Amazon has just announced a beta for “KDP Audiobooks with Virtual Voice.”
KDP will automatically generate an audiobook for you from your eligible Amazon-published book, “voiced” by generative AI.
We would like to issue a brief official statement on this:
Period.
Why? Because it takes paid work away from actual human voice actors.
It came to my attention today that due to an overlooked page style error, the print edition of Bearing Gifts does not have page numbers in the Post-It Notes section. I have uploaded a corrected manuscript. The error is present only in Bearing Gifts.
Six copies—possibly seven—have been sold containing this error, and I have one additional such copy on my bookshelf (plus two author's proofs). If you own one of those copies: Congratulations! You now own a rarity.
As we declare in #WeLoveOurReaders,
We are at present using generative ‘AI’ as a part of our process for some of our cover illustrations, but we’re seeking to diminish that, too. The problem is not (any longer) that we lack the money to do it, it’s that we lack relationships with talented artists in the science fiction and fantasy genres. If you’re an artist looking for new clients, please consider reaching out to us!
We would like to update this remark to add that we now have two different artists whose work we are trialling, one working on the cover for Robert’s work-in-progress A Kinder Hell, and another who is working on draft cover art for Sean’s work-in-progress Godthief. If all goes well, we look forward to being able to name them as Fenian House’s artists-in-residence.
Softcover editions of Fireborn and The Stardock Trilogy are confirmed available for order and shipping. I have the first copy of each sitting on my desk right this very moment, and someone else not me has already ordered a full set of Stardock softcovers. I can confirm that they look good physically. These constitute definitive editions, and at some point after I polish the export toolchain a little further I will bring the Stardock eBooks up into sync with the print edition and fully up to ePub 3.3 standard.
Future signing events are now a possibility on the table.
As of today, the softcover print edition of The Stardock Trilogy is officially released, and should be available for purchase on Amazon.com within 72 hours. The three volumes, totalling almost exactly 1,000 pages, are priced at $15.99 each in the US market.
There were some slight problems with the first round of proofs for the Stardock Trilogy that required minor adjustment. (Minor alignment tweaks, one incorrect font, and after seeing the first round proofs I changed the font on the back cover text.) Release may be slightly delayed past the 16th, but should still happen by the 20th.
It is official:
As of today, February 11 2025, the softcover print edition of Fireborn is available for order. The print version is 550 pages in 6”×9” format, and is listed at $21.99.
The Stardock Trilogy softcover edition is in final production; author’s proofs are on the way to me as we speak. If I see no problem with them, then The Stardock Trilogy should release in softcover by February 16.
That's both as in “All The News…”, and as in, the Fireborn print edition is ready for publication. I have the first author proof of Fireborn on my desk, and it looks great — except that it could stand having the content moved just a little further outward from the spine. So I have a second proof on the way to me with all content moved 0.1" further outward on each page. If that second proof looks good, I will officially release Fireborn in softcover. The softcover edition is ISBN 979-8-218-60846-0 and will list for $21.99 in the US market.
I have also just finished reformatting (and lightly re-editing) all three volumes of the Stardock Trilogy for print in the same 6”×9” format. I want you to be able to have a collection that looks good side-by-side on your bookshelf. I will do my best to have those all three release on the same day, so that those of you who wish to can buy the complete set at one go. They will be around 340 pages each, as compared to Fireborn’s 550 pages, and will be priced at $15.99 per book (again, in the US market).
If truth be told, I'd prefer to have all four books priced lower. However, under Amazon KDP's print pricing model, all print costs are charged not against the gross sale price of each book, but directly out of my royalty, which means that if I list Fireborn for example for less than about $18, I make a loss on every copy sold.
This is less than ideal, and if I can find a better print publishing model that allows me to reduce the list prices, I will switch.
Fenian House has good news for all of those of you who have asked or wished for print editions of Fenian House books. Softcover print editions are coming soon, starting with Sean Fenian's Fireborn. Coming in at 527 pages in print, Fireborn is printed on premium white paper in 6" x 9" format, priced at $21.99 for the US market (other countries will of course be priced differently).
Current plans are for The Stardock Trilogy to be next. Pricing for The Stardock Trilogy has not yet been set, but is expected to be significantly lower per volume than Fireborn due to their lower page count. Manuscript conversion is 90% complete, as also are Agency and Becoming Real.
Agency and Becoming Real are making their way up the Amazon Kindle bestseller lists. At the time of writing this, Agency has just broken into the top 50, currently at #45, and Becoming Real is reported at #22.
Becoming Real is currently on a book giveaway promotion; it will be FREE on the Kindle Store until January 26.
Sean Fenian