The Little Indie That Could

For those of you who have been watching this blog and waiting...this is the post you've been waiting for.

I have good news and bad news.

The bad news is that I will be disappointing my fans in just the way I promised not to. The final book in the Riyria Revelations, Percepliquis, will be late. After the frustrations with several far more established authors delaying their next book, I was trying my very best to insure that such a thing did not happen with my series. And yet here we are.

I am certain many of you are disappointed to hear this, but I do have an excuse, and I think it is a pretty good one. Which brings us to the good news...

Orbit Books, an imprint of Hachett Book Group, the publisher of such celebrated authors as Brent Weeks, Gail Carriger, James Patterson, Stephanie Meyers, Jon Stewart, and according to Publisher's Weekly's 2009 ranking, the sixth largest publisher in the world, made an offer to me for the entire Riyria series.

Royce and Hadrian, have made it to the big time.

The Riyria Revelations will be re-edited and produced as a trilogy, with each book having two parts, and will be released one per month starting this next coming November. The three books, are tentatively entitled: Theft of Swords, Rise of Empire, and Heir of Novron. They will have new covers designed by the Orbit Art Department and artist Larry Rostant.

I know this will leave many of you in a bind. You have the whole series minus one book. A series that will remain incomplete. To be honest, this was a factor in my decision as I mentally debated accepting Orbit's generous offer. I really hated the idea of letting down those of you who traveled so far and helped bring me to this point. On the other hand, to come this far and not accept what is assuredly the dream of every aspiring writer felt, oddly enough, like an insult to all those who wished they had this opportunity. It would also be disappointing I think, to all those who had worked hard to promote me--all of the bloggers, reviewers, fans and friends. So while it is unfortunate that the Riyria Series of Six will not be complete, (at least domestically, France will be producing the full set of six books. Russia and the Czech Republic are on track to do the same.) I hope you agree with me that pushing the books to the next level is worth that sacrifice.

Orbit is a wonderful publisher. I don't think I could have picked a better one if I had a list and a year to decide. Not only do they have a very good and growing name in the fantasy industry, they invest a good deal in all their authors, nurturing and building each like fine craftsmen. So far they have made me feel very welcome, and for a man who has spent the better part of the last seven years carefully giving birth to this most precious series, that's not as easy as it might sound. One tends to become attached to characters you've lived with for nearly a decade. Still, I feel that they have all found a good home.

So now (assuming there are no problems with the pending contract) I will be a legitimate, full-fledged, honest-to-God, New York published, author. I will have graduated from self-pub, to the Indies, to The Show. And I have all of you to thank for that. For me the agent-to-publisher route didn't work. I could have given up, but my wife never accepted defeat. We found a home in the Indies, and rose on a tide of readers who took chances reading small press authors. You lifted me from obscurity. You spread the word. You all got together and turned the great wheel of momentum, a wheel too big for merely Robin and I to crank.

It was Scott over at Iceberg Ink that first called me "The Little Indie That Could." He was more prophetic than even he knew.