REVIEW: The Dead Seekers (Book 1)
The following review was recently published for the pending release (January 2017) of The Dead Seekers by Barb and J.C. Hendee, authors of The Noble Dead Saga/Series:
NOBLE DEAD RAFFLE: And the Winners Are...
Ceara K., Emmit S., and Nathan M. are our three winners of a trade paperback edition of The Dead Seekers ARC. Even now, their prizes are being packaged for delivery and will be shipped by this Wednesday at the latest.
And of course, this will not be the last raffle out of NobleDead.org; nor will it be the only one for The Dead Seekers. But all of this will have to wait until after the release this coming January. Until then, we will have more news to share of other things for you along the way.
FINAL NOTE: All submissions for this raffle have now been deleted.
NOBLE DEAD RAFFLE: CLOSED!
The current raffle for a trade paperback copy of THE DEAD SEEKERS, ARC [Advanced Review Copy] is now closed. All entries were assigned a number according to entry received. Three winners have been chosen in using Random.org and notified by email to confirm shipping information within 72 hours. Should a winner fail to confirm in the allotted time, that entry will be discarded and a new winner chosen from those that remain.
If all goes well, we should be able to announce the winners by Monday afternoon. And no, this will not be the last raffle out of NobleDead.org.
If you wish to have the earliest possible notice of new raffles and other events, follow our news directly rather than through our social and other satellite pages. More news is coming soon!
—Barb & J.C.
NOBLE DEAD RAFFLE: FINAL NOTICE
A last reminder that the current raffle for a trade paperback copy of THE DEAD SEEKERS, ARC [Advanced Review Copy] will end as of Midnight PST. Any entry submitted after that time will be discarded without response. The prize is the first volume in a new High/Dark Fantasy series by Barb & J.C. Hendee, authors of the 14 volume Noble Dead Saga [Series], to be released in early January 2017. Time is running out, so get your entry in now, if you have not done so already...
NOBLE DEAD RAFFLE: The Dead Seekers ARC
Just a quick reminder that the current raffle for a trade paperback copy of THE DEAD SEEKERS, ARC [Advanced Review Copy] is still ongoing. This is the first volume in a new High/Dark Fantasy series by Barb & J.C. Hendee, authors of the 14 volume Noble Dead Saga [Series], to be released in early January 2017. You still have time to enter if you have not done so already...
NOBLE DEAD RAFFLE: The Dead Seekers ARC
Just a quick reminder that the current raffle for a trade paperback copy of THE DEAD SEEKERS, ARC [Advanced Review Copy] is still ongoing. This is the first volume in a new High/Dark Fantasy series by Barb & J.C. Hendee, authors of the 14 volume Noble Dead Saga [Series], to be released in early January 2017. You still have time to enter if you have not done so already...
NOBLE DEAD RAFFLE - OUT OF THE GRAVE!!!
THE DEAD SEEKERS, first in a new High/Dark Fantasy series by Barb & J.C. Hendee will be released in early January 2017. You'll have to read the book to find out all that the title really means. Care to be one of the first before it's even on the shelves?
ON SALE! The Mist-Torn Witches (ebook edition)
Exciting news! As part of a series promotion, our publisher has dropped the price of the e-book edition of The Mist-Torn Witches, Book One in the series, to $1.99 USD though October 30th.
The sale is active at all vendors selling this e-book. If you haven't read this one, it's a fun series, take advantage of this sale while it lasts!
PRESS RELEASE: Alone with a Thief
by Barb Hendee[Fiction]
Cover Design [Custom], Print Layout, eBook Compiling and Content Assistance by N.D. Author Services.
Major Publishers Catching On?
Any writer who has tried publishing as a "hybrid" (meaning doing both traditional publishing and self-publishing) quickly begins to understand that these are two very different worlds.
Almost everything works differently—even the mindset with a new release.
In traditional publishing, when a new book comes out, it is an "event." If there is any marketing or publicity done by the publisher, it is all done before the book is published. Pre-order numbers are watched carefully, and a book's success or failure is decided in the first week of publication. Of course… most are considered failures and thus abandoned.
With a self-published novel, the writer puts the first book of a series up, does a little marketing, and gets started immediately on the second book… and then the third. We don't expect to be making much money or to gauge how the series is doing until book four—or even five—goes up. That's also when serious marketing begins. That's when a writer tries for an ad at BookBub. With BookBub, the writer has to apply and show that the series has some potential, and a BookBub ad is expensive, but if you manage to arrange for one, you can really get your series "seen" by thousands of readers. A self-published writer is looking to "grow" a series readership, and this is not a sprint, it's a marathon.
Traditional publishers have begun taking advantage of BookBub, but again… mainly with the first book of a new series that is being "launched." Again, the success or failure of the book is decided in the first week of publication. After that, if it's not a huge success coming out of the gate, the book is considered "done."
This is apparently changing somewhat, and I am both surprised and very happy.
I received a message from my publisher, Ace/Roc (Penguin Random House) letting me know that they are going to drop the price of the e-book edition of The Mist-Torn Witches (book one) to $1.99 from October 16th - 30th and pay for a BookBub ad on the 21st. They are beginning to realize there might be potential in an existing series. I am astonished, but I'm happy.
—BarbREADER'S CORNER: eBook Subscription Services, Part 2 (The End)
Time for part 2 of where you can find more ebook subcription services. If you missed the first entry in this series then go catch up!
And now... For Some Romance Suspense
Hello! While this is not Noble Dead news, for those of you who enjoy Barb's emotional, fast-paced style of writing, she is crossing genres this year and will be publishing some romance/suspense. This is book one in a new series. Here is the e-book link:Amazon. Your can also learn more over at BarbHendee.org in the “Fiction” section.
READER'S CORNER: eBook Subscription Services
Everybody has already heard of Kindle Unlimited, so no need to bother with that one. Many are unaware that it is (1) not the only such service, (2) not the best deal for your money and/or (3) offers almost no professionally published books. It all depends on what you want, from professional authors and publishers, independent authors, those inbetween and (yes) whether you get to keep those ebooks.
Did that last point catch your attention? Unfortunately, the one I was thinking about is currently having problems, so more on this in a later installment.
If You Want to Get Your Manuscript on the Desk of a New York Editor, You Need an Agent
Barb here. Okay, that title probably lays out the point of this blog post pretty clearly, but this is a complex topic.
Of late, I’ve heard some rather “loud” voices in the industry telling new/hopeful writers that not only do they not need an agent to be successful, but that an agent will actually be damaging to their careers.
In one online discussion, I recently (stupidly) jumped in to say, “Well, of course if someone is self-publishing, he or she doesn’t need an agent, but if a novelist wants to be traditionally published, an agent is necessary. How can a writer get a manuscript on the desk of a New York editor without an agent?”
I was instantly—and quite vehemently—told that I was “wrong,” and that no writer requires an agent to get a manuscript on the desk of a New York editor… and that unagented writers sell novels to New York editors all the time.
I bowed out of this discussion quickly, but I did worry that a lot of new/hopeful writers were listening to what I considered very poor advice.
A Year in the Life...
J.C. and I rarely put up posts of a personal nature. We tend to be private people. And yet, it's been quite a year for us both personally and professionally.
Press Release: To Kill a Kettle Witch - Barb Hendee
About 24 hours to the release of TO KILL A KETTLE WITCH, available in ebook and massmarket paperback. The fourth episode in The Mist-Torn Witches series by Barb Hendee. Set in the same world as (but separate in story/characters from) The Noble Dead Saga and the coming first book of The Dead Seekers (Jan. 2017).
Learn more under Novels (and select “Mist-Torn”) at NobleDead.org.
Press Release: It's Coming...
Hi Folks; Barb Here.
So… we're just about to the one-month countdown for the release of TO KILL A KETTLE WITCH. This one feels like it's been a long time coming. I don't how much you follow the publishing industry, but last year, Penguin and Random House merged. This sort of thing always has repercussions, and as a result, our editor of nine years “retired.” We were assigned a brand new editor, and this novel was turned over to her. I was nervous, as she hadn't read the previous three books. But she turned out to be quite wonderful, and we worked on the book together. It was she who suggested simply putting Amelie on the cover even though Celine has a large role in the book.
This is a fun novel where Amelie, Jaromir, Celine, and Helga go on quite an adventure. Amelie and Jaromir are sleeping in close quarters (smiles), and Marcus (the shape-shifting wolf from book two) re-joins the group.
I'm so looking forward to hearing what people think of this one. It's “out” on May 3rd, and you can learn more under Novels (and select “Mist-Torn”).
(Pre)Press Release: To Kill a Kettle Witch
Coming May 3rd but available for Pre-Order...
TO KILL A KETTLE WITCH
by Barb Hendee
Massmarket Paperback & eBook
We won't spoil too much more for you in this pre-notice, but you can learn more in the “Novels” section at NobleDead.org, including links to purchase points. So? What are you waiting for?
More to come as the release date nears!
The Night Voice... Upcoming
We can't wait to find out what everyone thinks :)
This day has been a long time coming . . . and it's almost here.
Amazon
Barnes & Noble