I have just got my way through Bones of the Past now (read Fire in the Mist last week or the week before, I think) and I remain super impressed by all of them. I am even more excited that there are Dragons. And those trees were dang freaky cool, though not quite as cool as the culture that was built up around them. You are an amazing worldbuilder, that is for sure. These books have that fresh creative innocent taste that wasn’t as much in scary, scary Talyn…. that one kept me up with nightmares all night.. but not these! These are pure inspiration and happy colorful joy joy!
I bought Fire in the Mist on kindle actually, of these you released…. but my distaste for ebook reading still hasn’t gone away I found (though I finished that ebook) so I went to a used bookstore in town and found all three of the books. Also I got the World Gates series to read… because it seems to be full of Dragons and interesting magic systems too!
Maybe I’m being optimistic, but I think as long as I stay away from Korre and those scary pogging Feegash I shall be all right with your fun and imaginative stories 🙂
Kathleen Smith
11 years ago
Dear Holly,
A happy belated birthday to you! We are not far apart in age…so I appreciate the effort you’re taking to recommit to writing.
I am new to your site, so I’m still looking around. What I haven’t found (although I’m sure you have it posted somewhere) is your target date for closing down this site, stopping teaching, etc. In other words, how much time does any prospective student have to take your three online courses before the transition into Nook, et al? Or will there be a way to purchase and work the courses in the new formats?
Thank you, and again, Happy Birthday! I think it is wise to start your “new year” by doing something brave for yourself, and you are!
Kat
gabby
11 years ago
Holly, they look beautiful! I can’t wait to order them
Johanna
11 years ago
They look terrific! I may have to get them even though I already own all of them 🙂
Wanders Nowhere
11 years ago
Oh, wow. That’s awesome. What does it feel like to hold your first ever book in your hand, brand new in a brand new cover you designed yourself?.
I’m assuming you mean my first book that I designed myself, but these aren’t those.
The first books I designed myself were the print versions of Create A Plot Clinic, Create A Language Clinic, Create A Culture Clinic, Create A Character Clinic, How to Write Page-Turning Scenes, and Hunting the Corrigan’s Blood, all of which have been available for years on Lulu.
The problem with Lulu, though they do absolutely gorgeous books, is they’re so damn expensive.
But I’ve been doing this for a while now. Getting the first of those back was damn near heart-stopping, it was so cool.
These are fun, and I’m excited, but more because they’ll be available again, and in pretty affordable editions, than because I designed them.
If I could have, I would have brought them out in mass market paperback for $7.99. Then I discovered that CreateSpace doesn’t offer a mass market size. And the only size I could find that would allow me to offer the books for broadest distribution was 6″x9,” which is TRADE paperback size.
I don’t LIKE trade paperback. But I caved, because that was the size that let me put them on the “available to everyone” list.
And I discovered you have price limits you have to hit in order to offer the book for broadest distribution, meaning someone who wants your book can walk into a bookstore and ask the help desk person to order books in for him, and the books will be available in the computer. Or, in theory, that the bookstore will have ordered copies in on its own, but THAT’s not gonna happen.
So my imagined $7.99 mass-market paperbacks turned into $13.97 trade paperbacks.
BUT they all have brand new Afterwords.
I wanted the folks who bought them now who’d already had copies before to get something special.
And as for the cover design?
Frankly, as soon as I can afford to hire this guy I have in mind for my covers, I’m not doing any more of my own. ‘Cause, DAMN, he’s good. 😀
Aack, I’m sorry. I was trying to say something like “I imagine seeing your first novel series (Arhel trilogy, FiTM being your first ever published novel, right?) lying there all freshly printed and shiny with covers you designed yourself has to be a weird, nostalgic feeling” but I don’t think I communicated it very well, my apologies.
That said, your reply was very informative, and it’s got me curious about the bumps this new publishing field has in its road. I can’t quite wrap my brain around them, mostly because I don’t have anything publishable yet to go out and test the waters with. Thank you for your insights 😀
I didn’t realize that Createspace wouldn’t do mass market paperbacks. (I think I still remember when mass market paperbacks were 3.99….) Still, it is nice that you are able to use it to release these in paper form. They are excellent books and everyone should read them.
Who is this damn good guy you are waiting to hire? I’m curious.
How long would you estimate before these are for $ale?
Gotta start saving my nickels and dimes.
I have just got my way through Bones of the Past now (read Fire in the Mist last week or the week before, I think) and I remain super impressed by all of them. I am even more excited that there are Dragons. And those trees were dang freaky cool, though not quite as cool as the culture that was built up around them. You are an amazing worldbuilder, that is for sure. These books have that fresh creative innocent taste that wasn’t as much in scary, scary Talyn…. that one kept me up with nightmares all night.. but not these! These are pure inspiration and happy colorful joy joy!
I bought Fire in the Mist on kindle actually, of these you released…. but my distaste for ebook reading still hasn’t gone away I found (though I finished that ebook) so I went to a used bookstore in town and found all three of the books. Also I got the World Gates series to read… because it seems to be full of Dragons and interesting magic systems too!
Maybe I’m being optimistic, but I think as long as I stay away from Korre and those scary pogging Feegash I shall be all right with your fun and imaginative stories 🙂
Dear Holly,
A happy belated birthday to you! We are not far apart in age…so I appreciate the effort you’re taking to recommit to writing.
I am new to your site, so I’m still looking around. What I haven’t found (although I’m sure you have it posted somewhere) is your target date for closing down this site, stopping teaching, etc. In other words, how much time does any prospective student have to take your three online courses before the transition into Nook, et al? Or will there be a way to purchase and work the courses in the new formats?
Thank you, and again, Happy Birthday! I think it is wise to start your “new year” by doing something brave for yourself, and you are!
Kat
Holly, they look beautiful! I can’t wait to order them
They look terrific! I may have to get them even though I already own all of them 🙂
Oh, wow. That’s awesome. What does it feel like to hold your first ever book in your hand, brand new in a brand new cover you designed yourself?.
Well, um…
I’m assuming you mean my first book that I designed myself, but these aren’t those.
The first books I designed myself were the print versions of Create A Plot Clinic, Create A Language Clinic, Create A Culture Clinic, Create A Character Clinic, How to Write Page-Turning Scenes, and Hunting the Corrigan’s Blood, all of which have been available for years on Lulu.
The problem with Lulu, though they do absolutely gorgeous books, is they’re so damn expensive.
But I’ve been doing this for a while now. Getting the first of those back was damn near heart-stopping, it was so cool.
These are fun, and I’m excited, but more because they’ll be available again, and in pretty affordable editions, than because I designed them.
If I could have, I would have brought them out in mass market paperback for $7.99. Then I discovered that CreateSpace doesn’t offer a mass market size. And the only size I could find that would allow me to offer the books for broadest distribution was 6″x9,” which is TRADE paperback size.
I don’t LIKE trade paperback. But I caved, because that was the size that let me put them on the “available to everyone” list.
And I discovered you have price limits you have to hit in order to offer the book for broadest distribution, meaning someone who wants your book can walk into a bookstore and ask the help desk person to order books in for him, and the books will be available in the computer. Or, in theory, that the bookstore will have ordered copies in on its own, but THAT’s not gonna happen.
So my imagined $7.99 mass-market paperbacks turned into $13.97 trade paperbacks.
BUT they all have brand new Afterwords.
I wanted the folks who bought them now who’d already had copies before to get something special.
And as for the cover design?
Frankly, as soon as I can afford to hire this guy I have in mind for my covers, I’m not doing any more of my own. ‘Cause, DAMN, he’s good. 😀
Aack, I’m sorry. I was trying to say something like “I imagine seeing your first novel series (Arhel trilogy, FiTM being your first ever published novel, right?) lying there all freshly printed and shiny with covers you designed yourself has to be a weird, nostalgic feeling” but I don’t think I communicated it very well, my apologies.
That said, your reply was very informative, and it’s got me curious about the bumps this new publishing field has in its road. I can’t quite wrap my brain around them, mostly because I don’t have anything publishable yet to go out and test the waters with. Thank you for your insights 😀
I didn’t realize that Createspace wouldn’t do mass market paperbacks. (I think I still remember when mass market paperbacks were 3.99….) Still, it is nice that you are able to use it to release these in paper form. They are excellent books and everyone should read them.
Who is this damn good guy you are waiting to hire? I’m curious.