July has been a month of novelettes, mailing lists, birthdays, and reviewing epubs, paperback interiors and audiobook recordings. As we approach the release date for Far Removed, my monthly blog is getting longer and longer. I’ve actually considered sharing something mid-month too – what do you think? It would be good to promote other indie authors’ works.
For my birthday, I went to Muizenberg Beach with my family. My dad also bought me some flowers. I’ll share a photo of myself eventually…but that is not this day. Maybe I should wear a mask like some of my characters?
It’s strange to think that in the northern hemisphere, I’d be a summer child because most of my birthdays are cold and wet. But, every once in a while, I get a perfect winter’s day. No cold wind, no rain, and gentle sunshine that doesn’t burn my freckly skin to shreds. Birthday #35 was a good one.
Ebook and Paperback Availability
This month I have expanded my ebook preorders to a range of distributors which you can find here. I am publishing Far Removed wide.
Around mid-month Phillip my typesetter, delivered the files for the epub, paperback and hardcover. As ARC reviews come in, and I listen to the audiobook (more about that later), I keep finding sneaky typos. Phillip was very gracious in handling a few rounds of amendments.
Physical Copies
Living in SA is wonderful in many ways but our postal service is extremely unreliable (have I said this already?). Shiny objects (like printed proofs) from overseas have to be shipped here at a premium. Sometimes we have to wait a bit longer and pay a bit more to get what we’re after, but us South Africans are a resilient people.
The National Library will need 5 paperbacks and 5 hardcovers in return for granting me my ISBNs. I ordered a paperback proof from Amaz*n on 23 July and can expect it between 3-15 August. Amaz*n will stock their in-house matte paperbacks, but the Ingram Spark-produced paperbacks of Far Removed can be bought from other retailers. I decided to take this approach as Amaz*n customers probably want prompt service and Ingram Spark is known for delays. However, I have been told IS produces quality books with rich colours. So if you’re keen on the prettier IS paperback, you can order one from retailers besides Amaz*n.
The hardcovers are produced exclusively by Ingram Spark and will be available at a range of retailers, including Amaz*n. I wanted these to be fancy – worthy of being put on display. I’ve designed a glossy jacket with the title and blurb. Underneath this is a text-free hardcover depicting the cover illustrations on their own.
I hope to share my unboxing pictures, or even a video, with you on my socials and in next month’s blog.
The Tidelings of Dras Sayve and Mailerlite
I’ve signed up with Mailerlite. If you’d like a free novelette and occasional promotions from me, please consider subscribing. I will add your email via BookFunnel.
The Tidelings of Dras Sayve, my prequel novelette, is currently being proofread. Joining my mailing list will grant you access to a self-edited version of the story. It’s a fairly polished draft, but it may change slightly before I make it available for retail. The proofread version will likely have a new cover and chapter illustrations.
Audiobook News
I’m so excited to announce that my narrators are Christopher Tester, reading Oklas’s POV chapters, and Amy Jensen (who also narrates under the pseudonym, Cassandra Alling), reading Prismer’s. I am fortunate to have gotten them onboard as they’re both busy and talented. Hopefully, they don’t become too popular so I can afford them when book 2 is done.
Back in June, Lantern gave me 5 male and 5 female VO artists to choose from. While going through the auditions, I didn’t want to learn about the VO artists or look up projects they had been involved in. I couldn’t let that influence my choice. All the auditions were excellent but I think every author knows their characters’ voices when they hear them.
I got a sense of what casting directors do. It is as much about talent as it is about whether someone’s voice is already in the range you’re looking for. Chris and Amy added emotional nuances that even I didn’t hear in my head when writing these characters. It was delightful.
Chris’s delivery is lively and sharp. He is excellent with dramatic material, but I was surprised at how well he handled Oklas’s quieter moments. He’s a natural performer, which you will quickly see if you look him up on social media (naturallyrp). Fittingly, Amy is a bit more secretive. Her delivery is soothing, low and deliberate. Prismer could easily come across as cold, but Amy brought out the soulfulness in her. Both narrators complimented each other well, coordinating to read scenes featuring both POV characters and various side characters.
You may find it interesting to learn that I’ve never spoken directly to either of my narrators. Kevin, the producer was our go-between; I sent him voice notes, pronunciations and corrections. It’s a strange process, allowing creatives inside your head to voice your characters, while maintaining some distance from them. It’s tempting to get super geeky and stalk them. You want to know whether they enjoyed working on your little project as much as their more high profile ones. Maybe I will reach out to thank them later.
I think that is everything for now. By the time we get to August’s newsletter, the release date of Far Removed will be a mere week away!
C B Lansdell 