Author Copies of ASHEN WINTER!

One of the wonderful traditions of the publishing business is author copies. When your book is published, a box shows up with however many free copies of your work are specified in your contract. In my case, it's twenty.

I'm fortunate to be published by Tanglewood Press, a small, reputable children's and young adult publisher based only two hours from me, in Terre Haute, Indiana. (If you aspire to write for kids or teens, they're a great house to keep in mind. Unlike most publishers, you don't need a literary agent to submit work to Tanglewood.)

So last year when I heard that ASHFALL was in from the printer, I couldn't wait for them to be shipped--instead, my wife and I hopped in the car and picked them up in person.

I'm not sure I can adequately describe the joy of holding the result of three yeas of work in your hands in the form of a finished hardcover book. It doesn't exactly wipe out all the rejections, all the time spent agonizing over the perfect words, or the sleepless nights wondering if anyone will enjoy your book; but it does make all those worries seem less important somehow.

The other thing about author copies? Our cats love them, too. When I got home from Tanglewood, I laid the books out on the bed for a photo, and all three cats had to come check them out.


I figured that this year, when the author copies for my second book arrived, it would be no big deal. Been there, done that, right? Not so much.

When I got home from my taekwondo class Thursday night, there they were. Twenty hardbacks of ASHEN WINTER, and twenty of the new paperback edition of ASHFALL.


It was almost as squee-worthy a moment as seeing the first book. Aren't they lovely? Here's a close-up:


The cats--well, one of them, anyway--were pretty excited, too:


A huge thank you to everyone who bought, read, talked-about, or blogged about ASHFALL. You made the paperback edition and the sequel possible, and I owe my joy to you. Thank you.


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9 comments:

Sheena-kay Graham said...

Congrats, your books look lovely.

Julie Daines said...

I really enjoyed Ashfall. It first caught my attention because of the Yellowstone volcano element--we have a cabin just outside of Yellowstone National Park. I read it while we were there over the summer. Now I'm looking forward to Ashen Winter. The new cover looks great.

PS: You have a disturbing number of cats in your photos. I'm allergic, so they freak me out. :)

Lissa Price said...

Congrats, Mike! Do you want to talk about the cover change? I'm curious and maybe other are too.

Unknown said...

Thanks, Sheena!

@Julie: Glad you enjoyed ASHFALL. They're book cats--when you open a box they come check it out. We have three--I keep trying to convince my wife that two would be better, but she's fixated on four.

@Lissa -- good idea! I'll do a post on covers next time it's my turn.

Bea said...

I guess the other cats figure it's old hat now, why excited? I'd have been excited!

I didn't realize there was going to be a paperback of Ashfall. I have the digital and the hardcover, I might as well complete the set.

Kela McClelland said...

I loved Ashfall, can't wait to read Ashen Winter. And those covers look great.

M.A.D. said...

Absolutely beautiful, Mike!!!

I so enjoyed Ashfall, and cannot wait to read Ashen Winter <3

If you're looking for any reviewers, I happily & eagerly offer my services lol

Mary DeBorde M.A.D.

mary ann(RunOnce828) said...

Wooooow!! huge stack of books :)) Hope to read your book soon <3

Unknown said...

I loved this YA novel. The plot was enticing and well developed. The super volcano eruption details seemed well researched and developed as a part of the plot. The additional information regarding the previous novel was spot on in that it did not require prior information. I liked it so much that I purchased the prior novel and plan to order the 3rd part of the trilogy.
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