Khanada Taylor
Khanada Taylor
Khanada Taylor
We know you are out there, and we would like to help you. OK… a show of hands of anyone who saw Dark Alliance: Morrigan’s Brood Book III and thought, “Gosh darn it, that sounds like a cool book, and it is so cheap, but books I and II are so expensive… maybe I should wait before plunging in… oh, and I hate eBooks…” Does this sound like you? (or at least some of it… OK, even if none if it applies to you, please continue reading… please.) Don’t worry, for we can help.
Series Order and Content
So, how many purists are out there who feel they have to read a series starting with the first book? Come on… show your hands! *sheepishly raises own hand* So why is that? Maybe you fear that if you read book III first that you will miss some key plot point and you won’t be able to figure out what is going on. Maybe you believe that you will miss key elements of characters’ back stories if you start with book III first. Perhaps you are just one of those A.R. people who has to go in order when reading a novel series or watching a TV or novel series. *sheepishly raises hand once again* Well, perhaps I (Christopher) can assuage your fears by explaining that the world won’t come to an end around you if you, who are new to the series, begin with book III. Here’s why…
Heather and I deliberately wrote books I and II (that’s Morrigan’s Brood and Crone of War) as a two-book series with its own self-contained plot threads. Of course we left in some threads to continue the series to the next book, but many of these threads are not critical if you pick up book III first. Also, we wrote book III assuming our readers picked it up without having any prior knowledge of the series. We cover characters’ back stories, to a degree, so you know who they are without having read a prior book. We even wrote two short stories, Madness & Reckoning, for those wanting a little more back story for some of our key characters, which you can find for free on Goodreads.
Book Pricing
Here is another reason why it is OK to start with book III… it is so much cheaper than books I or II. Why? Triscelle Publishing started with a new printer for book III that costs so much less per book than the previous printer. This has allowed Triscelle Publishing to lower the retail cost and also provide retailers with significant discounts. For example, Crone of War: Morrigan’s Brood Book II, which is 6×9 at 376 pages, retails for $19.99 USD on-line, but some retailers may sell it for as low as $17.99. By contrast, Dark Alliance: Morrigan’s Brood Book III, which is 6×9 at 360 pages, retails for $16.99, but retailers like Barnes & Noble are carrying it for $11.46… even as low as $9.99. This is because the books printed by the new printer cost less than half the price from the first printer. This gives the publisher flexibility to lower prices, making the books easier to afford.
You might ask how soon books I and II will be switched over to the new printer. Well, this is certainly in Triscelle Publishing’s plan, but I am not yet aware of the time table. Suffice it to say, Morrigan’s Brood would probably retail for $15.99 and Crone of War may retail for $16.99, which would be $3.00 off the cover price, but the discounts would also be more significant than they are today, so you might see $12.99 and $13.99 respectively. Progress is being made on revising both books for the re-release, and Morrigan’s Brood should be available in mid- to late-October; Crone of War release two might be available in December.
One other big advantage with book III with this new printer is that Dark Alliance will be printed in the UK, Australia, and the US. This should result in lower costs to international readers, as well as quicker delivery times. In fact, I just sent a copy Dark Alliance to a reviewer in the UK, and the book should be there Monday or Tuesday; had I shipped it from the US, it would have cost more and taken a few weeks to get there.