“THE CUSTOM OF THE ARMY” will be released as an e-book on MAY 21!
Click to pre-order from Amazon, barnesandnoble.com, or the iBookstore!
And see below for an explanation:
Well, now. Over the last few years, I’ve written occasional short(er) pieces for anthologies. An anthology, for those unfamiliar with the term, is a collection of short stories or novellas (a novella is shorter than a novel, but longer than a short story), written by a number of different authors.
The notion behind an anthology is that readers who tend to read only within one genre will buy an anthology that features one of their favorite authors, but then will be exposed to other fine writers whose work they may want to explore further.
From my point of view, it’s just fun—and a nice mental break—to do these occasional short bits (I always do have multiple projects on the go; it keeps me from ever having writer’s block). As a side benefit, though, I then _have_ these pieces.
See, unlike the standard contract that covers publishing a novel (which normally says that the publisher can publish the book as long as it keeps selling above a certain minimal level), editors/publishers of anthologies normally make short-term contracts with their authors; they have the exclusive right to publish the story within a particular territory, but only for a relatively short period—after which, the rights to the stories revert to the individual authors.
So. What do you _do_ with, say, a 23,000-word novella? Well, prior to the advent of e-publishing, not that much. Unless you could collect several short pieces and publish them together as a book, that is. I did this with the first three Lord John novellas (“Hell-fire Club,” “Succubus,” and “Haunted Soldier”), which I (and Random House and a number of other, foreign publishers) published as a single volume titled LORD JOHN AND THE HAND OF DEVILS.
Ah, but now we _do_ have e-publishing, which offers new and entertaining possibilities! And I have five more short pieces, sitting here glowing with potential. [g]
BUT…bear in mind that bit above, about rights. The publisher of an anthology does have an exclusive right to publish a given story, within a particular territory, for a set period of time and/or in a particular form—and you can’t publish that story elsewhere until those rights expire and “revert” to you as the author.
So this leads us to an interesting situation. As I said, I have five short pieces (besides the three in HAND OF DEVILS):
“The Custom of the Army” is set in 1759, in London and Quebec, and while it probably _was_ all the fault of the electric eel, Lord John finds himself obliged to leave London for the wilds of Canada and the dangerous proximity of James Wolfe, the British general besieging the Citadel of Quebec. (“_Melodramatic ass,” was what Hal had said, hastily briefing him before his departure. “Showy, bad judgement, terrible strategist. Has the Devil’s own luck, though, I’ll give him that. _Don’t_ follow him into anything stupid_.”)
“Plague of Zombies” takes place in 1761, on the island of Jamaica, where Lord John is sent as commander of a battalion intended to suppress what seems to be a revolt of the escaped slaves called maroons. But things are not always what they seem. (_He rubbed the rest of the blood from his hand with the hem of his banyan, and the cold horror of the last few minutes faded into a glowing coal of anger, hot in the pit of his stomach. He’d been a soldier most of his life; he’d killed. He’d seen the dead on battlefields. And one thing he knew for a fact. Dead men don’t bleed_.)
“A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows” is the story of Roger MacKenzie’s parents, Jerry and Dolly, and takes place during WWII. (_It was cold in the room, and she hugged herself. She was wearing nothing but Jerry’s string vest—he thought she looked erotic in it–”lewd,” he said, approving, his Highland accent making the word sound really dirty–and the thought made her smile. The thin cotton clung to her breasts, true enough, and her nipples poked out something scandalous, if only from the chill. She wanted to go crawl in next to him, longing for his warmth, longing to keep touching him for as long as they had_.)
“The Space Between” follows the events in the novel AN ECHO IN THE BONE, is set in Paris in 1778, and concerns Michael Murray (Young Ian Murray’s elder brother), Joan MacKimmie (Marsali MacKimmie Fraser’s younger sister), Mother Hildegarde (yes, she’s still alive), the Comte St. Germain (ditto (surely you didn’t think he was really dead, did you?)), and a number of other interesting people. (“_What a waste of a wonderful arse,” Monsieur Brechin remarked in French, watching Joan’s ascent from the far side of the cabin. “And mon Dieu, those legs! Imagine those wrapped around your back, eh? Would you have her keep the striped stockings on? I would.” It hadn’t occurred to Michael to imagine that, but he was now having a hard time dismissing the image. He coughed into his handkerchief to hide the reddening of his face_.)
“Virgins” is set in 1740, and is the story of 19-year-old Jamie Fraser and his 20-year-old friend Ian Murray as young mercenaries in France. (_Ian Murray knew from the moment he saw his best friend’s face that something terrible had happened. The fact that he was seeing Jamie Fraser’s face at all was evidence enough of that, never mind the look of the man_.)
Now, some of these stories have already reverted to me, and some haven’t. Some will revert in one territory sooner than they will in another. Those that haven’t yet reverted will do so one by one, as their original contracts expire.
What this means is that while I could publish “The Custom of the Army” right now, anywhere, in any form I liked, I can’t publish “A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows” until this October—and “Plague of Zombies” doesn’t revert to me in North America (the US and Canada) until next April.
So. What we (my agents and I) have arranged to do is to e-publish the novellas with Random House (my usual novel publisher) in North America one at a time, as the rights to each one become available. Once all of the rights have reverted, we’ll be able to put the entire collection in the form of a printed book (and probably a larger e-book), but I didn’t want y’all to have to wait two years before getting any of these stories.
(Also, e-publishing gives you a chance to try a sample of Lord John (in case you’ve been debating whether to read that part of the series yet) easily and cheaply.)
Now, owing to differences in rights and reversions in different territories (and the generous accommodation of the publishers of one or two of the stories), we are able to publish a print volume in the UK/Australia/NewZealand later this year, including the first four of these stories. This collection, called A TRAIL OF FIRE, is scheduled for publication this October (yes! In 2012!).*
(Why A TRAIL OF FIRE? Well…as the cover copy says… “ _Trails of tracer bullets in the dark, and the fiery trail of a wounded Spitfire falling out of the sky. The trail blazed by night by the handful of heroic Highlanders who fought their way straight up a vertical cliff to stand on the Plains of Abraham in a fiery dawn. The burning of plantations in a Jamaican night, in a trail leading down from the mountains, straight toward Kingstown. And the trail of a torch burning green as it moves through the eerie surrounds of a Paris cemetery, down into the mysteries of the earth._”)
HOWEVER—“The Custom of the Army” will appear first in North America. It will be released as an e-book, on May 21st (that’s a month from now—mark your calendars
*Because of the rights issues, A TRAIL OF FIRE won’t be published in the US/Canada until all of the story rights have reverted in this territory. This doesn’t mean you can’t get the book, though; just that it will be a bigger nuisance. The book can be legally imported from the UK, so you would—for instance—be able to order it from amazon.co.uk, or the Book Depository, or to buy it from an independent book-seller who imports UK books (The Poisoned Pen does import British books regularly; if you order from them, you can also get the book signed. www.poisonedpen.com). The drawback, of course, is that it’s a lot more expensive, owing to the high price of British books and the shipping costs. The e-books—being e-books—will be pretty cheap, so you might want to just get these one at a time as they come out. If you truly can’t wait, though…you will be able to get the whole collection in print form in October.
**Since it’s very easy to include additional material in an e-book, “The Custom of the Army” will include introductory notes, Author’s Notes about the historical details of the story, and a complete “Chronology of the OUTLANDER Series,” which tells you where ALL the novels, novellas, short stories, etc. fit in relation to each other, and what time periods are covered in each one. Such a deal!
Good Lord, this makes me so happy.
The bookdepository would be your best bet to order online, since they do have free shipping worldwide. The book itself may be a little more expensive than at amazon.co.uk, but amazon charges a very high shipping rate for the US.
I tend to order all my books from bookdepository (www.thebookdepository.co.uk).
I, also, have not warmed up to e-books, preferring to “cuddle” on my couch with a paperback. Hopefully this will be released as a paperback. I look forward to it.
Dear Betty–
Well, as I said above, _eventually_ there will be a print version released in the US/Canada. Most likely it will be like my other books, i.e., released first as a hardcover and then later as a paperback.
–Diana
P.S. We should note, btw, for those who don’t like ebooks, that _all_ these short pieces either have been or will be published in the anthologies for which they were originally commissioned, so even if you live in the US or Canada, you can get a print form of the stories. They’d just be in collections with stories by other authors.
I’ve been reading the anthology versions as I can get them (last one took almost 6 months on library waiting list). I’ve read all the other stories in them, which has given me ideas for other writers I might read. They’re good for exploring possible like-minded writers.
Thank you for all your wonderful books,
Well, I won’t be able to wait! More Diana G is always good no matter the form! I’m especially looking forward to Michael and Joan. Thanks Diana!
**Since it’s very easy to include additional material in an e-book, “The Custom of the Army” will include introductory notes, Author’s Notes about the historical details of the story, and a complete “Chronology of the OUTLANDER Series,” which tells you where ALL the novels, novellas, short stories, etc. fit in relation to each other, and what time periods are covered in each one. Such a deal!
Will the print version (the one going to be published in 2 years) contain this too?
I bought the anthology containing “A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows”, because the other stories also sounded interesting (though I mostly bought it for your story), so I already have that story
I don’t know how soon I’ll get an e-reader, so at the moment at least I prefer paper versions – so if I want the most complete paper version, I think it’s best to wait two years, right?
Also, I bought “The Scottish Prisoner” last week – can’t wait to start reading it
(after finishing homework reading, of course)
Dear Mene–
Yes, the paper versions will all have all the Notes and Chronologies, etc.
–Diana
Hi there,
I’m not seeing it on Random House of Canada site yet, or Kobo. I wonder if the listing has just been delayed in Canada? You did say North American rights, so it should show up sooner or later. Maybe it’ll show up when it releases.
Thanks, though!
Sarah
Dear Sarah–
I don’t know how the situation stands with Canada, but I’ll ask!
–Diana
Hi,
This is a different Sarah, but I’m also wondering about Canada. When I click on the Amazon link above it will not let me pre-order the Kindle version. I do have a Kindle account. It just says “Not available yet.” I’ll check back on May 21st, but I was wondering if this is a Canada problem.
Sarah J.
Funny that! I’m Sarah J., too!
Anyway, thank you Ms. Gabaldon.
I can also pester my friend the Random Canada sales rep.
best,
Sarah M.J. J.
And it’s up at Random House of Canada!
http://www.booklounge.ca/catalog/results.pperl?format=eBook&title_subtitle_auth_isbn=gabaldon&x=23&y=14
Not on Kobo yet – but it will be after the long weekend, I think.
best,
Sarah
Thank you! I’ll get them in whatever form I can!
Great news. My husband, daughter and myself are all avidly awaiting your next book in the Outlander series. This e-book will fill the gap nicely. We are all converts to Kindle and I-pad. I have all your books in both paper and e-book form.
I am a lowland Scot and in my head I have cast Alex Kingston as Claire and Andy Murray as Jamie.
I love every word you have written. May.
I agree with Gretchen! However they come out first. Gotta have the book, but love my kindle too. It’s so convenient and I can do so much with it!
Diana, I’ve already read and thoroughly enjoyed “The Custom of the Army” and “Plague of Zombies” in the respective anthologies (and fine collections they are, too). I eagerly look forward to the other three, particularly “A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows”. I do have a somewhat unrelated question.
Will these ebooks be published with or without Digital Rights Management (DRM)?
I’ve been following a discussion in the Scottish author Charlie Stross’s blog (see http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2012/04/more-on-drm-and-ebooks.html), and he’s made what seems a closely reasoned and persuasive argument for marketing ebooks without DRM. How do you feel about this issue?
Dear Dave–
I prefer not to have DRM on my ebooks, and I _think_ “Custom” is published without it–but Random House does usually make final decisions on that sort of production issue.
–Diana
Great! I will be in Australia showing off my new little one in October! Perfect timing!
Really looking forward to reading all the back stories of characters.
I have an iPad, with a Kindle app, but don’t like to read long books on it. Something is lost to me with that format when it comes to long novels. But with shorter pieces, I’m fine reading them on an ebook or iPad. Does anyone else have that issue with ebooks? I would much rather buy an anthology and read short bursts on my iPad that way. I have to wonder if the lengths of books makes a difference with sales on the various electronic devices; I sort of feel like I have been ‘trained’ to have a shorter attention span electronically then with the paper page.
I have finally converted all of my Outlander books to my Kindle and haven’t had any issues reading the longer novels on them. In fact, I find I’m prefering them… and I had my Kindle almost 2 months before I broke down and got my first DG book. I know I will never part with the hard copies, especially my newly added signed first editions, but I find my arms getting tired holding up a 1000+ pg book.
That said, I love the anthologies that some of the shorter stories have been released in. Downloaded samples t my Kindle and now I have found several new authors to read.
SPOILER QUESTION: In the afterward of “A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows” you refer the reader back to Echo for information on the “travellers” Jerry encounters…. I’m assuming one of them is Roger… but who is the “fair one” with him? Is it William? Can’t find a physical description to help me out!
Dear Vicki–
Yes, that’s William Buccleigh.
–Diana
Vicki,
I think I just need to get a Kindle…as it is smaller then the iPad and has that anti-glare screen…I guess one can’t have too many electronic gadgets!
Stacie
Got my kindle for Christmas and I am loving it! I always carried a book with me everywhere and this is so much easier to tote around. I bought a small hard sided case so I dont worry about dropping it or having it laying around in the car whenI am out. Books are ecconomical that way too. I can get Outlander for 8$ on Amazon and a used paper back will cost you nearly that much. I do also keep paper copies of all my favorite books cause a I have had enough electronics crash to be afraid I would loose them.
Julia
How did you pull off including “The Space Between” before its release in the anthology?!? I might have to order the UK book after all!
i have just finished reading the 7 outlander books. They were absolutley fanatastic i couldnt put them down,when is book 8 available?
i cant wait to see what happens to Jamie and Claire.
Please recommend other books i can read in the mean time am hooked.
Check out the Audible.com site for the Outlander series (does not include the Lord John ) books. They are currently$7.99 and I’m listening to one on my kindle while I quilt. You do not have to join Audible to purchase the books. Enjoy!
Diana,
As I’m sure you know, The Custom of the Army and The Scottish Prisoner have the speech enabled for the people–like me–who need/want that. Can Randomhouse somehow go back and enable the speech on all the other books they’ve released for the Kindle–none of the Outlander series has it, for example.
Thanks, and I hope you get to feeling better!
Tried Kindle. UCK. Tried Nook. UCK. ABSOLUTELY DO NOT LIKE eBooks. Nuisance. At least a book does not loose it’s charge. And if the power goes out I have my flashlight and replacement batteries should I have to read under the covers (not at my age)……did I mention my youngest son’s birthday is May 1 and dear Lord he and your Jamie could be twins. You must write a book about Jamie’s mom if she went through what the mind of a May 1 child can come up with and not have banished her husband to sleeping in the barn she was a woman of super strength. Got a friend in New Zealand ready to send the book as soon as it hits.
(And since I am a May 5 “individual” I bless the ground you walk on for hours of enjoyment and education. Heading to Scotland next fall to finish up studies started in 1968……about time I got that degree)
Peace,
Invincible Grammie
Yippee! This will be a good fix until book 8 comes out. Thank you. This is a great idea. And I love the ebook idea…all I gotta do is download it from Amazon. That and a cuppa cocoa…can’t wait.
Awesome! Can’t wait! Nice concept!! My calendar is “marked”!! Thank you!
Well, that settles it….I will buy the E-books as they come out, so I can start reading them and then when it’s out in book form, I will buy that too, to add to my collection… Yippee