Although it took longer than I’d hoped, I’ve now finished the re-editing of The Road to Vengeance, book 3 of the Strongbow Saga. The next step is designing its new cover. That process I do jointly with my good friend Luc Reid ( http://www.lucreid.com/ ), a fellow author and an absolute wizard with computer programming and graphics work. Basically, I come up with a rough idea, we jointly look for images that might work to implement it, then he turns everything into a finished cover—a task that is far outside of my own skill set. Once the new cover is ready, I’ll post an image of it here.
Luc and I will follow a similar process for the map that will be included in the new edition: I’ll draw a rough version, and he’ll convert it into a polished final product.
HarperCollins has confirmed that they will revert the rights to book 3 back to me in November—the event which is driving the tasks described above. Once that happens, I will finally again own my series. My goal between now and November 1st is to try and complete the new Kindle edition of book 3—I’ll do the work for that myself—and have the files for the new paperback edition finished by then, too, a task which Luc handles for me. After those editions are ready, but probably not by November 1st, an EPub formatted version of the e-book, which is the format sold through Barnes & Noble and Google E-books, will also be prepared by Luc. The new Kindle and Nook editions of The Road to Vengeance will, by the way, be priced at $4.99, the same price as book 2, Dragons from the Sea. I’ve long wanted to see a lower price on its e-book editions, but HarperCollins has held the price at $9.99.
Obviously, Luc is heavily involved in every phase of publishing the Strongbow Saga’s new Northman Books editions. His help and extensive work on the series (he has also been one of my first readers for my early drafts of every book in the series) are invaluable.
So…if everything goes according to schedule (and does anything ever happen as and when it’s planned?), by mid-November I should be free to resume writing book 4.
Really looking forward to your next book Jud I am a big David Gemmel fan &it was so good to read your books which are just as good could not put my kindle down thanks Bjorn
Thank you, Bjorn.
plz take your time writing these last two books, I’m looking forward to a magnificent tale. Don’t take too long though! You are the first author since Gemmell that I have really gotten excited about! I read at least a book a week, so that’s saying something! I am really looking forward to your future publications. As of this point I’m hooked!
Respectfully- Josh
Thanks, Josh.
Mr. Roberts! Thankyou for the Strongbow Saga. As we wait for the fourth book to be released could you recommend any similiar books or authors who write their stories in the Viking era? Thankyou
One of my favorites is a kind of old one: “The Long Ships,” by Frans Bengtsson.
When is book for coming out
My goal is sometime during 2012.
That’s a good question. I confess I prefer hardcover books, too, for those I love and know I’ll keep and reread periodically. The problem is that for now, I’m limited to using a printing service that uses print-on-demand technology–i.e., instead of printing lots of books and having to store them, individual books are printed and shipped as orders for them come in. So far, that sort of rapid printing capability is only available using softcover bindings.
I have thought that once the series is complete–and it will be five books long–I’d like to explore having a limited printing made in hardcover of the complete series, perhaps even to be sold in a boxed set, for collectors. But the first step is, of course, finishing both books four and five, so if the hardcover printing happens at all, it will be a few years down the road.
Is there any chance that someday you will be able to “re-publish” your books in hardcover? I am a hardcover collector, I guess you could say (paperbacks gets damaged too easily, so I renounced them), and I absolutely love your books, and I hope to be able to complete my collection of your books in hardcover.
Sound great Judson can’t wait!