a laugh this morning, read through some of the entries. (And if you want to win a free book, there’s still plenty of time to contribute your own!) #
# Publishing can be a slow business, especially when you’re a writer waiting to hear back from an agent or editor. My personal record is two and a half years from submitting a manuscript to receiving an offer. But it’s not always this way. In fact, there are weeks that make you wish things would slow down a little…
Less than a week to write and submit the story, and three days to hear back on the sale. Not bad, eh? It’s a twisted little story. Working titles were Z-men and ZSI, but both of those were a bit too silly. There’s also been some further activity re: the secret project, but nothing I can talk about yet. Soon, I suspect … one way or another.
Congratulations to Jessica Tudor, who won the first giveaway. And my thanks to everyone who entered. I asked you to post something that made you smile, and it made for a great contest. I really enjoyed reading everyone’s comments. For this week, let’s keep with the fun. Give me a hypothetical product warning about Red Hood. Something like: Warning: Red Hood’s Revenge is meant for external use only. Keep it PG-13 or better. I’ll be drawing a winner at random next Monday, so no pressure to be the funniest. Winner receives an autographed copy of one of my books. Have fun. |
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Copyright © 2012 Jim C. Hines - All Rights Reserved |
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It is now exactly two weeks until the release of Red Hood’s Revenge 
Red Hood’s Revenge 
