In December in 2016 a book released that included The Blasphemer Series: Maxwell Demon and Harvest. Along with these full books bonus materials were included. Notes on writing, new interview, origin of the series, and a few other items. As these books began to be picked up by publishers this book became a problem.

When a publisher agrees to publish your work contracts that are brought to the table to be signed or re-worked until both sides are in agreement. Contracts are, in basics, a licensing agreement (kind of). You, the writer, are giving over copyright to a publisher for use. A publisher will ask you, through the contract negotiation portion, to publish your work in paperback, digital, or even audio book formats with a percentage of income made being kept for their involvement and yours. Often times, another cut is taken out by say companies like Amazon for use of their services, including the distribution (shipping) and selling platform (their website). ‘Print-on-demand’ saves on housing of products in a warehouse that may or may not even sell. Product that do not sale are still going to be paid for through taxes and can/will be paid for through taxes until they’re sold.

The two books in one, Dawn of Blasphemy, was done purely on my part, but publishers haven’t shown interest in doing this so I had to pull this book/product down so that the books could be with publishers. It is common when a book is signed to one company after self-publishing (for example) for it to be removed from whatever platforms it had been on, for example draft2digital.

For many authors, they go from one publisher to another most of the above is never a problem, but for self-publishing authors going to a publisher these are things to be considered. Being in the business long enough you learn things about the many sides of the business, not just the writing part. It’s why you will see in my blog post referring to a book as a product. A book, in the simplest definition, is a product. I began seeing my work as products for consumers along as my hard work, blood, and even tears. Every book can easily be considered their own business/branded product, series a bigger product made of smaller ones, but still one individually.

With this book being pulled by myself for publishers to do some of what they needed to I still had the bonus material to consider, to find a home. I began releasing these pieces on my website. I will be doing that again. I felt it was important to address what happened to the book overall, why it cannot be found for sale anymore. If you do find it for sale don’t trust it unless I have said it would be here on my website.

Before I end this post, I want to say that all the business I spoke of above is my understanding of the publishing business. I have worked for publishers, I’ve worked for other authors. I’ve done a lot of the work for myself. I am confident in my understanding, but I am not confident in if others are understanding my explanation of it well. I am sure others will see it differently or be able to explain it more smoothly. The advice and information I share is mainly how I see it, what’s been experienced, and I’m always fully aware that someone somewhere is explaining it better or easier to understand.

I try to explain things with the approach of someone completely new to the business reading the information for the first time in the best way that I can. If you need something explained more in-depth comment, let’s start a conversation about it. I’m open and willing to explain things several times and different ways so the information is more clearly explained if it helps.