Over the last couple of days, I’ve been following conversations on Twitter regarding authors reissuing their out-of-print books digitally. Here are a few authors whose digital backlist titles I’ve purchased, or have on my wish list for next month. If you click on their names, it will bring you to their respective Smashwords page, or wherever it is that they’re selling their books.
- Alexis Harrington - Writes American-set historical romances. I recently reviewed Home by Morning.
- P.B. Ryan/Patricia Ryan – Writes historical mysteries set in Boston during the Gilded Age; also writes medieval and contemporary romances.
- Theresa Weir/Anne Frasier – She’s released some of her backlist titles at Smashwords. Bad Karma is available from Samhain.
- Laura Leone – According to her website, she’s planning to release some of her older books digitally in the coming months.
- Roberta Gellis – Many of her books have been re-released through Cerridwen Press. Unfortunately, the Roselynde Chronicles are not among them.
- Michele Albert - Six of her backlist titles are available on her website shop. Absolute Trouble is available for free download.
With all this talk of authors making their OOP books available digitally, it got me thinking of books I’d love to read, or re-read, but which are only available used, sometimes at ridiculous prices. They include:
- Several of Anne Stuart’s old books, such as Nightfall
- Candice Proctor’s historical romances, especially September Moon and Night in Eden
- Patricia Gaffney’s Wyckerly trilogy
- LaVyrle Spencer
- Penelope Williamson
- Laura London/Tom & Sharon Curtis
- Devil in Velvet by John Dickinson Carr
Which authors would you like to see release their out-of-print books digitally (or in print)? Are there any books you’d love to read but can only find used at astronomical prices?
{ 13 comments }
Oooooooooooooh, where do I start? In addition to your list (all I’d love to get my mitts on):
Pamela Morsi – her Americana historicals
Megan Chance – The Portrait, Fall From Grace, The Way Home, etc.
Lorraine Heath – Always to Remember, Sweet Lullaby and Parting Gifts. (@sunita_d says these will be published at end of August and some of her back list will be priced at $8.99 and some at $6.99. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch! Far too dear for my taste, considering these are old titles.)
Gayle Feyrer / Taylor Chase – all her historicals
Stef Ann Holm – Americana historicals
Sandra Canfield / Karen Keast – category romances
Marilyn Pappano – old category roms and old contemporary romances (Passion, Suspicion, and In Sinful Harmony).
Diana Norman – FitzEmpress’ Law and, my god, THE VIZARD MASK!
*ahem* Although I have more, I’d better shut up or your blog will kill itself to get away from boredom.
Well, Sarah, I do think that *some* of LaVyrle Spencer’s books are available. Just not The Gamble, Hummingbird and Years. Probably a few more. Grrrr. I’d love to see Kathleen Eagle’s contemporaries as well as Roberta Gellis (her medieval mysteries are what I’m looking for). There are more authors I’m sure but right now, Kathleen Eagle and Roberta Gellis.
@Keishon: Apologies, Keishon. You stopped by as I was changing my colour scheme. I think I’m colour blind. It all looks crap to me. Oh, well.
There are some Roberta Gellis medievals at Cerridwen Press, just not the Roselynde Chronicles.
@Maili: Great list, Maili. You mentioned a few I’d forgotten, plus a couple of authors I’ve never read.
I just sent Roberta Gellis a link to this blog. She told me recently that she wants to get the Roselynde Chronicles e-published; she just needs to figure out which route to employ. Meanwhile, I’m delighted that Laura Leone/Resnick is going to be reissuing her romances. An early Silhouette Desire of hers called The Black Sheep is what convinced me to write category romance. After I sold that first one to Harlequin Temptation, my editor changed the title–to The Return of the Black Sheep! How perfect is that?
I would also like to see Anne Stuart’s dark romances and Pat Gaffney’s Wyckerly trilogy available as ebooks. Also Laura Kinsale’s Flowers from the Storm.
@Patricia Ryan/P.B. Ryan: Thank you! There are so many OOP books I’d love to read. I only started buying US-published romances when I began shopping at Amazon. There are a number of genre classics from the 80s and 90s that I missed.
@Sarah: If you haven’t read Flowers From the Storm, get your hands on a copy asap! The hero is a typical arrogant, rakish, sexy as hell nobleman who’s got the world by the lapels–until he has a stroke! I loves me some wounded heros, and he’s one of the best I’ve ever read.
@Patricia Ryan/P.B. Ryan: ‘Flowers in the Storm’ is one I was able to get my hands on. Patricia Gaffney’s Wyckerly trilogy was already out-of-print when I first heard of ‘To Have and to Hold’. Hopefully, it will be reissued one day, either digitally or in print.
I wish there was a site where a bunch of authors could advertise the digital release of their backlist titles. I only stumbled upon yours by chance and recognised the name from when I’d asked for mystery recommendations a few months ago. Then Keishon (Avid Book Reader) found a few by Theresa Weir, and so on.
I would like to see any bloomin release that hasn’t been picked up by Aussie publishers released over here! I won’t list the titles, authors, as I would be here all day, as it is the majority of mainstream romance. LOL
Released in ebook over here is what I meant.
Roberta tells me she’ll be releasing the Rosalynde Chronicles through Cerridwen, and that they’ll be out in about a year–but I’m not sure whether she ment the POD version would be out then and the electronic sooner (which would make sense), so I asked her to clarify. She regrets that publishing with Cerridwen means the books will be $7.99, but she said all the technical hoo-hah involved in self-publishing is daunting, and I can certainly understand that.
Hi, Pat! Flowers from the Storm is available in a digital edition.
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Flowers-from-the-Storm/Laura-Kinsale/e/9780061365539
Amazon also has it.
Most of my books are available as e-books, except four. I just got the rights back for For My Lady’s Heart, The Dream Hunter, My Sweet Folly and Shadowheart. I will be issuing these as e-books but I am not rushing into this because things are literally changing as we speak in terms of digital publishing and I want to make a good decision about how I go about this.
Readers can go to my website and click on the books link. I have links to both digital and print editions of each of my books.
Thanks for the mention!
@Patricia Ryan/P.B. Ryan: That’s excellent news re: Roberta Gellis’ Rosalynde Chronicles! Thanks for letting us know.
@Laura Kinsale: Laura, thanks for stopping by. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for those ebooks as a couple of them are ones which were already out-of-print when I discovered your work.
@Laura Kinsale: Thanks, Laura! Good to know. I just may have to download that one and head out to the hammock with my truly old Sony 505.
Pat