This just in from Neilson Bookscan, for the week of June 10, 2015:
Dragon in Exile by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller hit the #9 slot for overall sales of science fiction books during the week of May 31, and! it was the #3 bestselling science fiction hardcover for the period, as well.
Baen’s intrepid publicist lets us know that Dragon sold 100 more copies than Trade Secret during its first week released in the wild.
Thank you all!
So! This morning, I pulled some — most, actually — of the weeds under the deck, and threw some of the pine shavings that the snow had pushed down to, under, and around the propane tank up where they belong. Tomorrow will see more of the same, since the Deal is that I will do this for no more than 15 minutes at a time, so as not to Thoroughly Bork my hands.
Also this morning, I paid bills, and wrote the checks for the quarterly taxes, which was…enlightening, and did the accounting for Patreon and Paypal, including writing checks for the taxes on same.
In a few minutes, I’ll set about starting to get Shan and Priscilla Ride Again, Chapter 8, in shape to be seen on the web.
Around all that is the on-going doing of the laundry, which is being shared out between us, using the Proximity Method. Trooper has declared a Vendetta of Honor with the adding machine, which has offendeth him by monopolizing my time. The adding machine seems pretty cool with this, so maybe it’s just a Formal Thing, and doesn’t actually involve any Duels to the Pain.
I really should vacuum — maybe tomorrow — and do the dishes — ditto. Surely, we haven’t been home long enough to have generated dirty dishes. I again suspect the cats of having friends in while we’re asleep.
In other news, four romance books arrived at the Cat Farm while we were gone, from far-flung vendors of used volumes. Perhaps after I’ve finished with Shan and Priscilla, I’ll retire to the couch and finish up with The Martian, so I can clean my palate with a romance.
Just a reminder, since this was a frequent question on the tour: To the best of our knowledge, Alliance of Equals has not yet been scheduled for publication. Authors don’t schedule books, publishers schedule books. At some point, someone from the publisher will inform us of the publication date, and then we’ll let y’all know.
The next Liaden Universe® novel (aka Third of Five), which at the moment labors under the working title, The Gathering Edge, is due on Madame the Publisher’s desk on February 15, 2016, rescheduled from November 15, 2015. As of this writing, its publication date is a Mystery.
We do know the publication date of Liaden Universe® Constellation, Volume 3 — August 4, 2015 (hey, that’s only 7 weeks from now!). And! if you want a signed and/or personalized copy of that volume, you need to act fast and pre-order from Uncle Hugo’s. Here’s your link to the pre-order page, instructions, and! the table of contents.
. . .I think that’s all I got. Being home continues to be a Very Good Thing.
Even with having to do the laundry.
Steve Miller and Sharon Lee talk with Baen Editor and Podcaster Tony Daniels about Dragon in Exile during the Baen Free Radio Hour today. The podcast usually posts at noon. Here’s your link.
Enjoy!
In answer to a request in another thread.
Sharon Lee and Steve Miller continue the Grand Sectional Liaden Universe® World Tour with a whirlwind trip through the bookstores of the Northeast in support of Dragon in Exile, the eighteenth Liaden novel, coming out in hardcover from Baen Books on June 2.
Tuesday, June 2, 7-9 pm — Release Day Party! at Pandemonium Books, 4 Pleasant Street, Cambridge MA
Wednesday, June 3, 6:30-9 pm — Toadstool Bookstore, Colony Mill Marketplace, 222 West Street, Keene NH
Thursday, June 4, 6-8 pm — Toadstool Bookstore, 586 Nashua Street, Milford NH
Friday, June 5, 7-9 pm — Annie’s Book Stop of Worcester, 65 James Street, Worcester MA
Saturday, June 6, 7-9 pm — Northshire Books, 424 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY
Sunday, June 7, 3-4 pm — Flights of Fantasy, 381 Sand Creek Road, Albany NY
The penultimate draft of Alliance of Equals is printing out as I type this. After some very minor tweakage this morning, the draft now stands at 102,268 words/424 double-spaced pages. My project for the next couple of days will be to do a rolling edit, while Steve takes on the taming of the Cast of Characters. We are, yes, still in line to turn the script in before we leave on the book tour, though it may go into email next Monday, instead of Sunday.
So, that.
Next subject is postcards, of which we have received many, from Simon and Schuster, for “our own use.” Asyouknowbob, with the exception of the upcoming book tour, Steve and I are not traveling this year, which limits the ability of the postcards to go out into the world and do as ghod intended them to do.
Which is where you come in.
If you are willing to take a small pack of postcards to your local bookstore, your book discussion group, library, science fiction club, or local convention, please drop me a note at rolanniATkorvalDOTcom, with your name and address, and we will mail said postcards to you.
It goes without saying that local custom must be observed in the matter of placing the cards. Do ask the bookstore manager or the person who takes care of the SF section, or the librarian if you may leave the cards, and if they demur, please be gracious. Some folks don’t like post cards cluttering up their counters; others adore post cards and can’t get enough.
Oh! And lest I forget — now that Dragon in Exile is hitting mailboxes everywhere, in multiple formats, and some folks really, really want to talk about it, but of course don’t want to spoil the story for those who haven’t yet gotten (or read) their book — wow. Run-on sentence much? Anyway! If you want to talk about Dragon in Exile, a spoiler thread has been opened. Here’s your link.
Those who have been following along at home will recall that, for a very long time, the only way to get the first 9 (excluding Agent of Change, which has been, and is, available as a free ebook from Baen Free Library and from the Kindle Store) Liaden novels in ebook form was by buying the Baen omnibus editions. Which was great, because, hey, you had All The Stories — but it did mean that you had to remember which book was in which omnibus, if you wanted to read one particular novel, or, if you, as many do, have a Preferred Reading Order, that you had to jump around from omnibus to omnibus.
Well!
Baen has now released the first 10 Liaden Universe® novels — Agent of Change to Crystal Dragon — as single ebooks, (previously only available from Baen ebooks) to Amazon, to BN, to iBooks — oh, heck — to your favorite online bookstore!
In other news, it’s a gorgeous, breezy and ultra-green day outside my window, which I have open, so that I can hear the rustle of leaves, and benefit from the occasional waft of lilac-scent, while I finish up here on Langlastport.
Everybody have a great day!
We’re having Quite the Wind Storm here in East Winslow. How windy is it? Windy enough that the little traveling bytes are being battered against the sides of the intertubes and it took the colored Friday page for Girl Genius a full two minutes to load.
So, going against the wind, as we are, I will quickly mention that Uncle Hugo’s SF Bookstore in Minneapolis is now accepting pre-orders for personalized and signed copies of A Liaden Universe® Constellation, Volume 3*, to be published by Baen in August. Here’s your link to Uncle Hugo’s ordering page, with instructions. Please note that there is an ordering deadline involved for those who want their book personalized, and that deadline is Wednesday, July 1, 2015.
Speaking of the Uncle, Mr. Blyly has mailed out all of the pre-ordered signed/personalized copies of Dragon in Exile, save a handful of “problem orders” which should be cleared and go out this week coming. We’ve heard that some folks have received their books, so the system is working!
Speaking of Dragon in Exile, this morning’s sales number for the Kindle edition stood at 1,799 (#25 in Kindle Store Space Opera; #26 in BOOKS Space Opera; #43 in Kindle Store Science Fiction), which is pretty cool. We hear through the grapevine that Amazon is shipping the Dragon early, as well, so if, yanno, watch the skies!
Steve and I would like to thank all of you once again for your support and assistance. Whether you are one of the kind people who has written a reader review on Amazon to give the new book that little extra push, contribute to our Patreon account, support Splinter Universe, read and recommend our books to your friends — thank you. There is no “just” in this effort, and no contribution is “too little;” everything helps, and we’re grateful for your time and your care.
I hope everybody has a great weekend.
___________
*Here’s the Table of Contents for ALUC #3:
Foreword
Code of Honor
Guaranteed Delivery
Intelligent Design
Out of True
Roving Gambler
King of the Cats
Kin Ties
Eleutherios
The Rifle’s First Wife
The Space at Tinsori Light
Landed Alien
Moon’s Honor
Quick Working Glossary
For those who have been waiting for this hour — your waiting has been vindicated.
The kindle edition of Dragon in Exile, the eighteenth novel of the Liaden Universe®, created by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, is now on sale. Here’s your link.
Also! The arrival of the kindle edition means that reviews are open at Amazon.com. If you read the eArc, or if you are so moved after you read the eBook, please leave a reader review.
Also, also! You may, of course, buy Dragon in Exile in every ebook format in the Known Universe from Baen ebooks. So even if you don’t have a kindle, you can still buy the ebook today. Here’s your link.
And! For those who may have missed it yesterday, “Chimera,” a Liaden Universe® short story, is available to read for free at Baen.com. Here’s your link.
For those playing along at home.
We received notification just a hair before midnight Eastern on May 5 that $1313.25 had been transferred to our checking account. The deposit arrived this morning, May 7, having lost another $0.25, which was its just toll to the transfer company.
We have, yes, taken the tax money out first. (I’m sorry for constant harping re tax money, but I can’t stress enough, to any freelancers who happen to be following this: Always take the tax money out first. Do not think you’ll be able to catch it up later; that way lies only tears. Uncle Sam does not care how much you make; he only cares that you have paid taxes on every penny you have made.)
I think that ties up the last loose end.
Once again — thank you all.
Procrastinators Take Note: You are at deadline. This is not a test; this is an actual, real-world deadline. Tomorrow, Friday, May 1, 2015.
Those of you who have been meaning to pre-order a signed and personalized copy of Dragon in Exile, the eighteenth novel in the Liaden Universe® by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, the hour is upon you. Now is the time to go to Uncle Hugo’s ordering page and order your book. Use the blank box on your order form to type the personalized message you would like us to write in your book. Be careful! Proofread! Because we will write exactly what you put in that box, unless: (1) It is, in the sole judgment of the authors, too long, or (2) It offendeth us.
For those who do not desire a personalized book, but would like to have a signed edition — carry on. Uncle Hugo’s will continue to take orders for signed copies until the signed copies are gone. I believe that Mr. Blyly ordered in 200 copies, total. They may go fast, or they may go slow, but when they’re gone, there aren’t any more.
For those who doubt that this fabled volume exists, here is proof:
All righty, then.
In other news, Argent the Wondercar, Steve’s 2002 silver Subaru Forester was retired yesterday. We’ll be a one-car family for a bit, which has certainly been done before, while Other Things sort themselves out. And the repercussions of Uncle Sam taking more than half of our last check of last year just keep on repercussing. Gah.
Let’s see, what else is doing?
Oh!
As illustrated above, our authors’ copies of Dragon in Exile arrived yesterday, and a handsome book it is.
Several people have asked, and — yes. I will be doing an accountability post about Patreon just as soon as the first check comes down, for the illumination of donors, and also to assist anyone who may be thinking of setting up a Patreon account, but would like to see how things play out in Real Numbers.
Speaking of Patreon — it’s not very easy to find other Patreon accounts, unless I’m doing something really wrong. I’d’ve thought there’d be a cross-referencing system of some kind, so that people who like to support bands, or writers, or artists could find more of the Sort of Stuff They Like, but it does not seem to be so.
I seem to have lost my pedometer, which. . .sort of sucks. I hope Princess Sprite didn’t knock it under the stove. OTOH, I have a whole bunch of stuff to do while sitting down, so I guess it’s not that much of a loss at the moment.
And! The Question of the Hour: Steve and I are starting to think about how we ought to structure our “book signings,” which are actually events where we do a little performance, and then sign books. Last time, we gave a history of the universe’s publishing history, took questions and signed books. I don’t think we even read from the book — which would have been Trade Secret.
So, the Question: What should we talk about this time? Or — if you were coming to one of the stops on our book tour, what would you want or expect to hear? Do you like author readings? Is there something regarding the Liaden Universe® or the writing life that you’d particularly like to hear about? Now is the time to put your question(s) forward. We want your input.
. . .and now? Time to turn off the internets and go to work.
Here — have some cat pictures:
