Pretty Deadly is a book of the pandemic: when it launched in October 2021, all my friendships were virtual and the launch was held on Zoom. I wanted to get my dark and violent fairytale out into the world, but I had no idea how. When I received a publication offer from a small press, it seemed like a good deal.
Over time, though, I realized that I could do most of what they did for me. I caught as many typos as their editors did; I had a vision for a cover that they did not bring to life quite how I dreamed. Most importantly, since they managed all the settings for distribution across the internet, I could not correlate data with promotions I ran.
In the two years since I published Pretty Deadly, I also wrote two sequels — rounding out Cinna’s story from servant to princess to ruler. I knew I wanted to publish these two sequels myself, retaining full creative control. When Pretty Deadly’s contract came up for renewal, it therefore felt only natural to re-release it along with the two followups.
So now I’m embarking on the full process of self-publishing three novels in the next six months! It’s going to be a whirlwind and I’ll take you along for the ride. Upcoming blogs will go over everything from coming up with new titles, hiring a cover artist, figuring out internal layout, release planning, linking editions, and whatever other interesting tidbits I uncover as I go. Stay tuned!
And check out Cinderella’s Crimes when it launches on October 31, 2023.