I like being a writer.
Even better, I like that I get to do this full time now.
By the time you read this, it’s been seven months since I left my job at the end of February, 2016. I have absolutely no regrets in that decision, and there are days when I still get nervous about it, but it was the right decision for me at the time.
Even better, are all the things that have gone down this year.
As of now, I’ve released four books this year, with a fifth on the way.
My book The Lightning-Struck Heart is set to become a stage play.
My book How to Be a Normal Person is being optioned for a film. (This is still probably the single greatest news I’ve gotten in relation to my writing. Honestly, in my wildest day dreams, I thought if one of my books would ever be a movie, it’d be Tell Me It’s Real, because it’s a straight up comedy that’d be easy to make. Normal isn’t quite as OTT as TMIR, and it deals with a subject that I think is still stigmatized in the LGBTQ community: asexuality. And that is something I am going to insist will stay in. I would rather have the movie fall apart then have the asexuality aspect of it written out.)
I got to stand at Stonehenge. I cried. I don’t even care.
There have been some downsides, too, obviously. I am usually pretty transparent with successes and failures. Withered + Sere and Crisped + Sere didn’t sell like I thought they would. It was crushing, especially since this was the first time I’d ever had a book not sell well. Let me walk that back a little, because it sounds extraordinarily conceited, which I’m not. It was a humbling experience, and in the long run, it’ll be a lesson I’m glad I learned now. Do I wish they’d done better? Oh sure. I spent two years working on those books. But I can get why they’d be a hard sell. I was upset, for a little while, but that’s on me.
Given that, I announced I’m canceling any further Burn books. I’ve explained it many times already, so this will be the final time I speak of it: W+S and C+S were published by a spinoff of Dreamspinner called Dreamspinner Press Publications. When I was approached to have W+S and C+S go to DSP Publications, I was also pitched with the idea of re-releasing Burn under that banner, along with a sequel. I said sure.
But DSP Publications, for some reason, seems to confuse people. Even though I explicitly said multiple times that the books were on DSP Publications’s website, I got messages complaining people couldn’t find it on DSP’s website, which are two separate things.
People also seemed to be confused at DSP Publication’s overarching message, which is it’s geared more toward gay fiction versus gay romance. It didn’t mean that romance wasn’t a part of the book, it might not just be the sole focus. I likened it to getting a romance plus getting separate plot.
And, it doesn’t help that I wrote a violent post-apocalyptic story with lead characters with no real redeeming qualities, aside from a robot and a dog. People are apparently more squimish than I thought, and that’s okay. You need to read what makes you comfortable.
What does this have to do with Burn? I can’t see myself spending the six months to a year writing a sequel to a book that only a few people will read, when I could be spending time on other things. It sucks. I feel terrible. But that’s the reality of writing. You get some hits, and you get some misses. It also means that there will be no further books after Crisped + Sere. Some might think I’m making this decision too early or out of spite, and that’s okay. I’m not, and I’ve given this a lot of thought, but here we are anyway.
So. Moving on, okay?
For the most part, this past year has been pretty damn remarkable. And I can’t thank you enough for that. You guys have allowed me to have the good moments, and I truly appreciate it. It means a lot.
But, funnily enough, it doesn’t matter how much I release in a year, I always get the question: what’s next?
So!
Here is what’s next.
I have one more book this year. Murmuration is out October 28th, and you can pre-order it here. There’s an excerpt that’s the first chapter on the same page, but I will beg you not to read it yet. Go into this book blind, aside from the blurb. Trust me when I say it’ll be better like that.
Here’s the pre-order link (all other sites should be available for pre-order in a couple weeks):
https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/murmuration-by-tj-klune-7660-b
And then that’ll be it for 2016. I like the chances I took. Some were successful (Queen and Wolfsong—holy shit, did a lot of you read those books. WEREWOLVES AND DRAG QUEENS, WHAT THE HELL, GUYS.) Some were not. But I’m proud of them all. II’m pleased that none of them were like the other, because if I write one type of book, I would get so bored, and the work would just get sloppy. You deserve more than that from me.
After Murmuration in October, I get (in my opinion) a well-deserved break for four months. This year has been a book every couple of months. Next year is more of the same, so it’ll be nice to have this little time to breathe.
February 2017 is the third book in the Tell Me It’s Real series called Until You. It’s a 50K word novella about Paul and Vince’s wedding. Expect shenanigans and what-the-fuckery. (Also expect to meet Corey/Kori’s love interest for the final TMIR book. And Daddy’ Charlie’s new boyfriend.)
After that (and I am not going to list a date, because I might shift it for reasons) is the sequel to Lightning, A Destiny of Dragons. What can I say about this sequel? It’s…not more of the same. Let’s be real. If I’d written the exact same book again, you would have called me out for it, and rightfully so. So, it’s a little different. A little more dramatic, but it’s still a comedy, so no worries. I wrote a brand new character who you will love to hate.
After that is a 40K word novella called Olive Juice and it’s—you know what? That’s all I’m going to say on that. Best to keep it quiet for now.
The plan at this point (and keep in mind that this can totally shift), is to release the last BOATK book, The Long and Winding Road, on the sixth anniversary of the first book in August 2017. I want to see if DSP will do a limited edition hardcover for all the books and sell them together for those that want it. We’ll see. What can I say about that book? I’m almost finished. And it’s angsty in the beginning, less angsty in the middle, and downright fucking fluffy at the end.
Last for 2017 will be Lightning 3, The Consumption of Magic, out next fall. This book will cause riots. You will hate me. I am already laughing at you. I have absolutely no regrets.
And finally, what I’m working on now, and what’s next writing-wise. About to finish BOATK4 (sob! and this is THE END. NO MORE. FINITO). When that’s done, I’m going to write Lightning 4, which will be the last book in the series. At least from Sam’s perspective. (oooooh! What does that mean?!?!?)
And then, it’s to a book that I’m absolutely frothing at the mouth to start, because I already know how it begins and how it ends. I will leave this picture as a clue. I think it’s pretty obvious, don’t you?
(artwork credited to Marzzunny on DeviantArt)
That’s it! For now. Thanks again for all that you’ve done, and I hope you’ve enjoyed this peek into what’s to come. I’ll see you here in Octorber for my next blog post, most likely to laugh at you for what you’re about to get into with Murmuration.
Tj
Is Murmuration going to be a standalone or is it the start of a new series? I’m excited to read it!
Stand alone. It’s just one book, and that’s it. =D
Well, shoot. I loved the +Sere books. Comfortable reading? No. But so darkly beautiful. I had to take a breath occasionally and wonder how I could be so deeply taken with characters who were insane and often brutal. But they were still profoundly engaging, and I loved them. You made me understand the good in them and where the bees came from. (Although I do have to admit Bad Dog was my favorite character.) I also loved Burn and am very sorry to hear you won’t be writing a sequel.
On the other hand, I love all your other books too, so I know I’ll have plenty to look forward to and love.
I work for Dreamspinner, and I have edited a few DSPP books, including The Boys on the Mountain, which was as dark as they come (with some humor thrown in). We seem to have trouble getting across to both regular readers and reviewers that DSPP publishes genre fiction with LGBTQ+ characters, not romance. There are a lot of books there that would appeal greatly to genre readers who aren’t M/M romance readers, if they would just give it a try. The +Sere books would stack up great with books like The Stand, Swan Song, The Passage, and other dark apocalyptic novels.
Anyway, sorry to go on and on, but I just wanted you to know that some of us appreciate the obsidian shine of the +Seres and Burn.
Andi
Couldn’t agree with you more! Loved these books and am really sad there won’t be anymore!
I’m one of those people who loved the Sere books best. I just…adored them. It’s a difficult genre and incredibly challenging subject matter and I just LOVED them so hard! You have to do what’s right for your career, of course, but know that those books were some of the reading highlights of my entire year.
TJ, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed everything of yours that I’ve read so far (okay, that’s the first 3 BOATK books and Wolfsong), but I have plans to read everything else I can in the near future (so many books, so little time – why the hell do I have to work for a living? I really just wanna sit home and read!). Keep writing what sells, since you do have to make a living, but stay true to yourself and your amazing creative gift. You are a master of the written word (you, Abi, & Rhys Ford are my top 3!). Thank you!!
Until now i have read Wolfsong, + Sere, BOATK and right now iam reading Who we are and i can only say that i love them all!
Thanks to you my buying list got longer and longer xD
Two things. I want to say that I have been in the book business for 20+ years, and used to do “Kelly’s Picks” for Borders, where my reviews went out to 5M+ readers once a month. (1 or 2 people may have read them, but you know clickthrough sucks.) I have read somewhere between 3-7 books a week my entire life.
It’s with some seriousness that I say this: #1- Withered + Sere is the best book I’ve read this year. Full stop. That includes Annie Proulx, Stephen King, and Nate Philbrick…so you had some decent competition. #2 – You need to write what inspires you, and what makes you money. Sometimes, they are the same thing, and sometimes they aren’t. But Stephen King’s Dark Tower titles were his lowest selling by far, and he still had to get them out of his head. Nora Roberts wrote the JD Robb books under a pseudonym because she had this story she wasn’t sure her fans would like, but she wanted to tell. Sometimes, the books that really resonate are the ones that you have to write like an exorcism. So don’t write any more Sere books, if you don’t want to…but if you do, we’ll be waiting.
And for those of you who loved them like I did – be the apostles. Tell anyone who will like them to read them. Hell, gift them a copy. Because they were dark and terrifying and redeeming and devout. Kind of a prayer and an acid trip together. That’s what will make the difference: not TJ, but you. Make it his slowest building book ever…but make it his biggest.
I thought this was a great reply. Sometimes it just takes time for something to catch on. I know that you know do it for a living and money is important, but obviously these are great books and I will probably pick one up now after reading this. It took a rewriting of Elton John’s “Candle In The Wind” for the original to become famous. It is obvious your books make people happy.
Thank you, TJ for the updates. I’m sorry about your decision regarding the Sere books, but I totally understand. It’s been my experience that many authors, not just you, have expectations for their urban fantasy or post-apocalyptic works, and for some reason they just aren’t big sellers. It sucks when you think about how much time are put into them.
I’m looking forward to everything you’re releasing!
Love your productivity, and your books. I read and re-read them. Thanks for the hours of entertainment.
And Murmuration from the write-up is looking pretty darn good. Love the cover concept. Your later covers are generally gorgeous though. You might be getting the hang of this thing, dude.
I do agree the Dreamspinner/DSP idea is a bit schizo on their part, and the branding is terrible (the same name/acronym sorta? unnecessary at best and so, so confusing).
Bottom line though —- You write ’em, and I’ll buy ’em and read ’em.
TJ I’m glad you wrote How To Be A Normal Person to bring attention to asexuals and that there’s nothing wrong with them, they’re just them. My 18 year old son recently defined himself as asexual and I’m hoping he has a good life. As for the Sere books I have bought them but haven’t read them yet. My dad recently passed away and I can’t read anything heavy right now but I promise I will read them soon. You are a phenomenal writer and I’m so glad you are sharing your art with us. Good luck on Lightning the play and Normal hopefully the movie. 😀
I am so totally excited for 2017!! Your publishing list sounds epic and I am beside myself.
So bummed there won’t be more W+S or Burn. I LURVE them. They are absolutely beautiful. ITRID and Wolfsong were the first books I read. When I was done, I went on Amazon and got all the rest. It doesn’t matter the type of story; each of your books have touched me and I honestly can’t thank you enough. Fan fo life. ✊🏽
I’m very disappointed there will be no sequel to the SERE books. (I was also disappointed to read some of the ill-judged reviews/DNF comments on Goodreads, especially that silly dentist. I imagine that was painful reading for you, and I’m sorry you had to go through that with her and others.) This lovely series was never a m/m romance storyline. Instead it was a perfect melding of several genres and beautifully written. I can’t help thinking you should ask for your rights back and republish with a sci/fi or fantasy publisher who could properly promote it to their readers. I respect all that DSP has achieved (I worked in book publishing for two decades and know how difficult the industry has become.) In this instance, I believe DSPP steered you wrong. Both books should have been best-sellers.
Hope you reconsider your decision to end the series after some of the hurt has dissipated. Yes, every author has to eat, but satisfying your artistic soul is equally as important. (And yes, I did post 5 star reviews on Amazon for both books, they deserved it.)
As someone who has read and lived everything that TJ, I’m sad that we won’t be getting anymore Sere books. I really liked them. They were tough, making me stretch as a reader. Every page I was in awe that TJ has that much talent to write in styles so varied. His writing has moved me to tears before, but the Sere books made me uncomfortable in a way that made me think about the human condition pushed to the extreme. TJ, I hope you consider something equally as dark some time in the future.
Your Books give me feels. Also it is nice to read so many multi faceted quirky characters who are still fully fleshed out personalities.