Today, due to a miscommunication with the publisher, it seems Ranger’s Odyssey may be available for purchase sooner than expected. The official release date is 10/10/2020 (next Saturday), but it may be available between now and then instead.
Since we’re nearing the final release, you may find the final covers below!
Paperback, hardback, and ebook will be available direct from AuthorHouse, from Amazon, and online from Barnes & Noble.
Before I comment on that more, I want to tell a little story. When I was 10 years old, in my 6th grade Careers class, my first choice for the rest of my life was to be an author. Why? I was the kid who found solace in books. I delved so deeply into every story, I blocked out everything around me. I could read while people were throwing wads of paper over my head. I could read over the din of the obnoxious trumpets in middle school band. There was nothing but me and the book.
The only time I ever got dragged out to the hallway in school was when I decided to lie to my math teacher about having finished my homework, just so I had the chance to finish my book. Growing up, the stories were everything to me. That’s why, when the teacher asked us what we wanted to be, that’s all I wanted. I wanted to write stories that would transport the reader to a new and wonderful land. I wanted the reader to be affected by the characters in my stories—to see some of themselves in the characters, and to learn wholesome life lessons by accident, just by living the story.
Now, after 15 years and many diversions, I’m realizing one of my oldest dreams. My one goal in being a published author is to have at least one reader who falls into my stories and is excited when the next one comes out. To love the world and the characters so much they never want to leave. I want my books to be read.
The disappointing thing about this entire process is that the author doesn’t really get a say in the retail price. The publisher tells the author what the price will be, and retailers have the option to hike the price up if they want to. Please know, when you see my book(s) available for purchase, that I’m not trying to gouge money out of you. I’m not writing for the money; I’m writing for the love of it, and for the enrichment I want to give my readers.
The royalties are pretty much even across the board, so I earn the same amount no matter which version you choose to purchase. If you are wanting to support my endeavor, thank you so very much. Please don’t think you have to spend a bunch of money to do so. Although, as an avid reader, I’ve always felt that hardcovers are better (for various reasons), I understand that not all readers are collectors, and I understand that not all readers can afford to pay much for a single book.
If you are interested in the story, but you cannot afford the cost of the physical book, all you need to read the ebook is a screen. It’s not the best experience, but you can read it on your phone. I’m also hoping to get copies in libraries—because I found my favorite authors in libraries—but I don’t expect libraries to just stock a random book by an author they don’t know.
So, down to the prices. AuthorHouse has a suggested retail price, which they will use for the listing on their website. Due to the likelihood of retailers hiking up the prices, it will likely be the most cost-effective to purchase direct from the publisher’s website/at the suggested retail price at these prices: (ebook) $3.99; (paperback) $13.99; (hardback) $26.99. Though, again, it will also be available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. At this time, I don’t know what their prices will be.
I hope you aren’t deterred by the prices, and, if you are, I hope you will get the ebook, find the book in a library, or borrow from a friend. I hope you decide to delve into the world of Ambergrove, and I hope you’re sad when you’ve finished the final page. I hope you love it like I do.
Until next time, adventurers. Maybe you’ll have met Mara by then!
Tales of Ambergrove 