Updates

Hi Everyone,

I hope you all have a wonderful last day of 2025. Here's to a more magical 2026!

Just a quick update here as it is an important one. This last week, my book designer and I managed to complete our print estimates with the printer. This is an important part. The printer completes all book blocks, full-color interiors, endpapers, and dust jackets. The printer also binds the trade hardcover as it has fewer binding requirements and they are capable of doing it.

All elements not with the trade hardcover -- like the full-color interiors that will be tipped into the book, printed endpapers, etc. -- get shipped to the bindery for their two month queue. The special editions of the book get completed there. When the printer finishes the trade hardcover and book blocks/print elements, they will ship me the trade hardcovers on three pallets. The book blocks/print elements will be shipped to the bindery where they get put into the bindery's queue. That queue is usually two months.

What does this mean for timing?

I think the trade hardcover will arrive in my warehouse in March. I will ship out backer orders with the trade hardcover in them because it's been so long and getting some orders out the door is better than not, in my opinion.

The special editions will arrive in my warehouse likely sometime in May, all things going to plan. They require the speciality bindery to make them as beautiful as possible and that takes time sadly. I'll do what I can to speed that up though. Maybe it won't be two months.

All merch (the two bookmarks, the tarot cards, the coin, etc.) has already been created and is in my warehouse. And I sent out the EPUB a few weeks ago. 

So at least those things are done.

My book designer did say last week when we were finalizing things and looking at the art that this is going to be one of my best looking books. I couldn't agree more. I hate it's taken this long but I think the end result will be worth it.

More news when I know it! Happy New Year!

Shawn

Hi Everyone,

A few moments ago, I uploaded three different zip files to BackerKit:

I'm pretty sure everyone gets The Dark Thorn files and The Digital Art Package files. Those who signed up early to be notified when the BackerKit launched receive the first chapter of The Witch-Wiled Wizard.

I'm hoping these files made their way to you in a single email that explains how best to enjoy the files. The Dark Thorn is about as good as I can possibly make it. But if you encounter any ebook errors/issues while you read, do let me know. I can always fix the issue(s) for future readers. The magic of digital files.

And finally, thank you for your patience. This has been a long journey. I'm not happy with how long it took me to get these to you, but I'm hoping the wait will be worth it. And next week, estimates will be requested for the physical editions of The Dark Thorn. Should receive trade hardcovers sometime in March, and the limited editions maybe two months after that due to the special binding that's required.

AGAIN, THANKFUL FOR ALL OF YOU! For those of you in the United States, have a wonderful holiday tomorrow and through the weekend. Oh, and don't forget to check out Black Friday deals on The Signed Page and Grim Oak Press.

With Magic,
Shawn Speakman

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday, I finished writing Chapter 1 of The Witch-Wiled Wizard, the sequel to The King-Killing Queen. It is a first draft, so still pretty messy. And at 3,700 words, it's longer than I'd like. For a frame of reference, the first chapter of The King-Killing Queen is 2,200 words long. I believe once I spend time with it this week again for the second draft, I'll likely get the chapter down to around 3,200 words or so. It just needs to be tightened up a bit.

I'm truly happy with it. I think it does a great job of setting up the main villains for this trilogy. Other than the kings, of course. And I hope the reader feels gut-punched in the chapter's final paragraphs. The end of the chapter is also the origin for the main conflict in The Splintered King, the sequel (threequel?) to The Dark Thorn and The Everwinter Wraith. Yes, I'm thinking that far ahead.

In other news, I'm still waiting for my book designer to get me the final InDesign file for The Preferred Dark Thorn. I didn't know this, but she was kind of backlogged with Grim Oak Press work, having to get beta-reader files ready for The King's Buccaneer by Raymond E. Feist and The Wounded Land by Stephen R. Donaldson. I hope to have the file I need by the end of this week, but it all depends on her. In the meantime, I'll get that second draft done of the chapter as well as gather up the materials for the Digital Art Package.

Then I'll be delivering some things. Finally! Yay! And getting the files off to the printer. Another Yay!

Okay, back to work for me. I'm going to get an update out about Unavowed. And tomorrow, I'll be at The Signed Page warehouse to remove shrink-wrap and slipcases from 1100 copies of Red Rising Deluxe Edition that will be signed by Pierce Brown in a few weeks. 

The work never ends... thanks for sticking by me!

Shawn

Hey Everyone,

I am pleased to share that I have finished proofing The Dark Thorn. 

It took longer than I expected, of course, but it is done. And to be honest, I'm happy I did it. I found three misspellings. I found a quotation mark not closing off a character's spoken words. I found about 20 "the" words missing in front of "Cardinal Seer." And I found numerous sentences that just didn't need to be in there as they added nothing to the overall story. There were probably about 75 changes from the ARC edition.

So the book is vastly improved, even from the edit. Now the proofed book goes to my book designer. She will make the changes to the final InDesign document. Then a few things will happen at once:

For the ebook, I think I'm going to do a Zoom or Facebook Live or something so you can see me take the final book and create the ebook. Should be fun and I can answer questions while I work. More on that once I get the file. And when I'm done with creating the ebook, I'll get the digital package together and send both out at once as soon as possible!

Here are some photos of the book I used to proof. When I found something I wanted to fix, I dog-eared the page. As you can see, there were a lot of dog-ears. 

Anyway, progress! This was easily the hardest thing to finish. The rest is on other people thankfully. 

Okay, back to work for me. I'm reading proof pages for the stories in Unavowed now. 

Hope you are having a wonderful Saturday!

Shawn

Hi Everyone,

After working with the fine folks at BackerKit yesterday to solve some issues with the backend of the campaign and how items flow from BackerKit to my shipping software, I finally managed to get the ability to split orders that featured The White Thorn hardcover ARC and get that book shipped. Yes, it cost me a bit more money to do so, but I figure with the lateness of the project that I need to be fulfilling books when I get them -- no matter.

After the Terry Brooks Facebook Live that we are doing today at 11AM PT, I'll be going back to proofing the final pages of The Dark Thorn. It needs it. I've already found at least 20 things that I want to change and absolute mistakes to be fixed. But once done with the read -- probably sometime next week -- my book designer will enter those changes into the final file. Those files will go to the printer. And I'll then spend a day creating the Ebook. I'll send that out the moment that I have it done, along with any other digital items I owe. I may even write a short epilogue for the novel as an extra thank you for your absolute patience in this endeavor.

See some of you in a while on the Facebook Live. And if not, I'll see you somewhere!

Shawn