Theft of Swords on Sale for $2.99

 

Well, my publisher didn't tell me about this, so I'm not sure how long the sale will last. But I stumbled over the fact that the ebook for Theft of Swords is on sale for just $2.99 (regularly $9.99). And because this book is actually an omnibus edition with two full-length novels, that means it's an even better deal (jus $1.50 per tale).

This is the first book in the Riyria Revelations which is a completed series of six novels sold through three volumes. The other two are Rise of Empire and Heir of Novron.  If you've recently read the Legends of the First Empire series, this would be a great time to dig into other books based in my world of Elan, and you'll be "in the know" and unfooled by a number of lies I tell about Elan's past in the pages of the Riyria stories.

This was my debut novel and the individual novels were released in 2008 (for the Crown Conspiracy) and 2009 (Avempartha).  The series is still a fan favorite with more than 45,660 4- and 5-star reviews on Goodreads and 1,384 ratings on Amazon.com.  Here is a bit about the book from the marketing copy on the back of the book:

They killed the king. They pinned it on two men. They chose poorly.

There's no ancient evil to defeat or orphan destined for greatness, just two guys in the wrong place at the wrong time. Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater, are enterprising thieves who end up running for their lives when they're framed for the death of the king. Trapped in a conspiracy that goes beyond the overthrow of a tiny kingdom, their only hope is unraveling an ancient mystery before it's too late.

You can pick up your $2.99 copy from any of the links below:

Hurt Sale Update: 340 books sold $4,860 in savings

 

I want to thank everyone for taking part in the 50% off "hurt book" sale.  Our garage is really starting to clear out, and that's a welcome change.  We might even be able to get our car back in there soon! Here are some statistics for the books sold so far:

• 108 orders shipped
• 340 books sold
• $4,860 in savings to readers.

But we still have some books left (although we have sold out of Unfettered and have only one copy left of Unfettered II).  While the thought of burning books is abhorrent to me, it's better than dumping them into a landfill which is the only other alternative).   For those who don't know what a "hurt book is," they are new copies that weren't sold while in a bookstore and therefore returned to the warehouse.  Because warehousing books costs money, we had to get them "out of there" and the only place for them, for now, was our garage. 

Now some of these books are 100% pristine and others may have slightly bent corners or minor wear to the dust jackets. We, of course, are picking the best of the bunch when doing the shipping and at 50% off the cover price they are a great deal.

So if you are interested in quality hardcovers at deep discounts, please shop the sale and help me get access to my garage again. Any books not sold will have to be disposed of, and I'd rather not take that drastic measure. Hopefully, it won't come to that.

Now Available - Paperback for Age of Death

 

Although the official release date isn't until November 17th, we've received some copies of Age of Death in the mass market paperback format.  They are now available in our store, and like all copies bought directly by us, they will be signed. This edition follows the size and format of the titles released by Del Rey such that all the books are the same height and width.

This leaves just one title yet to be released in the smaller format (Age of Empyre) which is due to be released on March 9, 2021.  Once that last title is available, we'll make a boxset available similar to the boxset created by Orbit for The Riyria Revelations. The only difference, of course, is it will be the mass market paperback size (4.1" x 7.4" rather than the trade paperbacks which are 5.4" x 8.25")

Why the difference? Well, for books we publish, we match the size of the original publisher and Orbit chose to do their books as TRADE paperbacks and Del Rey did theirs as MASS MARKET paperbacks.

Virginia Early Voting

 

If you are like me and Robin, our "Voting Plan" was developed such that we don't have to physically show up to our polling place in November.  Long lines and possible exposure just made that seem like something to be avoided.  

So we voted absentee...but if you do that, make sure your vote has been received.  Most states have tracking information. For instance, in Virginia, you can check the status of your absentee ballot at this link.

Robin dropped her ballot off by hand when she had to do an errand "in town." But they wouldn't let her deposit mine, so she stuck it in the mailbox instead. 

Robin's got in a few days sooner:

But at least we know that both of them are safe and sound. We even put on our stickers, even though only each of us are the only ones seeing them ;-)

50% off Hurt Hardcover Sale

 
A short while ago, we were cleaning out the Ingram warehouses of every Age of Legend book we could get our hands on (because we sold out the first printing, and the second printing wasn't yet off the presses). In doing so, we were shipped two pallets of books, much more than we were expecting. What we received were "hurt sales" of not only my books but a number of anthologies created by Grim Oak Press. Since these are currently taking up space in my garage, it's time for a HUGE SALE to clear them out.

What's a "hurt book"?  Well, when bookstores order copies that aren't eventually sold, the books are returned to the warehouse. All of these books are new (meaning they've never been read by anyone and won't have any marks or highlighting), but because they have gone back and forth to bookstores (and sat on shelves for some period of time), they have been handled a lot so there may be some minor dents in the cardboard covers or scuffs on the dust jackets. That said, some of the copies I have looked at are 100% pristine, and you don't even know they've been around the block a few times.  

Another type of returned book is a remainder.  Like hurt books, they also may have a little wear, and they've never been read by others. There is a small dot placed on the edge of the pages to indicate they aren't available for returns from bookstores. When Del Rey remaindered a few hundred Age of Myth books we picked them up cheaply. Some of them are first editions, but it's the luck of the draw whether you'll get one of those or not. 

Because these books are "gently used" we are selling them at a huge discount. All hurt books are priced at 50% off and include FREE US shipping!  We don't have any "hurts" for Age of War or Age of Empyre, but I added them to the sale at 20% off so people can buy a complete set while getting the other bargain-priced books in the series.

Now, I recently mailed out my newsletter and told people about this sale, so we sold out of all the Unfettered and Unfettered II books we had. But there are still copies available for Unbound and Unfettered III. These are massive tomes (500 and 650 pages respectively), and each is just $15!

These anthologies contain some of the biggest names in fantasy

• Unbound has 23 short stories by Michael J. Sullivan • Terry Brooks • Joe Abercrombie • Mark Lawrence • Jim Butcher • Brian McClellan • Rachel Caine • Seanan McGuire • Anthony Ryan • Brian Staveley • Mary Robinette Kowal • Peter Orullian • Sam Sykes • David Anthony Durham • and many more.
  
  
• Unfettered III has 38 stories by Robert Jordon & Brandon Sanderson • Terry Brooks • Robin Hobb • Lev Grossman • Tad Williams • Mark Lawrence • Naomi Novik • Seanan McGuire • John Gwynne • Peter Orullian • Carrie Vaughn • Robert V. S. Redick • David Anthony Durham  • Carrie Vaughn • Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson • Ken Scholes • Delilah S. Dawson • and many more.

You won't find better fantasy talent than that at these prices. Quantities are limited, so if you are interested, pick up your copies right away.

Age of Myth ebook Sale - Save 80%.

For a limited time (ending October 4th), Age of Myth will be on sale for just $1.99. That's an 80% savings off the $9.99 regular price. This book has only been on sale four times since its debut in 2016, so if you are thinking of digging into my latest series, now is an excellent time to do so. 

Why put the book on sale now? Well, we recently released the last book, and we know some people don't start an incomplete series. Now that all the books are out, people can binge-read through the entire tale.  While based in Elan, no prior knowledge of the Riyria tales is required to enjoy this series to its fullest, but for those people who have read Riyria, you'll learn I've lied to you about a great many things regarding various historical figures and the origin of the gods. Through the Legends books, you'll discover the truth that lies in myths.

The series has done remarkably well.  Here are just a few of its accomplishments:

• 2 Books were New York Times Bestsellers
• 3 Books were USA Today Bestsellers
• 3 Boos were Washington Post Hardcover Bestsellers
• 4 Books (all that have been eligible) were Goodreads Choice Award Nominees

Here is a bit about Age of Myth (from the back of the book copy)

Michael J. Sullivan's trailblazing career began with the breakout success of his Riyria series: full-bodied, spellbinding fantasy adventures whose imaginative scope and sympathetic characters won a devoted readership and comparisons to fantasy masters Brandon Sanderson, Scott Lynch, and J.R.R. Tolkien himself. Now Age of Myth inaugurates an original six-book series.

Since time immemorial, humans have worshipped the gods they call Fhrey, truly a race apart: invincible in battle, masters of magic, and seemingly immortal. But when a god falls to a human blade, the balance of power between humans and those they thought were gods changes forever. Now only a few stand between humankind and annihilation: Raithe, reluctant to embrace his destiny as the God Killer; Suri, a young seer burdened by signs of impending doom; and Persephone, who must overcome personal tragedy to lead her people. The Age of Myth is over. The time of rebellion has begun.

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I think the sale is only available to US customers, although you should check your local online stores because I may be wrong about that. Here are links where you can pick up your copies:

If you haven't started the series, I hope you'll give it a try. I'm very proud of how it came out, and I'd love for you to join in the adventure!

Last night I was a guest on the Keystroke Media's Podcast "The Writer's Journey" to talk about various paths to publishing and what it takes to "make it" in this whole writing game. Near the end, Robin even did a "drop in" to discuss some contract issues to look out for.

Our thanks go out to Lauren Moore and Kalene Williams for hosting what became a marathon session.