Timing a Trilogy – Results

The Twitter poll results are in. Including three votes I received elsewhere (two for 1 year and one for 6 months), they are:

One year – 12 votes

Six months – 9 votes

One month or less – 1 vote

I was a little surprised so few voted for the 1 month or less option. Whilst a bit fast for me, I thought some readers would like being able to immerse themselves in a trilogy over a couple of months. Mind you, it’s rather helpful, as that would’ve been (from my perspective) the least welcome option.

I also know there can be a bias to the middle in polling (or other things, that’s why sometimes kettles and so on are deliberately split into cheap as chips, middling and swanky fancy expensive versions. People often want to avoid looking cheap, but won’t sell a kidney to afford a kettle, so they get herded towards the middle option).

A few days into the poll I realised there was another factor I need to consider.

If I release the books once every six months, that leaves no time for Sir Edric. So, is it better to concentrate on the trilogy as a block (a single work with three instalments, if you like), and then have the comedy after, or is it better to alternate?

There’s also the issue of self-publishing versus traditional publishing. There are various pros and cons to both, but arguably the single biggest pro of doing it oneself is that the schedule of release entirely favours the author. If you’re being traditionally published then the timing has to fit in with the publisher (they can’t just splurge books, they want a regular tick-over, which makes sense). But that can also mean the author ends up waiting a while.

I’d like to get Traitor’s Prize (the second book) either finished or very close before releasing Kingdom Asunder. That’ll both ease the pressure on me and reassure readers that they won’t be waiting until the End of Time for the sequel.

Many thanks to those who voted. It was interesting to see a close race between the top two options. For those who want fairly regular (typically monthly) updates on my writing progress, do check out my writing blog at http://thaddeuswhite.weebly.com/writing-blog (it tends to be more serious business/focused than the eclectic rambles about history, fantasy and so on I put up here).

I’m just about to embark on the first serious redraft of Traitor’s Prize, and how well/badly that goes will go a long way to determining when Kingdom Asunder comes out.

Thaddeus

Timing a Trilogy

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m working on a trilogy set in the Bane of Souls/Journey to Altmortis world. The first book, Kingdom Asunder, is essentially finished (I always leave the final proofread until just before release). The second book, Traitor’s Prize, is undergoing its first major redraft and I haven’t start the third book yet (working title is Crown of Blood).

At this moment in time it’s likeliest to be self-published, although there are some other avenues I'll explore. However, if it is to be self-published then I need to decide on how to release (specifically, how much space to leave between each instalment).

I’ve put up a poll on Twitter, here.

If you’re on Twitter, please do click the link and vote for either 1 year, 6 months, or 1 month or less.

From a writing perspective, there are swings and roundabouts for large and small gaps. Large gaps mean you can release the first book sooner. Smaller gaps mean you get more momentum because you do the pre- and post-release marketing stuff and by the time that’s done it’s onto the next book (and by the time readers finish book 1 there’s not long to book 2), but you do need to finish or almost finish the whole trilogy before the first entry can be released.

As a reader, my own pace has slowed to snail-like proportions, so I don’t mind the year or more between Stormlight Archive releases, or the years between A Song of Ice and Fire. Unfortunately that also means I’m not (from a reader’s point of view) a good judge for how faster readers might like things.

Another factor I need to consider is releasing more Sir Edric books. If I released trilogy entries every six months, releasing Sir Edric stories as well would cram far too much into too short a space (as well as leaving me with a fallow period after the last trilogy entry). So, a six month gap would probably mean releasing the trilogy all in sequence, then Sir Edric, whereas a year gap might mean alternating (every six months or so) could work.

So, if you could check out the poll that’d be very useful. If you’re not on Twitter and don’t want to be but do want to have your view taken into account, do feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll use the magic of arithmetic to add that to the results.

The poll lasts for five more days after which I’ll put the results up here.

Thaddeus

Disabled Giants of History

A chance encounter with a tweet about the low rate of disability in fantasy made me think about writing a piece on significant historical figures who were disabled.

It’s worth noting that, historically, beauty could be seen as the favour of gods (or God), and ugliness as their/his displeasure. Indeed, in one Athenian trial the woman’s defence was to disrobe whilst her lawyer argued that one who was so clearly Aphrodite’s handmaiden could not be guilty. (She was acquitted, incidentally).

At the other end of the scale, being Eastern Roman/Byzantine Emperor required physical perfection (completeness rather than handsomeness), so rivals would often have their ears or nose cut off to prevent them from aspiring to the top job.

This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list or anything like that, merely a recounting of historical figures I happen to have read about who also have (although definitions can vary) one or more disabilities.

Hannibal is perhaps my single favourite chap from history. He won arguably the greatest battlefield victory ever, had arguably the largest ambush ever, and slapped the Romans about in Italy for a decade. Even when the Romans got top commanders like Marcellus, Nero, Quintus Fabius Maximus and Scipio, he still prowled around the country until he was recalled home. During the march through the Arnus Marshes, conditions were terrible. So bad, in fact, he lost an eye to exposure.

Caesar and Alexander were both epileptic. My understanding is their fits became rarer as they aged (although Alexander didn’t age all that much). For Caesar, this may explain why he did his best work when he was older. Hmm. It doesn’t explain how Alexander destroyed the Theban Sacred Band when he was 17 and spent his 20s conquering the whole Persian Empire…

Claudius had a stutter and club foot and was taken for a fool, but he was rather sharper than many thought (and certainly saner than either his predecessor or successor). His clumsy foot and tongue were made famous for modern audiences by the TV series I, Claudius (which I can strongly recommend).

Tamerlane was a 14^th/15^th century version of Genghis Khan, from whom he claimed descent (which is entirely possible given the number of children Genghis Khan had). His name, of which there are various versions, can also be read as Timur the Lame, because he was lame. He also had a withered right arm (I think this was due to injury whereas his lameness was from birth). When electing a leader by who would win a foot race to a stake, he lagged behind his rivals but threw his cap onto the stake to claim it, and duly became leader. As a warlord, he was unsurpassed in cunning (planting crops on a road three years ahead of time so his army would have food in the future), but also pretty damned brutal.

Enrico Dandolo was the Doge of Venice in the 12^th and early 13^th centuries. He was around 90 during the Fourth Crusade. He was also blind, but despite this literally led the assault on the hitherto impregnable city, achieving the stunning feat of conquering it. Blind he was, and old too, but orbs of steel did within his codpiece dwell.

More recently, there’s the famous British example of Nelson. Being disabled didn’t stop him giving the French a damned good thrashing. More than that, it provided some comedy disobedience, when, at the Battle of Copenhagen, he raised his telescope to his blind eye and claimed he could not see the signal of Admiral Parker ordering a retreat (Nelson went on be victorious). He also, of course, had his right arm amputated.

I almost, appallingly, forgot Antigonus Monopthalmus, perhaps my favourite of the Diadochi. His nickname (Monopthalmus) means one-eyed. When he received the battle wound that deprived him of sight in one eye, Antigonus refused to seek medical attention and kept fighting until the battle was done.

I think it’s also worth raising the example of David Blunkett. He was Home Secretary under the previous Labour Government, despite being blind. That’s a phenomenal achievement, not least because although blind people can read Braille there’s no way to quickly skim or scan that (because it involves feeling bumps on paper) the way a sighted person can with a visually written document.

Thaddeus

How to Make an Audiobook – interview with Alexandra Butcher

Publishing has undergone something of a revolution in recent years, with the advent of e-books and e-readers making it easier than ever to self-publish. There’s also been a resurgence in the popularity of audiobooks. But how does one go about making an audiobook? To answer that (and other) questions, I’ve been joined by Alexandra Butcher, who has recently created the audiobook of The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles.

What’s the premise of The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles?

The book is set in the world of Erana where magic is outlawed and elves enslaved to the humans. The land is run by the Order of Witch-Hunters – a corrupt organisation who rule by fear and division. Magic still persists. It’s a case of either someone is magical or they aren’t, it’s something a person is born with. How well that person hides their skills can mean life or death. The slavers, too, have a lot of power. Slavery is not illegal – in fact the Witch-Hunters encourage it – the trade of flesh pays well and so the Order gets a cut. It also helps to instil fear in the population.

The book begins with Dii, an elven sorceress who had fled from her Keeper, or slave owner’s, home after years of terrible treatment. She knows next to nothing about the world outside – except it’s a very dangerous place and soon enough she encounters the Order.

We then meet Archos, another sorcerer, who is also a wealthy noble and more besides who, unbeknown to the Order, is working to help the elves and other mages escape from servitude or execution. When the slavers ravage a nearby elven village Archos and Dii set out to try and rescue the missing elves and avenge the village, whilst trying to avoid capture by the Order and other jealous enemies.

It’s been labelled ‘sex and sorcery’ as it’s definitely an adult book as there are elements of romance and erotica. It’s pretty steamy in places ;) Foremost it’s fantasy/sword and sorcery.

It’s recently, as mentioned, been converted into an audiobook. How long did it take, from start to finish, to create and publish the audiobook version?

Oh gosh – in the end it was about a year – but part of that was because I was revising the book for a third edition and I had to wait for the editor to do her stuff. The narrator – Rob Goll – was the chap who narrated Tales of Erana: The Warrior’s Curse so I had the advantage I’d worked with him before. Rob had several other commitments – including a Shakespeare festival and narration for Heroika: Dragon Eaters which, as I’d recommended him for I couldn’t really complain. Once Rob had made a start it was actually fairly quick – probably about a month.

As I’d worked with Rob before and I liked his work and style I suggested he audition for Light Beyond so I’d pretty much made my choice of narrator already. With another title of mine Outside the Walls we had a couple of people audition and, as the book was a co-write, it had to be someone both myself and Diana liked. It’s possible to have several narrators audition or none. So it can take time to find the correct person.

It’s a lot more time consuming for the narrator – I understand it’s about two hours work per finished hour – and them they have to ensure there are no background noises, the pronunciation is alright, the gaps between the chapters are the right length etc. ACX has strict criteria about how long the silence is at the beginning or end of each chapter and if it’s too long or too short they won’t approve it. Honestly I can’t tell unless it’s really obvious so I have to trust my narrator on that.

I was lucky with Rob – he’s very professional and there was only one edit and that was my fault… That’s a risk, too, as the audio has to match the manuscript perfectly or the whispersync doesn’t work. If there is a difference, or a mistake then that has to be rectified. Also sometimes when listening the author discovers a particular scene or line doesn’t really work – so that needs to be changed in the MS. It’s a great way of finding those pesky typos that might have sneaked in under the radar. Whether Rob had to do multiple records I don’t know – he didn’t say.

Officially once the narrator has uploaded the files the author can request up to two rounds of editing – so the author needs to listen to the files carefully to decide on any changes. Some narrators will do more but as it’s so time consuming the author can’t send them notes on every little thing unless it really is an error/revision.

The cover art – that has to be square (think a CD case) so that has to be adapted. Then there’s a suitable sample…

Audiobooks seem to be enjoying a resurgence as MP3 players are so commonplace and they can be listened to on the commute to work, whilst walking or doing household chores. Excepting your own, do you have a favourite audiobook?

I have a few I haven’t listened to yet (no headphones for my phone and my old phone went into meltdown if I tried to install audible) but I have a version of Phantom of the Opera I love, and Les Miserable – although off hand I can’t remember who narrated. I’ve listened to Chris Morris narrate some work, and other books Rob has done.

I’ve just bought Count of Monte Christo, Dracula and Soul Music, so I need to get listening!

With the classics there are usually a few versions – so the samples are a good way to find a narrator you like.

Self-publishing has taken off in a major way for written books. Apart from (obviously) needing the written text, what else do you need to go down the audiobook route?

Patience! Each chapter which is uploaded has to be listened to, usually a couple of times, and cross referenced with the manuscript for revisions, background noise, dips in volume, odd sounds pronunciation issues – often the narrator will pick up any sound related issues – but some can slip through.

A book I have just bought on audible is over 50 listening hours so you can imagine the work that went into that!

As I said the cover art has to be reproduced – it’s a bit fiddly – especially if the author has purchased a cover and needs to go back to the cover artist and ask them to do it.

How does a writer go about hiring a narrator, and how does the pricing work (is it a fixed fee or does the narrator get a royalty per copy sold)?

There are two payment options available for author/narrators price per finished hour or royalty share. From what I’ve seen quite a few narrators will only offer price per hour – after all the book may not sell many copies so they may not ever a great deal of money for all the work. I can see their point. I’ve not worked with anyone who has only asked for pay per finished hour but I understand the fees vary – so it is up to the narrator and author to negotiate. If the author opts for pay per hour the royalties from the sales belong solely to the author – after all the narrator has already been paid. I think it works out at about 40% royalty rate.

Royalty share is what it says on the tin. The narrator isn’t paid up front – they get a share of any royalties for the audio book sales. It works out at 20% for the author and 20% for the narrator.

This is for the exclusive production on ACX – there are other sites which produce audio so if the book is sold elsewhere then I think the royalty rate is dropped. I can’t recall exactly but I think it’s a seven-year contract.

Once the book is submitted to ACX the author fills in the required info – genre, preferred narrating style, royalty options etc. An author can request a specific type of narrator – British, male, middle aged, West Country for example - of course that limits the potential narrators but it is possible. I’d say it was better to be a bit more flexible. Narrators can then audition by reading the uploaded audition script – usually a five minute chunk of the MS. Sometime the narrators can approach the author with questions. ACX will contact the author/rightsholder and say there is an audition waiting for approval. In theory the author could wait until there are a few or take the first one that comes in if he or she likes it.

If the author likes the audition then he/she can make an offer to the narrator – so royalty share, time scale etc. If the narrator has a lot of other work on, and many of them are actors so may be working on shows, then obviously time scales are important. A 30 hour book would take 60 or more hours to produce and so that is unlikely to be done in a week.

Once both parties are happy the narrator accepts the offer and off you go. There is a lot of legal contract stuff to be considered – it is a contract between the narrator and author and ACX – If the narrator doesn’t turn up with the goods, or the quality is awful then the offer can be rescinded. If the author doesn’t pay up – or there are issues there, then the contract can be rescinded. It’s hard to do – and I think ACX have to mediate but it can be done.

There is a 15-minute sample produced by the narrator – and this can be refused by the author, but that’s the only early get out. It’s worth the author reading these rules carefully as it IS a contract with all that entails. So make sure you find the right person for your project.

There are bounty payments too – basically if someone joins the audible members club with the subscription and your book is the first book they buy then the author (or author and narrator for royalty share) get a $50 bonus ($25) for royalty share. I think it’s an incentive to try and persuade people to get fans to sign up.

How long does the process take, and what level of direction to the narrator is needed? Did you provide a style guide for unusual fantasy terms?

The initial set up is pretty quick – sign up with the ACX account and claim the relevant book, produce the ‘audition script’ and upload it and wait for narrators to audition.

How do you like to listen to audiobooks?

I tend to listen on my laptop, but recently we were listening to Good Omens, Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy and Dune played on a tablet via a speaker before bed. My partner tends to listen to them more than I do at the moment. That’s the beauty – audio books are pretty versatile and one can dip in and out, just picking up where one left off.

Are there any pitfalls newcomers to making audiobooks should know about?

http://www.acx.com/help/how-it-works/200484210

Make sure you read the FAQ and the contract carefully. ACX actually has a good set of FAQ but their contact customer service is a bit lousy. I’ve had to deal with them a few times – mostly regarding payment of the bounty payments – and once when we discovered an issue that had got past both author, narrator and the quality control. They told me it would be fixed in a week – more like six and with questions regarding the bounty payments the person I spoke to seemed clueless and I ended up having to take screen shots of the issue – namely bounty payments were listed which I hadn’t received and apparently they couldn’t see them on the invoice… no because I hadn’t received them. That took a couple of months going back and forth before it was sorted. It pays to be polite but persistent.

AL: Audible Listener - purchases made by members with membership credits. 
ALOP: Audible Listener Over Plan - purchases made by members with cash (not with membership credits). 
ALC: A la carte - purchases made by customers not in an Audible Listener membership.

There are royalties for books bought outright by people not in the membership plan, books bought by members using their membership credits, books bought by members NOT using their credits and so the author has to work out what that relates to in actual payments – I get 68c for a ALC sale and a 55c for an AL sale on the same short story. But honestly it’s not always that clear. But they do pay monthly and the royalties usually do turn up on time…. Well except the bounty payments…

The reporting of sales is a bit flaky – it’s supposed to update daily but often doesn’t.

What’s nice is the author gets promotional codes to give out – usually for home store (Audible.co.uk OR Audible.com but can ask for the ones from the other store. It’s a useful way of getting reviews or being able to offer the books as prizes in events.

The email system they have is a bit rubbish – it doesn’t always work – and I’ve been told that by several narrators as well BUT it is useful to have and means you don’t have to give out a personal email if you don’t want to, and any issues you can email direct to ACX support. Oh and they have phone support. KDP doesn’t and that drives a lot of authors mad.

There are a lot of good marketing tips on the blog and ACX have a twitter account. The author needs to do their own marketing – same as KDP – so don’t expect ACX to market your book for you.

Make sure you have the time to put in to it. It’s not easy listening carefully to each chapter. You’re the author – it’s your book being produced and you need to know that it’s correct and done according to what you want. Keep in mind though that a narrator doesn’t know what’s going on in your head – he or she doesn’t know that you want Bob the Postman to speak with a Geordie accent unless it’s made clear in the MS or you tell them. You may not get the book exactly as you’ve imagined it.

Make sure you keep a good relationship with your narrator – especially if you want them to do subsequent books.

What are your plans for the future?

The Shining Citadel is currently being revised for a second edition and once that’s done it will appear in audio – hopefully by the end of 2016.

The Stolen Tower will eventually get produced as well but that will wait until the second edition as well, depending on how well Light Beyond sells.

I have just produced a short fantasy story set entitled The Kitchen Imps and Other Dark Tales so once I’ve sorted out an audition script I’ll probably look at that as an audio as well.

Book IV of the series is being written and I’m also working on a Tales of Erana novella so that may well appear in audio in the next year or so.

Thanks, Alexandra, and all the best with The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles, and its sequels.

Links and info

Author Bio:

A. L. Butcher is the British author of the Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles fantasy series, and several short stories in the fantasy and fantasy romance genres. She is an avid reader and creator of worlds, a poet and a dreamer. When she is grounded in the real world she likes science, natural history, history and monkeys. Her work has been described as ‘dark and gritty’ and her poetry as evocative.

Blog: http://libraryoferana.wordpress.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6430414.A_L_Butcher

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alexandra-Butcher/e/B008BQFCC6/

Twitter:@libraryoferana

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DarkFantasyBeyondTheStorm

The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles series – an adult fantasy/fantasy romance series, with a touch of erotica.

Audio Book

http://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/The-Light-Beyond-the-Storm-Chronicles-Book-1-Audiobook/B01DAQSCIC/

http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/The-Light-Beyond-the-Storm-Chronicles-Book-1-Audiobook/B01DASV3PE/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Light-Beyond-Storm-Chronicles-Book/dp/B01DAQRYV8/

http://www.amazon.com/Light-Beyond-Storm-Chronicles-Book/dp/B01DASVPLQ/

Thaddeus

The Haunting of Lake Manor Hotel – out now

At the risk of sounding industrious, my second book in a fortnight is now out.

The Haunting of Lake Manor Hotel is a horror anthology in which I have a short story (Forget Me Not). There are 13 stories, each by a different author, each set in a different room of Lake Manor Hotel.

Here’s the blurb:

13 Rooms. 13 Guests. 13 Stories.

It's been over a hundred and fifty years since a plague ravaged the area around Lake Manor. With few left to bury them, the corpses were unceremoniously dumped into the lake by their surviving loved ones.

Years later, Lake Manor Hotel is alive with the shadows of the dead. Within the hotel's 13 rooms, there are 13 tales to tell. Guests will face evil demons, ghosts, creatures from the lake, and the worst monsters of all: the ones within themselves.

13 will check in, but how many will check out?

The Haunting of Lake Manor Hotel can be bought here in the UK [where it’s currently #7 on the Anthology-Horror list], and here in the US, as e-books. The paperback is to follow shortly, for those of you who prefer physical copies.

And, if you prefer a lighter tone, don’t forget to check out the escapades of Sir Edric and his trusty manservant Dog in The Adventures of Sir Edric.

Thaddeus

The Haunting of Lake Manor Hotel – pre-order now

On 12 April, The Haunting of Lake Manor Hotel, a horror anthology in which I have a short story, comes out.

Running through the anthology is the common thread of the Lake Manor Hotel, with each story set with a different guest staying in a different room. It’s a nice way of tying together an anthology beyond a sub-genre, and the publisher, Woodbridge Press, has some more things coming down the track.

UK pre-order here.

US pre-order here.

So, if you like horror, give it a look. There are lots of talented authors involved (and me).

Thaddeus

Fantastical music

The Adventures of Sir Edric came out about a week ago, and The Haunting of Lake Manor Hotel is out in six days (pre-order here), so the time is right for a musical interlude.

I don’t always listen to music when writing, but when I do it’s often fantastical stuff. Soundtracks from films and videogames, as well as classical and rock music, and so forth.

One of my favourites, which is also the track for an excellent part of The Fellowship of the Ring, is The Bridge of Khazad Dum.

Dragon Age 2’s best song was saved until the end (Rogue Heart):

Dragon Age: Inquisition has some excellent bard music. One of the best songs is the rather sad Once We Were.

The Witcher 3’s got a great soundtrack, including Leo’s Farewell.

A few tunes spring to mind for Sir Edric (Brahms’ Hungarian Dance number 5, Rossini’s William Tell Overture), but Offenbach’s Can-Can music (technically, Orpheus-Quadrille Op.236), is probably the most fitting.

Other music posts from March 2011 and October 2011. 

Thaddeus

The Adventures of Sir Edric – out now

The Adventures of Sir Edric is now available to buy at Amazon, for the frankly demented price of 99p (price will go up in the near future).

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Adventures-Edric-Hero-Hornska-Book-ebook/dp/B01DOSP9ZK/

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Edric-Hero-Hornska-Book-ebook/dp/B01DOSP9ZK/

Obviously, this is a magnificent, witty, hugely enjoyable book, and I hope you check the samples and see if it’s for you. There’s also a new review extolling the delights of Sir Edric and his assorted shenanigans:

 https://thetattooedbookgeek.wordpress.com/2016/03/31/the-adventures-of-sir-edric-a-hero-of-hornska-book-review/

Thaddeus