Friday, August 9, 2013

The Legacy Series - Plans for the Future


I've been thinking quite a bit about The Legacy Series.  In past reviews there have been a few call-outs of errors on my part, all warranted.  

The Price of Deception does contains instances where I use the incorrect verbal address for a Duke (I beg your forgiveness, your Grace.) Those criticisms have come from reviewers in the United Kingdom.  

I will admit that I was somewhat lax in making sure I used the correct form of address for aristocrats when the book was released in October of 2011. (Of course, it was pre-Downton Abbey days, so who knew?) However, I did research many other aspects in the book to make sure it was historically accurate.  The same thing with The Price of Innocence.  A lot of what is in that story is unbelievable to some readers. I make no apologies for the reality of poverty in Paris in 1870 and not romantically sugar-coating the book to make it easier. There is nothing in there that I did not find from hours of research about life of the homeless, being a laundress, or a prostitute.   

As far a The Price of Love goes, all of the formal verbal greetings of aristocracy done by staff, society, close friends, etc., have been researched to death by me and correctly included.  I found many references on line, one being on Wikipedia:  Forms of Address in the United Kingdom.  I even researched Austrian nobility too.

What are my plans for the future?  I will be updating The Price of Deception text after release of The Price of Love to make sure corrections are made.  I will also no longer make it exclusive to Amazon KDP program for the first two books and will begin to resell it worldwide on Sony, iTunes, Kobo, B&N, etc., in eBook format.

The Legacy Series has sparked either love or controversy from readers.  From the first day The Price of Innocence made it to #1 in Historical Romance Free Books in May of 2012 (Amazon US) and stayed there for four days (22,000 plus downloads worldwide) it drew a lot of attention. 

Some of that attention turned out to be critical, but I have my thoughts where that came from but won't go down that road.  Needless to say, as much as it has been criticized, it continues to sell well worldwide every month. (Even though readers have been warned by reviewers to save their money, it appears readers prefer to make their own decisions).  

Regardless, I have a wonderful fan base of people who love the series. As an author, you focus on those who appreciate your work and realize that you cannot please every reader's taste in the entire world. It's an impossibility from the very famous writers who sell millions to the writers who sell a few. It's part of the gig of being an author.  You either handle it professionally or have a meltdown and quit. I prefer the first route.  

As far as The Price of Love, I am now up to Chapter 7 in editing.  This is a very slow process, but I refuse to let this book fly out the door in a hurry.  Once again, be patient, as I bring it to a close (though I know people are going to email for number four.)

Next time I post, I'll write about Angelique.  I'm sure you'd like a little character sketch beforehand.

Thank you,
Vicki