The new newsletter is out: https://mailchi.mp/dbc5dc2002fd/my-publishers-dropping-me-its-a-good-thing?e=2b1e842057
Or you can just read it here:
My publisher is dropping three of my books!
Well, it really is good news, but I'm going to have to explain it.
At my request, Start Publishing has returned the rights to three of my books: Storm Chaser, Storm Chaser Shorts, and The Notorious Ian Grant. They were originally put out by Whiskey Creek Press, which was later bought by Start Publishing. Start is a big company, and made arrangements for their e-books to be distributed by Simon and Schuster, a large and respected publisher.
This excited many WCP authors, as Whiskey Creek Press was a fairly small publisher, with limited resources. I understood going in that I'd have to do a lot of my own selling and promoting; but with these new players, it was hoped we'd get better distribution and more promotion help.
Alas, that didn't happen. I continued to promote as best I could, and overall I've liked and gotten along with everyone from both companies. But those three books are older now, and to my disappointment their prices never got lowered. In addition, I felt the print book prices were way too high, especially for an unknown author like me. (WCP and Start specialize in e-books.)
With Storm Chaser now seven years old and set at the same price as when brand new, my sales had dropped dramatically. In the last quarter of 2018 sales of those three books were abysmal, and I know that's a real word because I looked it up.
But I wasn't ready to give up. Many people who read Storm Chaser kept asking me for a sequel, which the other two books were--but the sales of those two weren't as good. I felt there was potential for the series yet, so I asked Start Publishing for the rights back.
It was a long process.
I want to stress that my experience with the publisher was for the most part very positive, and I met many good and admirable people. In fact, I still have another novel, Radio Red, available through their Torrid Books line.
But the rights to the other three are back in my hands, which is why you may notice them disappearing from various websites and resellers across the internet. (I do still have print copies of the two novels for sale. Storm Chaser Shorts, a short story collection, was never available in print--but it will be.)
Emily and I are going to re-release the books, including a print run for Storm Chaser Shorts, once she's designed new covers and otherwise gotten them ready. These are the old covers, which you'll see if you buy any print copies from us before the supply runs out (well, not the middle one, which come to think of it could stand a new title):
I'll probably drop the price of them close to my cost, since the new editions will have a much lower price tag. Emily's hard at work on other projects right now, but I'll keep you updated on when they'll come out. Also, I'll be going back to work later this year on a prequel, as a way of introducing readers to the Storm Chaser series as a whole.
And you'll see all those changes on MarkRHunter.com, of course! Remember to support your local author: Whenever a book doesn't sell, an angel loses his wings--don't jam up the roadways with hitchhiking angels.
