Keir, Kensington, and What Happens Now

Okay, so this has been a big decision hanging over me since Lyrical Press Inc. announced its sale to Kensington, but now I can give you news. After much consideration, I decided not to sign the new contract. It boiled down to the fact that, even if I'd negotiated the terms I wasn't happy with, it still wouldn't give me what I ultimately wanted. And what I wanted was control of Keir and the series. Oh yes. Keir was meant to be book one of five books, which I humorously refer to as a 'Quintology' (yeah, you have to have read the book to get that one. I never said I was a comedian. :P ) But it was never marketed as that, and I had no guarantee that the situation would change with Kensington, or even that they would contract book two whilst tying up my rights to book one in ways I wasn't happy to accept. So, although I've no doubt Kensington will be a huge boost to the Lyrical authors who have chosen to sign up with them, it wasn't for me. I have plans for the books, and for other associated works that the new contract would have made complicated, if not impossible. It was a tough decision as I've only chosen to self publish short stories before (partly for financial reasons), and Lyrical gave me my first break in publishing. Renee gifted me with a gorgeous cover that has garnered compliments and a couple of awards. I am sorry to leave, but I have to do what I feel is best for me as an author.

Say goodbye to the old cover!

So what happens now? Well, Keir had already been taken down during the Lyrical/Kensington transition. It will need new edits and a new cover before I can re-release it. I'm already working on the first, and I have shiny new drafts for the second. Keir will get a complete overhaul with a new tagline and blurb to boot.

This will also mean the rest of the series will be put out as fast as I'm able. This will NOT mean rushing out sub-standard work in the space of a few months simply for the sake of having them out, even though I know many have been waiting impatiently for the second book as it is. I'll have deadlines for two contracted works and one for a self published short later in the year, so those must take priority. However, I hope to have Keir back out this year, in print and digital, with the sequel (which has already had considerable work done on it) out early next year. Book three should follow mid to late 2015. Books four and five are likely to be 2016, perhaps 2017. I also have a side story set between books one and two which I hope to have available in 2015.

Oddly enough, my initial five year plan had each book of the series releasing one a year from 2012, which would have seen the final book releasing in 2017. It might very well end up that the schedule I had to abandon back in 2013 will finally come to be true. The plan is a long term one because I intend to put as much, if not more effort into ensuring they're good quality work, and also because books four and five aren't complete yet. I also have other things in progress, such as the two recently contracted novellas, a third still out on submission, and other short stories in progress. Even if I never wrote another new thing I have enough work to keep me busy and releasing titles for the next three years. :) 


So Keir will return, and you'll finally get the rest of the books in the series. Promise! Oh, I should also add that without the totally awesome skills and full support of my editor Dani Fine, I probably wouldn't be considering such a bold step as self publishing such a big series. Thank Dani!