Voting Open for Best Fantasy Novel of the Year on Reddit

Well, it's that time of year again, reddit's /r/Fantasy voting is open for a number of rewards and The Death of Dulgath has been nominated for Best Fantasy Fiction of 2015 and the cover design that was created by the amazing Marc Simonetti is nominated for Best Artwork Released in 2015.   To vote, click on the picture below or on this link.

Now, I don't expect to win, and this isn't a plea to vote for my book, I'm just letting people know the competition is open so you can weigh in on your favorite. To be honest, I'm just hoping not to embarrass myself by coming in last place.

Here are the nominees:

And for those who want a text list of the nominations here you go:

• Aeronaut's Windlass, The by Jim Butcher
• Ash and Silver by Carol Berg
• Autumn Republic,The by Brian McClellan
• Beyond Redemption by Michael R Fletcher
• Black Wolves by Kate Elliott
• Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
• Court of Fives by Kate Elliott
• Crooked by Austin Grossman
• Crown for Cold Silver, A  by Alex Marshall
• Darker Shade of Magic, A by V.E. Schwab
• Death of Dulgath, The by Michael J. Sullivan
• Devil's Only Friend, The by Dan Wells
• Dread Wyrm, The by Miles Cameron
• Fifth Season, The by N. K. Jemisin
• Firefight by Brandon Sanderson
• Fool's Quest by Robin Hobb
• Gameshouse, The by Claire North
• Grace of Kings, The by Ken Liu
• Guns of the Dawn by Adrian Tchaikovsky
• Half a War by Joe Abercrombie
• Half The World by Joe Abercrombie
• Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear
• Knight's Shadow by Sebastien de Castell
• Last First Snow by Max Gladstone
• Letters to Zell by Camille Grip
• Liar's Key, The by Mark Lawrence
• Library at Mount Char, The by Scott Hawkins
• Long Black Curl by Alex Bledsoe
• Malus Domestica by SA Hunt
• Mechanical, The by Ian Tregillis
• Price of Valor, The by Django Weller
• Providence of Fire, The by Brian Stanley
• Radiance by Catherynne Valiant
• Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson
• Skull Throne , The by Peter V. Brett
• Son of the Black Sword by Larry Corey
• Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
• The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett
• Touch by Claire North
• Tower of Thorns by Juliet Marillier
• Traitor Baru Cormorant, The by Seth Dickinson
• Twelve Kings in Sharakhai by Bradley P. Beaulieu
• Updraft by Fran Wilde
• Uprooted by Naomi Novik
• Vagrant, The by Peter Newman
• Watchmaker of Filigree Street, The by Natasha Pulley

I have been fortunate enough to win a Stabby in the past. The nice thing about this competition is how cool the trophy is... a beautiful engraved dagger. Here I am showing off my prior Stabby win.

I was also nominated in two other categories - but asked to remove myself.  The first was Best Self-Published Book of 2015.  While it is true that The Death of Dulgath is a self-published novel, I didn't want to steal the spotlight from those that self-publish and don't have the marketing support of a big traditional publisher.  The other category I pulled myself from contention was the Most Active Author nomination.  The reason for pulling my name from that one was because it's essentially what I won the Stabby for last time. I say essentially because the best contributor in the forum award used to be just one category but now it's been split into author and non-author categories.  So, again, I wanted to step aside and give others who haven't won this amazing award a chance to get their own Stabby.

In any case, I truly feel that it's an honor just to be nominated, and I encourage you go vote for whichever book you enjoyed the most in 2015.  Cheers!

The Death of Dulgath is a December Customer Favorite

Just got a notification from Audible.com that The Death of Dulgath was named a December Customer Favorite.  Want to see the other 19 books on the list?  Here's a link.

In the email they explained:

"The books featured on this list are those which debuted on Audible in December, and received the best (and most) ratings from our customers."

So thanks, everyone who has been listening, rating, and enjoying the books - I'm so glad you are enjoying them!

The Death of Dulgath debuts in a big way

I'll probably never be a New York Times Bestseller.  Nor do I expect to make the USA Today's Bestselling list. For those that don't know, such lists are compiled on a weekly basis to show what books sold the most over the past seven days.  There are plenty of books on these lists that had one good week, and then faltered from there.  I'll always take a consistent seller over a one-week break out.

Still, I can't help but be thrilled that I finally have a book on one of the major Top 10 Weekly Lists.  In this case it was hitting Audible Bestseller for Fiction list.  Last week saw the release of a bunch of Harry Potter books on audible, so the competition was tough, but The Death of Dulgath still carved out a spot. Here's the complete list.

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling, narrated by Jim Dale (Pottermore from J.K. Rowling)

2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster, narrated by Marc Thompson (Random House Audio)

3. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling, narrated by Jim Dale (Pottermore from J.K. Rowling)

4. The Rolling Stones by Robert A. Heinlein, narrated by Tom Weiner (Blackstone Audio, Inc.)

5. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling, narrated by Jim Dale (Pottermore from J.K. Rowling)

6. The Martian by Andy Weir, narrated by R.C. Bray (Podium Publishing)

7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling, narrated by Jim Dale (Pottermore from J.K. Rowling)

8. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, narrated by Clare Corbett, Louise Brealey and India Fisher (Penguin Audio)

9. The Death of Dulgath: The Riyria Chronicles, Book 3 by Michael J. Sullivan, narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds and the author (Audible Studios)

10. The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore, narrated by Euan Morton (HarperAudio)

The really cool thing about hitting this list is all the various papers that publish it. Here's some of the places I've seen it posted so far:

• The New York Times
• Washington Times
• Washington Post
• ABC News
• Associated Press
• Salon.com
• San Francisco Chronicle
• The Denver Post
• Star Tribune
• Yahoo News
• WISH-TV
• Las Vegas Sun
• The Chronicle Journal
• Quad City Times

I want to thank Tim Gerard Reynolds for his amazing narration, Audible.com for producing a fabulous recording, and all you listeners out there who helped make it's debut such a big success.

Appreciate success when it comes

The publishing business isn't an easy one, and I'm always anxious in the days around a books release. Will it fall into oblivion?  Will people notice it exists? I have no illusions about my place in the "fantasy genre." I consider myself a scrappy up-and-comer, who just might make it one day (if I keep working really hard). Still, from time to time I do break into an area I never expected to be...like sandwiched between George R.R. Martin and J.R.R. Tolkien on the Amazon Bestseller List for Epic fantasy books.

I've been there before...even made the number one spot on occasion (but that was due to a daily deal, and so it doesn't feel nearly as satisfying). The Death of Dulgath is hitting it without deep discounting, which is very rewarding. Yes, as my daughter was so quick to point out it's shiny and new, and the other books are better because they are always at the top of the charts.  Thanks, Sarah, you can always keep your ole dad grounded.  Still, I'll take it. After all, you have to appreciate any success as it comes. 

A hearty thank you to all the people who are giving the book a try. I hope you enjoy the read!

The Death of Dulgath is a Bestseller!

Thanks to all the amazing listeners supporting the release I just found this nice little best-seller icon next to The Death of Dulgath.

It's so great seeing everyone's enthusiasm for this release, and the 4.9 rating is an indication that I and Tim are doing our jobs well. Tim hitting it out of the park was a given...but I'm grateful that I seem to be holding up my end as well.

Audible is certainly doing their part as well. It's currently have one of the 4 spots on the main page - a very coveted piece of marketing.

I know it will be fleeting, but it's still fun to beat out the reigning king of Fantasy, George R.R. Martin.

Oh, and if you aren't sure if you want to give it a try, here are the first 30 minutes of the book provided free by audible.

At long last, The Death of Dulgath is out on audio!

Oh, you lucky, lucky listeners!  Today The Death of Dulgath is available in it's audio version.  I've had the pleasure of hearing it sometime ago...both in studio and by reviewing the "dailys." And it is sublime...but if you've listened to Tim Gerard Reynolds narrations before, you knew it would be. Seriously, he makes me sound so much better than I am, and I couldn't be happier about having a new release from him available.  If you don't have a spare credit, no worries, Audible is running a 50% off sale, so go ahead and buy a copy. It's just $12 and change.

Here's a link to get your own copy - and please, let me know what you think of it!

It's Book Launch Time Again, this time for The Death of Dulgath!

If you've not discovered One More Page Books, you really need to. It is by far my favorite indie bookstore and this Wednesday at 7:00 PM we'll be there celebrating the release of The Death of Dulgath!  This will be my fourth book launch with them and I'm hoping they have a successful night. 

Indie bookstores are a dying breed but One More Page knows how to do be successful in this competitive marketplace. One look at their calendar and you'll see 18 events for this January alone!  And that is not an unusual month for them.  They are always having someone coming in and something going on. I love this about them. Not only are they selling books but they are a leader in their community and  it's little wonder that they have such an avid following. We've arranged for them to be able to sell several different versions of The Death of Dulgath including: trade paperback, hardcover, and even a limited edition version. I'm sure they'll also have past Riyria books (both Revelations and Chronicles).

So what will be going on at the party?  We'll we'll have cake...everyone likes cake.  A few door prizes - like Riyria coffee mugs and there will also be Death of Dulgath posters - which have the incredible artwork of Marc Simonetti.

We'll even bring a few Hollow World posters (also done by the Amazing Marc Simonetti).

Sound like fun?  I hope so.  So here is all the specifics:

• Where: One More Page Books: 2200 N Westmoreland Street #101 Arlington VA  22213
• Date: Wednesday December 9, 2015
• Time: 7:00 PM 
• Phone: 703.300.9746 

Hope to see you there! Oh, and here are some picture from past signings.

 

Oh, one last thing. If you have existing copies of books, feel free to bring them for signing as well.