Amazon has published the paper editions of Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Numbers 25 and 26. The paper books are not associated with the ebooks, but, yanno, maybe that’ll happen at some point down the road.
Right now, however, here are your links:
Cultivar: Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 25
Heirs to Trouble: Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 26
Have fun.
Attention! attention!
A miracle has occurred.
Amazon has published the ebook editions of Cultivar: Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 25 AND Heirs to Trouble: Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 26.
The paper editions are still in review, but we have faith that their publication will not be long delayed.
Many thanks to the Amazon customer service goddess who was able to untangle this for us!
Cultivar: Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 25 and Heirs to Trouble, Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 26 — more information here — have been published to Apple, BN, Baen ebooks, Kobo.
They have not been published to Amazon, and, as this is the last day of Amazon’s demand period, Steve and I are not at all confident that they will ever be published to Amazon. We will, of course, continue to monitor the situation, and will make an announcement if Amazon should at some later point discover in its heart that, indeed, it can publish these two titles.
We are not, however, optimistic.
The short form is that Amazon, having realized that the four stories contained in the two chapbooks listed above already exist in a collection published by Baen Books (A Liaden Universe® Constellation, Volume 3) — which we do not dispute; in fact, we state so in the sell copy — demanded that Steve and I “prove” we have the right to republish those stories.
They initially demanded a reversion letter, which does not exist, as the rights to the stories have not reverted; in fact, they were never sold. We attempted to explain that we, the authors and copyright holders, had sold what is called “anthology rights” to Baen — they can only publish those stories in the form of A Liaden Universe® Constellation, Volume 3; they cannot repackage and republish particular stories out of the collection. This is all handled in the contract between us and Baen.
This means that we, the authors and copyright holders, retained the rights to place individual stories with other publishers, for other collections, or to publish the stories ourselves.
We chose to publish the stories ourselves. Which is our right, breaks no laws, and damages no one’s copyright, least of all ours, and certainly does no damage to Amazon.
The last received demand — understand that we have been corresponding with someone who may only answer via scripted emails; this lends a certain surreal air to a situation already dripping in black comedy — however, the last email could be read — and we so read it — as a demand that we send a copy of our contract with Baen to Amazon.
Now, in the Normal World of Publishing (yes, yes, I know; but let it pass), if we were placing those four stories with another publisher for another anthology or collection, we would receive a contract from the new publisher, and one of the things that we would certify, by signing this new contract, is that we have the legal right to so place the stories. If, after we sign the contract, it is found that we lied, or in some other way do not have the right to place the stories, the lawyers are loosed and everyone makes popcorn.
In no case does Publisher 2 demand that the authors provide them with a copy of their contract with Publisher 1.
Now, Amazon is in a strange situation; it cannot itself decide if it’s a publisher or a distributor, but in either case the demand for a copy of our contract with our publisher is out of line, and Steve and I will not comply.
What does this mean for you?
Well, if you have all of your Adventures in the Liaden Universe® echapbooks in Kindle format, and you don’t wish to break the shelf, so to speak, you can go to Baen Ebooks and download Numbers 25 and 26 from them in Kindle format (there are instructions on how to do this on the site).
Baen also offers these titles in other formats, for those who diversify.
Or, you can, of course, purchase the titles from one of the distributors who do carry them — BN, Kobo, Apple. . .
For the paper-book folks. . . Given the on-going circumstances here at the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory, we can no longer do the production and mailing of paper chapbooks from the house. It seems as if the best (or only) way to produce paper chapbooks is through Amazon’s paperback program. There will simply not be paper copies of 25 and 26, unless we can locate another source for taking care of all the administrative work involved in producing paper chapbooks. Steve and I are very sorry about this, but — see above.
Right now, the paper chapbooks available from Amazon are:
Liaden Universe®: Due Diligence #24, Change Management #23, Sleeping with the Enemy #22, Technical Details #21, Moon’s Honor #20
Lee and Miller: The Tomorrow Log
Sharon Lee: Barnburner, Gunshy, The Gift of Magic, Spell Bound
We will, eventually, convert all of the electronic backlist to paper, but as this is being done between Life and Pay Copy, it will take some time.
The titles of the new chapbooks are:
Cultivar: Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 25
Heirs to Trouble: Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 26
AMAZON remains obdurate. Several colleagues have suggested solutions that may get us by this hurdle. We will do our best to see these books published to Amazon; it is very much to our benefit to do so. But please understand that the problem is from Amazon’s end. We have done nothing except exactly what we’ve done for the 30-odd books we already have on sale at Amazon.
BN is willing, but struggling. Catalog pages have been created for both books and Nook swears that they’re published. However, the catalog pages are blank. We hope to see both books entirely on sale today.
BAEN EBOOKS HAS BOTH BOOKS ON SALE RIGHT NOW in all formats known to man. Here’s your link.
NOPE, SORRY. HERE is the link to Cultivar on Baen
And HERE is the link to Heirs to Trouble on Baen
D2D states that Apple, Kobo, and Tolino have both titles for sale.
And now? I need coffee. No; strike that. I need tea.
Those who are interested in purchasing the two new chapbooks containing four old stories that I talked about in this post, may purchase them as of Right Now from Baen eBooks.
Here’s the link for Heirs to Trouble.
Since Amazon has not yet cleared these two ebooks to be published, and there is a chance that they will not do so, I have released them for publication to Apple, BN, Kobo, and the rest of the Usual Suspects. The titles should be showing up in online catalogs within the next 24-36 hours, so!
Watch the Skies.
First, because I know y’all have been holding your breath — two! editors give “Block Party” a thumbs-up, so that will be published to Baen.com on or about December 15, where you — yes, you! — may read it in all it’s glory, for free.
Second, I’ve spent the last two days under the weather — yes, I do wish the weather would pick on someone else, but there you have it. Tuesday, I just threw in the towel, retired to the corner of the couch, dozed under a blanket of coon cats and read Wildfire at Midnight, possibly my least favorite Stewart, but next in publication order. Yesterday, I started feeling well enough by evening to write about 2,000 words in a continuing direction in Fifth of Five, so that’s all good. This morning, I’m definitely feeling more the thing; still, I’m lingering over coffee, keeping a weather-eye out, before I go off to gym.
This morning, it is quite chilly, and I am wearing the fleece-lined-flannel shirt/jacket (it has sideseam pockets, which I suppose makes it a jacket, rather than a shirt), over the “If you can read this, I have your ring” tshirt. Steve asked how the flannel shirt felt, and after I finished cooing about how soft and warm it was, wondered if I should buy another. And, yanno; I’m seriously considering it. Best. Shirt. Ever. Even if it is orange.
I may have been remiss here in mentioning that the Narbonic Kickstarter has only 11 more days to go. They have made their nut, and are into the stretch goals, but if you were a fan back in The Day, you know you want to check this out.
And that? Is the news that’s fit to print. I do believe I’ll go to gym.
Fifth of Five still weighing in the 35,000 range, what with this and that.
Snippet
“Bitter Truth?” she asked, feeling her eyebrows rise. “Who names a tea Bitter Truth?”
“Obviously, the White Wing Beverage Company does, though in earnest or in jest, I dare not speculate.”
For them what indulges, the eARC of Neogenesis, by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller — the 21st Liaden Universe®! — is now available for download (and reading, natch).
I will, in the fullness of time, set up a spoiler page here.
So, I’ve been trying to get to a detailed post about the Bingham Carousel Circuit, but in truth, it may not happen. We’re having a sudden and very intense bout of Life here, which I guess means we timed our vacation correctly, because now have the resources necessary to get through this bit.
In and around Life, however, there are things that you — yes, you! — need to know, which are (read carefully):
ONE: Today! August 29 2017 is Alliance of Equals‘ mass market paperback book day! Go, Alliance of Equals!
TWO: The number of Pinbeam Books (that would be Steve and me, cleverly disguised as our own publisher) chapbooks which have been converted to paper now numbers six (and six shall be the number). To wit:
Liaden Universe® titles: Change Management, Due Diligence, Sleeping with the Enemy
Sharon Lee titles: Barnburner, Gunshy, Spell Bound
THREE: Our mole deep inside Baen Books has informed us that the eARC for Neogenesis, scheduled to be published in hardcover January 2, 2018, will be released in September (good ghod, that’s, like, Friday!). We do not have a release date, but you might do very well to Watch the Skies, and while you’re doing that, spreading the word to your friends, your co-workers, your best enemies, your mom, and, well — everybody.
So! That’s what I’ve got. I will, I suspect, Be Scarce for the next while. I’m fine; just coping.
Be excellent to each other.
Helpful people can stop writing to me to explain that Due Diligence has not yet published to the Baen website. It will appear there eventually and it’s not really worth getting your t-shirts in a twist over.
SO!
Let’s play a new game.
Why not write to me when Due Diligence is available on the Baen website? That way, those who like to check back often can continue to do so, and I don’t have to open a whole buncha emails telling me the same thing, of which I am already informed. Win-Win, as they say.
Everyone on for the new rules?
Cool.
Go!
OK! Due Diligence: Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 24 by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller is available from most on-line retailers, and is publishing to the rest. It was, for a couple days, a Number One Amazon Bestseller, and has fallen today to Number Three. It has also garnered a surprising number of reviews — thanks to everyone who has taken the time!
Those who are just arriving at the party — there’s room for your review, too; if you are so moved.
Because there were So Very Many requests, Due Diligence will also, soon now, be available in paper, from Amazon. The reason it will not be available REALsoonnow, is that I made an error and have to fix it, as soon as Amazon stops doing something else that Amazon is doing with the file. O! Brave New World, that hath such golems in it!
In other news, there’s a small army of ducks between me and the work I really need to be doing, here, and the coon cats are not really much into duck hunting. Their advice is to curl up on the couch with a book and let the coon cats camouflage me as a Big Pile of Coon Cats. This is, I note, often their advice.
And that? Is all the news that’s fit to print.
. . .I do believe that I need more coffee. . .
