The Last Stormlord –

Ebooks vs Paper books

Glenda Larke — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 22:40:00 +0000

So much around these days about how books made of paper will be a thing of the past and we’ll all be reading ebooks soon. Books you can shelve are doomed, dadidadida…

Well, this figure below may mean exactly nothing and doubtless there are all sorts of criteria one needs to take into account before extrapolating anything…

…but here’s a statistic from sales of “The Last Stormlord” in UK, for the four months after publication. As far as I know the book was available on kindle from the get go, and possibly on other sites through other ereaders.

The Last Stormlord sold less than 1% of its sales through ebooks. To be precise, 0.74%. Make of that what you will. When I get the US figures, I’ll put them up too.

Nook Books and a Podcast…

Glenda Larke — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 03:43:00 +0000

Firstly, US readers, you can get The Last Stormlord and Stormlord Rising in Nook Books over at Barnes and Noble. Look here.

And secondly, you can hear me in a Salon Futura podcast here. Actually the other two being interviewed by Cheryl – Lou Anders and Tim Pratt – have much more interesting things to say than I do, so go listen. It’s all about whether fantasy is gendered.

And think of me still writing that report…

Why a Writer Should Never Take Too Much Notice of Reviews

Glenda Larke — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:06:00 +0000

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This is a post written particularly for newly published or about to be published authors.

Don’t get me wrong. I love reviews. And I read them all. I have Google Alerts and Blog Pulse look for them every day and send them to my inbox …

In some ways that makes me a bit of an oddity, because a great many writers won’t read their own reviews at all, especially not random reader ones from places like Amazon (as opposed to review sites and professional reviews). Why not? Because they start to obsess about them and they get too upset by the bad ones.

I view it differently.

Good or bad, they are a connection to readers, and I really appreciate that. Writing is a lonely business and we authors should connect to those who buy our books, who take the time to read our stories. Reading their reviews is one way to make that connection.

For me, well, the good ones give me a nice ego boost (and we all like that, right?). The highly critical ones – if they say something thoughtful or wise, it’s a learning experience I can benefit from. I can use what is said to make the next book better.

The reason for not obsessing about a review:

There’s no point. It is totally unrealistic to assume that all readers will like your work, any more than you like every book you read. So why get upset when someone says your characters are flat, your plot boring and your world poorly depicted? They give their honest opinion and for them it is true. It won’t be true for the next reader.

Believe me, you newly published writers out there: not everyone is going to like your baby, that lovely child you slaved over for years.
Some will miss the dimples and home in on the pimples instead, and yeah, your book will have pimples. No book is perfect.
Some readers just like a different kind of story entirely.
Some readers will hate the way you look at life, which will come through in your writing.
Some readers are just don’t get what you’ve written – it may be their failing, or yours.
Some will hate your writing style.

And that is true of everyone’s work. It doesn’t matter if your name is Ursula le Guin or Tolkien or Neil Gaiman, some will hate your story, others will find it boring.

So read reviews, but don’t obsess. You can even get a laugh out of the silly ones. For example, this complaint – and it was a complaint – about The Last Stormlord (which is book 1 of a trilogy):
“by the end of book one, you feel like you’re only a third of the way through the novel.”
Yep, mate. Exactly right.

And here’s the proof that obsessing is ridiculous:

As you read these excerpts, remember that each one of these is a comment about the same book, The Last Stormlord.

Characters

“The characters were cardboard.” (Good Reads reviewer)
“full of interesting characters and the central characters are likable…” (Amazon reviewer)
“the characters are predictably clichéd, the villain more so than the heroes, and the supporting cast worst of all.” (Amazon reviewer)
“Larke calibrates conflicts and tensions between characters remarkably well and with subtlety.” (Online Review site)
“A lovely job is done here in showing him (Shale) growing up…” (another Online Review site)

Pacing and Plot
“A nice tight story line with no inconsistencies” (Amazon reviewer)

“With this novel she moves into the realm of sheer virtuosity” (Newspaper review)
“This is a GREAT book” (Magazine review)
“The plot is predictable” (Good Reads reviewer)
“It is an engrossing book.“ (Same good Good Reads reviewer as comment immediately above)
“This book was long and difficult to follow.” (Amazon reviewer)

“an extremely entertaining book.” (Amazon reviewer)
“Emotion zilch. Meh.” (Good Reads reviewer)
“I ended up staying up all night reading it once I started” (Amazon reviewer)

“Couldn’t get into it. Didn’t care about the characters or the problems.“(Good Reads reviewer)
“…even in 600 pages – no long, dull stretches of exposition. This book keeps moving and tumbling from one fantastic set-piece to another. “ (Online reviewer)
“ Wonderful setting, wonderful world building, incredible imagination and all in all a good tale.”(Good Reads reviewer)

World Building
“has created a great world here with different cultures and characters” (Amazon reviewer)

“The stuff with the water was inventive and original.” (Good Reads reviewer)

“The premise is still dumb.”(Same good Good Reads reviewer as comment immediately above)
“a great setting with an interesting magic and belief system.” (Amazon review)
“world-building is a great strength of the story”(Another newspaper review)
“I’ve visited an arid and frightening and wholly convincing land… and I’ve loved very minute of it. ” (Online Review site)
“I just couldn’t buy an entire civilization that refused to seek out new horizons, explore beyond the status quo of barely enough water to survive in a desert…” (Good Reads reviewer)

And here’s one more comment I just have to include. I don’t have a clue what it means, but it struck me as very funny:
“When I finished with the book, I honestly feared she might be more-talented version of Christopher Paolini.” (Amazon reviewer)

So, which comments am I going to obsess about, the good ones or the bad ones? Which ones am I going to believe?

My philosophy is: read them all, learn what you can, appreciate them — and don’t take any of them too seriously. Not even the good ones. More importantly, write the best novel you can, and then try to make the next one even better.
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Terelle…

Glenda Larke — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:18:00 +0000

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I love it when one of my characters resonates with a reader.

Read what Melissa says here about Terelle, her favorite character in The Last Stormlord.

(I have to say that my favourite in the book was actually Ryka. I especially loved the proposal scene where Kaneth makes a total muck of things and Ryka just gets madder and madder…)

I do so love strong women, especially those who aren’t warriors. (Although I have done those too – Blaze from the Isles of Glory was most definitely a warrior who could match most men when it came to swordplay.)

The pix is Nashii, and while I didn’t have her looks in mind when I described what I thought Terelle would look like, this particular photo somehow catches an expression that is wholly Terelle at her most sceptical.

So who was your favourite character??
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More from a wandering author

Glenda Larke — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 23:53:00 +0000

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Oh, wow – look what I found in London: I have my own shelf tag!!

And there was a new online review today:

“The ‘poor child destined for greater things’ scenario may well inspire a weary groan from the veteran fantasy reader, but Glenda Larke’s The Last Stormlord proves there’s life in the old idea yet. Not only does she spoil us with two impressive protagonists (brothel maid Terelle and Gibber boy Shale) instead of one, but the struggle towards their destiny takes place in a world as harsh and uncompromising as any of Steven Erikson’s severe settings.”
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“One of the novel’s real strengths is its well-developed, intimate protagonists. Shale’s transformation into Jasper Bloodstone is particularly enjoyable and Terelle’s journey of self-discovery rarely loses momentum. High Lord Nealrith, Taquar, Davim and Russet work well as the supporting ensemble, framing the protagonists and adding extra layers to the youngsters’ complicated journey into adulthood.”

You can read the whole thing at Total Sci-fi Online.

And now I am off to Devon to meet my agent, first time in 5 years…
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The Last Stormlord UK edition was…

Glenda Larke — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:52:00 +0000

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…released into the world on 4th March. On 11th March, Orbit was writing to me enclosing a reprint copy. Wow. That is to be the quickest turn around ever for a book of mine.

Thank you all you lovely folk out there who bought it.

At number 4 on bestseller list!!

Glenda Larke — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:03:00 +0000

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Many people told me during the process of getting this book from computer to bookshop that STORMLORD RISING was even better than THE LAST STORMLORD, which was great to hear because I was worried about whether I would be able to replicate the success of book 1.

It certainly seems to be selling well!

I have never hit a number 4 spot before. Thanks, Galaxy, Sydney specialty bookstore par excellence!

Reviews, reviews, reviews…

Glenda Larke — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:01:00 +0000

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This is a new experience for me. First of all that there are reviews galore, and secondly that they are so uniformly brilliant. Sooner or later someone is going to kick my butt, surely…?
Never mind, I am having a ball enjoying the fact that other people enjoy my books. Wallowing in it, in fact. Like eating Belgian chocolate cake with real cream…without feeling queasy.
But do apologise to you, my blog readers. I am sure you are getting sick of the diet, but I can’t stop! I adore reviews! Never mind, if you don’t want to read yet another extract from yet another review, skip to the pictures instead. Taken when we were birding in Brisbane. The bird is Australia’s approximation to a wild turkey, actually a Brush-Turkey and a mound builder. You are quite likely to see them in carparks and town parks…
This is extract from the Rob Will Review and the review is by Thomas Scofield:

… That, I think, brings me to what was my absolute favorite aspect of the book: the intricacy of character and events. There is a sinister plot, and the way the plot evolves with the characters, because of their actions and the way events complicate themselves based on responses and reactions of the characters…the plot is truly a function of character.

However, it is not just the characters that are fully realized. The world is masterfully understood by its creator. Religion impacts life in wonderfully interesting ways and the pull between the priesthood and the politicians shows some very great potential. The history of the Quartern and her cities is well thought out and reveals very interesting details about the foundations of the conflict that is the driving force behind the story.

Wondering if you should read The Last Stormlord?

Glenda Larke — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:28:00 +0000

This may help you decide. Be warned, though, I wrote it so it is probably a tad…biased.

scifinow

And you know what? I didn’t even know what an advertorial was until after I wrote it.
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The Last Stormlord Book of the Month for March

Glenda Larke — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:54:00 +0000

Yep, that’s it. My mega, mega news.

In the U.K. The Last Stormlord has been chosen by Waterstone’s*
as their sf Book of the Month!

According to what I understand, this means…
“the book has fought off stiff competition within its publication month
and was selected by a panel of Waterstone’s booksellers”
and…

it will be featured as the SF/F book of the month within the SF/F section in March…
and will be included in their 3 for 2 offer…
it also means my book will be available in more Waterstone’s stores than normal…

It also means that a lot of people – especially the lovely folk from Orbit – have faith that you, the readers, will love it. Fingers crossed they are right.

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*Waterstone’s is a large UK book chain