Faded Embers will be released January 21. Yay!
But.
It won’t have a launch.
I’ve been tossing this idea around for a while now, since the release of Shattered Honor, while technically successful, was exhausting. Gearing up for a similar one just after Christmas was less appealing than it had ever been, but I considered it. Just a small blog tour, just chasing after a few advance reviews, just a tiny, low-key giveaway.
But the industry and community have shifted lately. Most writers I know have traditional contracts, are hybrid, or at least have a short story in an anthology. I haven’t seen this much negative discussion about self-published books since I started writing, and while I don’t know exactly what that change in attitude stems from, it makes it hard to shove a celebration of a yet another stigmatized book in people’s faces.
Because I know what they’re thinking—they’ve been thinking it this whole time, only they’re more vocal now. Way harsher. Way louder. And a lot of the time, it seems to be directed straight at me.
If your book was good enough to get an agent, you wouldn’t be self-publishing.
Indie authors are unprofessional and put out crap. Just look at that cover.
Self-published books will always be below average.
I’d never self-publish a book, even if it means no one ever reads it.
I don’t read or review indie books. Don’t ask for me a review or I’ll put you on blast.
Why can’t indie authors hire editors?
Yeah, that book was really good for a self-published one.
And all of this is fine. No owes a new book or an author any excitement. We’re not owed pre-sales or sales or good advance reviews or hype or anything else. Authors know this going in.
But I’d be a liar if I said that not receiving those things didn’t suck the joy out the process, and I need to be running on joy and anticipation this Christmas season. I need to be focusing on Advent and not spinning my wheels trying to change to the minds of a thousand people.
I wish it wasn’t this way. I wish attitudes would shift again just as suddenly as they did before and that I could throw something together, but that’s not going to happen in eight short weeks. So mark your calendar and don’t forget, you can preorder Faded Embers right here.
