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Post by DarkKnight on Jul 13, 2017 14:16:21 GMT -5
Hey all, For the millionth time, I apologize for not being around here more often, but I've had a lot going on - family stuff (the good kind), work stuff, and making my literary debut with THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE BLACK FLAG, a novel set during the Golden Age of Piracy. It goes on sale September 19th (yes, that's Talk Like a Pirate Day, no, it's not a coincidence), and is currently available for pre-order from Amazon and KOBO (and it should be available on NOOK soon). I spent over a dozen years working on this, and none of it would have been possible without, among other folks, the support I got around here during my fanfic days. In many ways, I feel like this long road to publication began here, and where I met Solana, a trusted right arm and beta reader from BLACK FLAG's earliest inception. So thanks for everything! Enjoy! |
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Post by skylark on Jul 13, 2017 17:57:35 GMT -5
Hey. Welcome back and congrats.  |
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Post by DarkKnight on Jul 13, 2017 19:39:06 GMT -5
Thanks! Hopefully I can drop by more often.
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Post by Ambrienne on Jul 14, 2017 19:17:27 GMT -5
Congrats. It's good to see this day is on the horizon.
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Post by Anon Mous on Jul 14, 2017 19:42:09 GMT -5
Very nice. Now, of course, I'm going to have to ask some questions here. What are we talking here? Fantasy? Historical adventure? Intrigue? Mystery? Adult reader? Young reader? Young adult reader? And, a big one for me, is it coming out in physical form or just digital. I would love to get the book expert at work to order it for the store (even if it's only a copy for me) and say that I know the author.
Good job, bud.
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Post by DarkKnight on Jul 16, 2017 19:45:19 GMT -5
Very nice. Now, of course, I'm going to have to ask some questions here. What are we talking here? Fantasy? Historical adventure? Intrigue? Mystery? Adult reader? Young reader? Young adult reader? And, a big one for me, is it coming out in physical form or just digital. I would love to get the book expert at work to order it for the store (even if it's only a copy for me) and say that I know the author. Good job, bud. Historical adventure fiction, non-fantasy, new adult/adult (although nothing high schoolers can't handle - I'd put it at the same level as The Mask of Zorro). There will be a paperback down the road, hopefully on the same publication date. If not, later on - but there will indeed be a paperback. (Hopefully a hardbound edition as well.) Thanks! |
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Post by DarkKnight on Jul 16, 2017 19:46:17 GMT -5
Congrats. It's good to see this day is on the horizon. Thanks - for the praise and your beta reading! |
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Post by Rune Lai on Jul 17, 2017 0:37:09 GMT -5
Good luck! I'm sorry I never got around to critiquing it. I'm glad you've gotten to the point where you feel comfortable launching. You probably don't want to hear this part though... but the cover looks like middle grade reading to me. If I didn't know you and wasn't reading this post, I would assuming this was intended for the tween crowd due to the art style. (I went through a similar issue with a previous book cover, so this is a pain I know.) It's unfortunate, but book covers signal to the reader what to expect from the story by how they stack against similar covers. That's why, when you go to the fantasy section of the bookstore, you see so many books with hooded assassins all over the place. It signals to the reader exactly what type of book they're getting. Even if everyone says they're sick of book covers with hooded assassins, it's effective marketing shorthand. (Or has that trend died off now? I hope so.) New adult book covers look like these: www.goodreads.com/genres/most_read/new-adultYou can see photo-manipulation is the most popular, following by covers with objects and no people. Historical is more flexible: www.goodreads.com/genres/most_read/historicalThere's one that seems to have a similar art aesthetic to yours, but most of them have a different look. Generally (and I say unfortunately because I like illustration) traditional artwork featuring the protagonists means middle grade these days. It's something I struggled with considering that the series I plan to launch later this year has an expensive batch of cover art I commissioned. Fortunately for me, I think the story can be read by ambitious upper middle grade readers and it's supposed to be an optimistic series where even the bad guys have a point or aren't really bad at all so I eventually decided that I would be okay with this. If my reader base ends up younger than anticipated, the story can still support them. I might lose some adults, but my story has a unicorn in it because I like unicorns and I figure adults who are hungry for a good unicorn series would be willing to take a chance on an older skewing unicorn series even if it doesn't look designed specifically for adults. In your case, I could see people passing because they aren't interested in a children's book, or instead buying the book for their kids (not high schoolers, but younger kids) and I'm not sure that will work as well for you. Maybe that's fine. I don't know. If you looking to get adults, you mind be better served with something like the below. There aren't a whole lot of historical pirate adventure novels coming out these days, but I found these in the B&N online store in their pirate and privateer fiction genre, and they're more modern than the classics.    |
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Post by DarkKnight on Jul 17, 2017 13:36:35 GMT -5
Good luck! I'm sorry I never got around to critiquing it. I'm glad you've gotten to the point where you feel comfortable launching. You probably don't want to hear this part though... but the cover looks like middle grade reading to me. If I didn't know you and wasn't reading this post, I would assuming this was intended for the tween crowd due to the art style. (I went through a similar issue with a previous book cover, so this is a pain I know.) It's unfortunate, but book covers signal to the reader what to expect from the story by how they stack against similar covers. That's why, when you go to the fantasy section of the bookstore, you see so many books with hooded assassins all over the place. It signals to the reader exactly what type of book they're getting. Even if everyone says they're sick of book covers with hooded assassins, it's effective marketing shorthand. (Or has that trend died off now? I hope so.) New adult book covers look like these: www.goodreads.com/genres/most_read/new-adultYou can see photo-manipulation is the most popular, following by covers with objects and no people. No worries about the critique! As for the cover...yyyyyyyyyyyeah, you're not the first person to warn me about that. I just figured it was worth taking the risk by having a cover that would stand out a bit. Honestly, there's nothing in here that middle-graders can't handle. While written for adults, we're not exactly talking Game of Thrones here. (The foreword has a warning for parents - maybe I can add one to the book's blurb? Would that be okay, or might parents overlook that?) I do appreciate the feedback, and I hope I'm not coming off as overly dismissive. |
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Post by Rune Lai on Jul 17, 2017 16:08:33 GMT -5
Okay, as long as you're aware!  If you're willing to take the chance, that's your call. I don't know how likely it is that parents would read the blurb (or the foreward for that matter). It probably depends on how invested they are in what their kid reads. We hear the stories about M-rated video games ending up with elementary school kids all the time. It probably can't hurt to have something though. |
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Post by Anon Mous on Jul 18, 2017 20:11:14 GMT -5
Okay, as long as you're aware! If you're willing to take the chance, that's your call. I don't know how likely it is that parents would read the blurb (or the foreward for that matter). It probably depends on how invested they are in what their kid reads. We hear the stories about M-rated video games ending up with elementary school kids all the time. It probably can't hurt to have something though. As someone who is regularly forced to sell mature rated games to kids that shouldn't have them, NO. Parents will not read the blurb. Or they will read it, and unless it says something about sex, will not give it a second thought. On that same thought though, I get the feeling that parents buying at least a mid level pirate book for their kid, have a kid who is mature enough to handle it. Maybe it's because I work in a store that sells books, but there is a certain type of kid that chooses to read books nor required. They tend to be more mature/nerdy. The reason I asked about the reading level was actually because of the cover. I wasn't going to say something outright, but since Rune brought it up . . . yeeeeeaaaaahhh. |
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Post by Rune Lai on Jul 20, 2017 16:10:12 GMT -5
I agree kids interested in reading tend to be able to tackle more mature material sooner. In fifth grade I had a classmate who was reading The Stand by Stephen King. Not usual 5th grade material! But she was obviously into it and given his bestseller status, I assume her parents knew that he wasn't a children's book author and were fine with it.
On the other hand, I remember the first time I picked up a military science fiction anthology and discovered all the f-bombs that weren't in anything I'd read before. It wasn't that I couldn't handle it, but I was certainly surprised. First graphic sex scene was interesting too. My dad wasn't hugely strict about R-rated material (he wanted to encourage my reading, so I had a lot of childhood trips to the library and bookstore), but he did like to know what I was reading. Not to ban things so much as to just be aware.
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If you're willing to take the chance, that's your call.