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Writing Diary of Novelist Holly Lisle
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by Holly Lisle on September 21, 2007 · 32 comments
in Books, Hawkspar, WORLD OF KORRE
I heard from my Tor editor today that HAWKSPAR will be coming out at full length in one volume. The odds of Tor wanting REDBIRD, the third stand-alone in the world, are somewhere between slim and none, but at least the second book will be right, not ruined.
I’m very, very happy about this news.
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{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
Well, I’m glad to hear that, Holly. It’s a shame about Redbird. I consider your novels of Korre some of your best work.
Well, I’ll do my part, and make sure I buy a copy from my local B&N as soon as it’s available. :)
{PJ does the Snoopy dance}
This is great news! I’m so happy you held the line on this. :-)
As for REDBIRD – well, as we can see – it ain’t over til it’s over!
Yay!
I’m glad Tor is doing right by you. :)
Wow, that’s great news.
I am so very thrilled they are doing the right thing. It’s a shame about Redbird but hey, you never know. Would there be a chance of selling it to another publisher?
Yay!!! (but I’m sorry to hear about Redbird’s chances looking so slim)
That’s great news about Hawkspar! I’m sorry to hear that Redbird’s chances aren’t looking so good, but there is still time. Maybe if Hawkspar does really really well… :D
That’s a relief. And you know, it had been sounding like the odds of Tor doing right by Hawkspar were also slim to none, so maybe Redbird has a chance, after all.
What they said, especially Nicole.
Why do they not want to mess with Redbird? The gap between the first two books? Fear of its potential length? Just the fiasco involving Hawkspar turning them off? And as someone asked, would it be possible to sell Redbird somewhere else? Was Hawkspar written so that the ending will not leave us all going, “WE *NEEEEED* REDBIRD?” ;)
This asks for bottles of bubbly and lots of ticker tape. What a relief! And as for Redbird – maybe the sales numbers for Hawkspar will sway them. Just adding another “YAY!” to the mix.
Wow… I’m very glad (and even more amazed) things are working out right for Hawkspar…
One for the good guys.
I’m beyond thrilled for you, Holly – and for this book. Congratulations. Now go pop a cork.
I just got out of my computer chair to do a happy dance. I’ll be sure to buy it the day it comes out.
Well, if it helps, Holly, would you prefer if I bought Hawkspar from a chain like B&N or would it be better from a small non-chain local bookstore?
If I sell a hundred thousand copies of HAWKSPAR, Tor would most likely buy REDBIRD. Maybe even fifty thousand copies. For less than that, they probably won’t be willing to work with me again, considering I stopped being agreeable and nice to work with after the butchering of HAWKSPAR. And from what I can tell, TALYN didn’t sell particularly well.
Jess—Oh, all three books are complete stand-alones. So you won’t lose an ending or anything by reading HAWKSPAR but not reading REDBIRD.
There’s an overarching storyline that won’t be completed without REDBIRD, but I’m really the only one who knows what it was or how it wasn’t finished with HAWKSPAR. It’s one of those things where, when you read the third book, you’d go “Holy shit! I didn’t make those connections. I didn’t know that was going on.” But while you’re reading the first two, it’s just little tidbits of background—interesting things that don’t really connect to much, or seem important.
I’ve grown wary over the years about writing toward an ending in Book [X]. I’ve noticed how rarely I get to go all the way to Book [X], so I’m focusing mostly on stand-alones with secret undercurrents.
Oh yes!! I love secret undercurrents! So like real life sometimes, yes.
A happy outcome for Hawkspar, so maybe Redbird too.
What is the release date for Hawkspar? IT will be on my calendar in red ink.
Hmm. Perhaps if we each buy 10 copies…
Yes, a release date would be nice when you know it. It will allow some planning time.
Oh yes! I will be buying a copy as soon as it comes out, shortlisting it at the B&N where I work so that it can go in the “Staff Picks” section, and facing copies out every day that I’m on the job!
I can’t wait to hear the release date!
YES! Awesome! I have been crossing my fingers, hoping, and sending positive one-volume thoughts your way. So happy to see this news!
Yay! Congrats on Hawkspar! Let us know the release date and I’ll help spread the word.
I am so thrilled for you! You deserve this and so much more.
**Tossing Confetti**
WooHoo! I’m guessing the best way to show support (as far as Tor is concerned) is pre-ordering the novel? Let us know when it’s time to do that!
Congrats! That’s wonderful news. I’m looking forward to reading it.
I did want to pass on something that I learned with Talyn. I usually order online with Amazon or B&N because my local bookstore (Hastings) takes so long to receive an order. I was at Hastings looking for Talyn, and they didn’t have it. A helpful clerk offered to order for me, so I did. Two to three weeks later it came in. When I picked up my copy, I saw that two copies of Talyn was also on the shelf. I asked the clerk about it, and she said that when someone orders a book, the manager often orders a couple of extra copies. I will be ordering Hawkspar at Hastings and waiting for it so that maybe it has more of a chance to end up in my bookstore.
Amazon has listed pub dates for books not even written, so it may not be accurate, but it’s listing Hawkspar’s release as June 24, 2008. :) Wooot!
I just pre-ordered 3 copies from Amazon! Whoo hoo! Can’t wait!
I’ve pre-ordered! Am very happy about the discount.
Tina, anders, thanks. Preordering is good. Bookstore is good, Amazon is good, anyplace that will actually sell you a copy of the book is good at this point. If you preorder through a brick-and-mortar store and they then order in extra copies of the books, that’s fantastic.
In every case, thank you for your support.
NOTE: I don’t know if the June 24th 2008 pub date is correct, and kind of suspect that would have been the pub date had I accepted the gutted version. I’ll see what I can find out.
Bit late to the party (sorry, catching up), but YAHOO! I’m so happy the book that comes out will be the book you wanted.
I hope it does well.
Do you retain the audio rights for Talyn? Maybe you could podcast it to build publicity for HAWKSPAR (not that you have the time, I’m sure). Just a thought.
“Preordering is good. Bookstore is good, Amazon is good, anyplace that will actually sell you a copy of the book is good at this point.”
Well, I just went to Waterstone’s and preordered it. They wanted the money upfront and it was more than I expected.
Now that I checked on Amazon, I’ve found out that the bookstore actually charged me 50% more. Ouch.
After reading the introduction in mugging the muse, I wanted to order and buy things from shops around me, but I think that those bookstores are actually shooting themselves in the foot by charging that much more than an online store like amazon. Customer loyalty only goes so far.
But anyway, that’s just a minor gripe – I’m glad that Tor decided to publish the book without cuts, as it was intended and hopefully sales are going to prove them wrong about any decision not to publish Redbird!
Thank you so much for picking up a copy, and I’m very sorry you got clobbered on the price. That’s the reason I’ve stopped pushing for bookstore sales, even though they help my numbers. Customers aren’t getting a good deal from a lot of the chains. It’s a real shame.