I am really pleased to announce that Touch and the next two Charlotte Savage books are going to be published by Harper Collins imprint Avon. Story from the Bookseller, here.
It was a tough decision as to whether to jump from my own little self-publishing boat on to the deck of a giant ship like Harper Collins, but in the end the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Avon have had a record of success with crime and thriller authors such as Scott Mariani, Jacqui Rose and Neil White (the latter now with Sphere) and I hope they will be able to improve and guide the CS series through the next few books by lending editorial help and marketing power.
Although Touch has sold phenomenally well on Amazon, getting sales beyond the Kindle is very difficult for self-pubbers. Many people have contacted me about paperback versions of Touch, but even with the advances in POD technology the finished product is just too expensive. In addition trying to get paper copies into bookshops is like banging ones head against a brick wall: both painful and fruitless.
So what are the disadvantages? Speed, for one. Touch will be republished in January as an ebook and the paperback will come out in April. Chains, which I know many people have been waiting for, will not be out until January 2014. Yes, that does seem an awful long way off and there will be many of you disappointed, even angry. Unfortunately publishing, like any other business, has schedules to keep to (something akin to managing a railway – you can’t just put an extra train onto an already busy track) . This is something that other self-publishers have had to contend with too, so I am not alone in this experience.
As a crumb of comfort (only a crumb, I am afraid) I can tell you that there will hopefully be another Mark Sennen ebook out on Kindle (and other platforms) sometime in 2013, but this will not be a full Charlotte Savage novel. Can’t say more at the moment, but watch this space.
Finally, I want to say a big, BIG “thank you” to everyone who has bought Touch. You’ve helped secure the future for the series and ensured that many people beyond the Amazonverse will be able to read the book.
Congratulations on the deal – I'm going through it myself at the moment, it does seem like an alien world with names like Random and Harpercollins are flashed about. And schedules…anyway, it's nice to see another Devon writer doing so well, and I'll look out for Touch after Christmas!