Escape of the Concubines discussion

Ben,

Could you maybe tell us why it is so long between stories in the Tales of the Lianshi series and the Wraith Rider Trilogy books?

Perspective wrote: "Ben,

Could you maybe tell us why it is so long between stories in the Tales of the Lianshi series and the Wraith Rider Trilogy books?"

Dear Perspective, you already know this as my publisher, but thanks for the lead-up and soft serve.

Well, for one, I have been working simultaneously on many projects, and so the progress has been slow but steady. You will see some rapid movement very quickly when the books start coming out next year. I am working on a lot of projects you are publishing for me as well as some that are being submitted to literary agents to try to gain a wider audience. You've done a lot for me, and I'll continue to write and publish books through you, but I am branching into other series as well.

There is another VERY BIG reason I stopped, and the reason you pulled Escape of the Concubines recently as well. I think this is what you were getting at. You were looking at ratings for my stories and trying to figure out why the sales for Escape of the Concubines tanked a couple of years ago, and ran an investigation to find out why this happened. The investigation revealed that two individuals released copies of Escape of the Concubines on the dark web to a torrent free-library. This is where pirated copies are uploaded to collections of free books illegally. While you can try to get them removed, it is a very long process, and it destroyed my sales for that book.

I was contacted by you regarding this, and at first, I was incredibly angry and wanted to refuse writing anything else in this series. This corresponded roughly with the first and only time I was ever given a 1-star rating without a review. I don't mind honest reviews as long as a reason is given. I myself don't bother writing reviews for stories I don't like, and the lowest rating I will give a book is a three, and I won't do that to someone without a significant number of reviews or without giving a reason.

At the time, I had finished the Bard of Masaghdiva and was nearly finished with The Imperial Dragon and had even started work on Eye of the Lianshi, the third story in the Wraith Riders Trilogy. I had also worked on the effort over the last several years to get two of my stories out (Curse of the Lianshi and The Little Shoemaker's Silver) in Spanish-language editions. The issue I ran into with Bard of Masaghdiva was that it was too long for a novella. It was a long full-length novel, which did not fit the series, so I was in a bit of a pickle about what to do.

Fortunately, Perspective Publishing came up with a brilliant solution. By moving some of the threads from the second book into Escape of the Concubines and another thread into Eye of the Lianshi, we were able to come up with three short novels that would fit well into your publishing style, only in mass market paperback rather than trade. You suggested marketing the title with wider distribution with both Amazon and Ingram, but also specifically marketing them in airport gift shops as a quick read in a mass market format that was easier to read than most. I saw what you had planned, and it was a great move. Not only could we keep the cost of Escape of the Concubines to a little more than what the novella e-book costs, but it would also draw people back into the series in a way that was harder to pirate. Anyone who had downloaded the prior pirated edition would not be able to follow the series without actually buying the new edition in print, or being forced to wait until the third book was released in print before being able to read the e-book second edition of Escape of the Concubines. While the series may have promotional discounts, it will no longer be offered for free to avoid piracy issues. People who actually bought the book would be able to get double the content for a little more than what they paid for the first edition, and it will read a little differently. Fans of the series and the World of the Lianshi will be able to not only refresh the story in their minds but do so in a way that makes it feel new. Also, just before the release of the second edition of Escape of the Concubines, Curse of the Lianshi, which is the gateway fantasy short story in e-book format that launched the World of the Lianshi stories, will be released with wider distribution through Ingram, making it available for download for the first time on larger book retailer platforms like Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org used to support many independent bookstores. Within half a year of the second edition of Escape of the Concubines coming out (I believe that was the rough timeline discussed), the Bard of Masaghdiva will be released as the second novel in the series in mass market, making the first TWO books of the Wraith Rider trilogy of novels available within one year. Meanwhile, the third book in the story and the short story (The Imperial Dragon) that follows Curse of the Lianshi will follow very quickly thereafter, with the Eye of the Lianshi (the final installment of the Wraith Riders trilogy) coming out with the 2nd edition of the first book in the trilogy in e-book format in 2027, This will discourage piracy, give fans what they want and allow for the books to build momentum quickly. These will not be the only stories to come out set in this world. There are a LOT more planned. However, trying to get translations (which were VERY well received #1 in Spain and #5 in Mexico shortly after the release of Curse of the Lianshi in Spanish) and dealing with the piracy issue and length of the stories was not an easy set of obstacles to overcome, and so I apologize to the fans who actually paid for the books that it has taken this long, but I CAN state categorically that everything is in motion to begin releasing he titles in 2026. Thank you, Perspective, for helping me make that happen and for the assist in the editing. I know I'm not the first developing author who has run into this situation or the only one facing similar predicaments you are helping. I can't wait to see my fantasy books in airport gift shops and bookstores alongside Chad Anctil's amazing urban fantasy series Providence Supernatural Crimes Unit, and Ellen's juvenile fiction Cat Josef. I know that you guys have been busy with contracting some exciting new books as well for next year, so it looks like it is going to be a banner year for all of you at Perspective as well, so...congrats! I know that you've all been working hard to make this all come together, and you deserve a ton of credit!

- Ben

Asked and answered. Geez. Give a guy a chance to formulate a response LOL - I know that you are all as anxious as I am to get these books out and I appreciate all the help you've given me in getting them there. Having said that, read the response tpo the PREVIOUS question.