So after these few months of silence I also have some grim news regarding Imbalance. At least, grim for now. Daunting, say. “The times they are a-getting very different.”

I am taking Purge of Ashes temporarily off the market.

This is for multiple reasons, each more reasonable than the last, but underneath all the reasonableness is a small piece of heartbreak. I knew what Purge of Ashes needed to be successful and somewhere along the way with getting a three-book deal from my old publisher I stopped checking to ensure such necessities were being met. A more bulldog-ish type of person would likely have called foul and cancelled that premier, but I was unable to think that way, and am now left with this last resort four months later. So here we go, five reasons:

1. Editing. I was promised editing from my smallpress and too late realized I got none. This problem was not exclusive to my title. To fix this issue I have hired Tim Marquitz from Ragnarok Publications to give Purge of Ashes a full edit. I’m not wasting time. He’s the man for the job. Most reviewers love the content and just need it streamlined into a more readily-digestible flow. Once the process is complete I will be able to push Purge of Ashes as I did in March and April of this year – before concerns over its perfection (in my eyes) soured my entrepreneurial spirit.
2. Cover. The cover was literally made in 24 hours as a band-aid for a hired artist who did not fulfill their end of the bargain. While sufficiently dark and an excellent skyline, it has no element of humanity and was in no way my vision. Nor does it fit easily with the planned series of covers. To separate the second edition that is to come from its predecessor, I require a new cover – one that really Raruks up the place! I will be searching for a new artist soon. Unfortunately, it was my former smallpress who footed the bill last time.
3. Maps. My map for Imbalance is great and I don’t care who hears me champion its virtues. Unfortunately, the maps that made it into my first edition of Purge of Ashes were far less grand. While that of Sventium is all right for black and white, the massive global map fit so poorly onto the page that almost none of it is legible and the rest a big mess. In addition to these grainy, gray versions that undercut all the work that went into my colourful, vast cartograph, came the interior ‘city’ maps. Or rather they didn’t come. Mostly because the smallpress failed to produce them, despite promises. Thus, maps for the city streets of Katolys, Edis and Remn are a must for a proper edition. I, too, will be on the lookout for a digital cartographer in the near future.
4. Timing. Suffice to say, my three-book deal came at a bad time in my personal life. Underemployed for 1.5 years, and coming a month after my wife and I were expecting our second child, I spazzed out on promotion in March and April knowing the closer I got to the dreaded First Year of the Newborn the less time I would have to sing my book’s praises. Such time was and is needed for writing Grip of Dust (gettin’ there!) In the end, writing is a marathon, not a sprint – and there is no longer a reason to rush. I no longer have a publishing deal for three books with the second due in January. Go back. Clean. Perfect. Let Purge reach its full potential – that’s why I wrote it in the first place. Writing is an older person’s medium unless you’re Zadie Smith or John Kennedy Toole.
5. Process. Having spent half a year immersed in the online fantasy digisphere (don’t care if this word makes no sense here, felt great) I have learned much. Most of it revolves around trust, but a lot revolves around community as well. When I arrived on the scene with a book to my credit and bright blue eyes I never claimed to understand the marketing aspect of the industry. I mean, egad, it’s enough to keep track of a non-existent universe, is it not? I just write here. But as a self-publisher there are a lot of rules that you need to follow in order to find success, both critical and commercial. By re-releasing the novel I can set my own date – one that allows for ample time to redo the cover and maps. One that lets me properly distribute advanced reader copies to the right people and shout madly at everyone else. To bray like never before! O, to know it is prepared on release day. As it stood, back on April 6th (a day late already) when Purge of Ashes was let upon the world, every aspect of dealing with the book had been crammed into the final two weeks prior to release. If I am to go it alone, nuts to that. I need a new starting line.

There is a sixth reason, but I shall save that for another upcoming post. My best writing wishes to every fantasy author out there who has hurdles to jump – and my apologies to those who purchased the underprepared first edition. All will be rectified.

JM