For the Quinn readers take III

Two recent posts about Julia Quinn discussed her upcoming books. Only these books are a touch different, this time they will be coming soon to a computer near you vs a bookstore. And personally I find that exciting. I love, love, love books and don't see them ever going away. I don't want them too (sorry jane *g*). But 'E' is the future for many and it is exciting to see a big publisher come to the party. Even if they are fashionable late, they are ahead of some NY publishers. The topic had some great comments from you guys as well as some unanswered questions that seemed to be best answered by Julia Quinn. And hey, she did. It turns out to be a good thing because the page I linked to has some incorrect info. JuliaQ gives us some info on why she took on this project, the price and the chance these books will see print. The biggest question seems to be, why write them? I would like to let you know that this is in no way a marketing ploy. To be completely frank, the 2nd Epilogues aren't going to increase sales of the series. I mean really--do you think anyone would buy them who hasn't already read the original books? And anyone who liked the original books well enough to buy the 2nd Epis probably was going to buy ON THE WAY TO THE WEDDING, anyway. I have a number of reasons for doing these-- First, I really thought it was something my readers would enjoy. I don't think this is "caving." Caving would be writing Violet Bridgerton's story, which I really don't think I'll ever do. (I would never say never, because I suppose it's possible the absolute perfect idea could come to me, but somehow I doubt it.) Second, I really thought it was something I would enjoy writing. I did, btw. In romance you don't get a whole lot of opportunity to write in formats other than the novel and the novella. Here I got to do, essentially, short stories, and on top of that, short stories which don't have the same story arc I have in my romances. After all, the romance is already established. Third, from a business standpoint, it's kind of exciting to try something new. It's pretty cool to do something no one has ever done before (at least to my knowledge.) This is brand-new for my publisher as well. Believe it or not, this is the first time they have published original content through their e-books department. About the price... The price is correct (although you can buy both 2nd Epis for $3.49) but they listed the page count as 0 (it's probably around 35--I don't have my proofs in front of me), and they have the incorrect blurb. I have the correct blurbs up on my website, if you're interested. So we end up with 8 total books, at about 35 pages each, for $1.99. That takes us to a total that mirrors a trade size novel at only 230 pages. Is that a good deal? Honestly for the general reader looking to buy a ebook, probably not. For the general reader looking to try a romance novel? The price tag really isn't that bad. For the fan who is dedicated to the series and/or author, the price is high when you add them all together. JQ also noted: In addition to the pricing you have down, you can also buy any three backlist titles for $16.95 and get both 2nd Epilogues for free, or you can buy the whole Bridgerton series for $34.95 and get both 2nd Epilogues for free. So yes, Avon is using the 2nd Epilogues to reach out to the e-reading public. I personally think that's great. Maybe we'll convert some people to historical romance. And you can't fault that since if anything, romance needs more historical readers! And HEA *eg*. As far as these ebooks going to print, JulieQ had an interesting tale to tell. It's hard to say. My original idea was to have these come out together in one (printed) volume. I wouldn't be surprised if this happens eventually. But the e-books have a terrific advantage (for me, at least.) I don't have to write all of the 2nd Epilogues at once. I've found that once I have a good idea for a 2nd Epilogue, the writing is quick and fun. But it takes me a while to come up with the right idea, and I don't want to just throw something together. I don't much like series books where all the previous characters come back for no apparent reason so the last thing I'm going to do is write a 2nd Epilogue in which the characters come back for no apparent reason. The other fun thing (again, for me) is how quickly these go from my head to readers. I finished up the 2nd Epilogue for THE VISCOUNT WHO LOVED ME in April and readers will have it in June. That is incredibly fast. I have to agree the speed of the process is a great plus. And the shorts are a fun way to reconnect with character you love and a nice bonus while waiting for the next book by your favorite author to print. So it would be nice to see more authors do this. I wonder what reader reaction would have been if they had come out as a collection of eight in a print book. I think it comes down to choices. And sadly with more and more trade size books hitting the shelves, there will be more choices readers will have to make as far as where to spend our book dollars. Since I don't think too many of you went to work yesterday and didn't get paid, I don't think we can expect for writers to put out stories for free. If they do, great, wonderful, exciting, lets read... but we can't get into the habit of expecting it, can we? Or should we? PBW blogs about Story-to-Blog and in part III one of the first thing she says is look for someone to BUY your article/short story. And I have to agree that makes sense. Of course she does end it with if nothing else put it up on your site because readers love free stories *g*. Of course I do think the price should reflect the page count better than it does. But Julia Quinn does say this is Avon's first leap into orgininal epublishing. So maybe they are just shooting too high. The up side is as more and more publishers dip their toes into the eworld hopefully the books will get longer with a price to match the page count. Until then I still think it is pretty nifty and hope to see more publisher embrace ebooks. Of course I hope the western comes back. So what the hell do I know. 'E' Summaries The Viscount Who Loved Me Watch your toes, it's the Pall Mall Rematch! Fifteen years have passed, but the Bridgertons are as devious and diabolical as ever when it comes to life on the croquet field. Join Anthony, Kate, Simon, Daphne, Colin, Edwina, and (of course) the mallet of death, as Julia Quinn shows that happily ever after can still be a little bit wicked... and a whole lot of fun. It's In His Kiss What happened to the diamonds???? If you've read It's In His Kiss, you want to know. Don't miss this charming and passionate addendum, in which Gareth proves that some things get better with age, Hyacinth gains new respect for her mother (with a daughter like Isabella she'd have to, wouldn't she?), and everyone learns that while diamonds are lovely, sometimes tenacity is a girl's best friend. General Bridgerton Info 2nd Epilogue page on JQ site and FAQ on Bridgerton series