Ok, peeps:
The audio book is finishing out production NOW, and the pre-order page is up at Amazon.
THE NARRATOR IS COLIN MACE!!! and what a beautiful voice to bring out the prose style.
If you ever wondered what Paravian sounds like - I gave him extensive audio files of the pronunciations.
The best part: IF THIS RELEASE IS SUPPORTED, then we will be seeing Curse of the Mistwraith added on. I don't yet know what the 'magic number' is, but your vote COUNTS by getting this release.
I am hoping to get a chapter file for the excerpts section - waiting on HarperCollins to see if we can make that happen.
Let the celebration begin - these books were WRITTEN/designed! to be read aloud - so you will hear stuff in it and a facet of the entire experience, until now, has been silent. I have been privileged to review the production files, and - holy wow, are you in for a treat!!!
originally posted by Clansman
Here's a link to how Colin Mace sounds. What a perfect voice for this story!
https://vimeo.com/104334999
originally posted by Sleo
Howdy! That is good news! I have it on preorder at Audible!
originally posted by Sleo
That’s awesome, Clansman. His voice is frigging perfect! Thanks for the post,
originally posted by Auna
Sweet, can't wait!
OK - I have the 'magic number' and it is - are you ready? - WE HAVE TO SELL THROUGH 10,000 COPIES OF THE AUDIO BOOK OF DESTINY'S CONFLICT BY 1 YEAR FROM RELEASE - which means, by March 1, 2019.
If we meet this goal, then, they will put the starting volumes of the series into audio format.
Up to you, now…(gods, I want this to happen SO MUCH!)
originally posted by Auna
Oh boy, dare I ask if that's a reasonable number? You can subtract one from that total–I did my part!
originally posted by Melanie Trumbull
I bought one as well.
I don't know what my current numbers are in paper/ebook - but given the book's hot readers have already bought - may well be a pretty high bar. On the other hand…if readers look at it like a 'crowdfund' - if we hit that figure, the bonus is, we get the whole series.
How badly do readers want it? I have no idea…we'll find out. Trick is to spread the word as I doubt seriously there will be any advertising at all, past online posts for a day or so…(They did NO paid advertising for the release of the print book, period - word was, they'd do new reader outreach when the series is finished, on release of Song of the Mysteries - but I don't know yet what that will involve - trying to find out).
originally posted by Auna
There's a rank calculator (https://kindlepreneur.com/amazon-kdp-sales-rank-calculator/) you can use to figure out how many books you've sold per day to achieve the rank you have. Of course that is for the US market only. The UK market has a smaller total ebook pool, so the ranks are much easier to climb and the decay rate with no sales is slower.
Sadly, I have no idea what the audio book ranks are like since I haven't delved into that aspect of self-publishing yet.
originally posted by Auna
Oh forgot to add that's just for Amazon too. 
I did not click that link, but: it looks like it's for the KDP program - (Kindle Direct) where readers subscribe, and the authors get a payment from a common pool per download (they also measure whether the book is read.) It is in place for self-published authors.
Note: as a traditional author with a UK publisher, none of my titles are part of KDP.
So I've no real way to track this, and the publisher's record may run 'behind'.
I was trying to THINK of a way, this morning, that we could set up (?) a 'commitment'counter - where people could log the COMMITMENT to buy and then DO that order when the number is reached.
And I could also see if I can get sales figures as we go, so the 'goal' number came down, accordingly, with direct sales/paid for.
It would only work IF the people on that honor system DID buy when the 'number' was met…I don't see any good way to do this, but - maybe there is some way, among us, to get a list together, and then execute en mass. What I am seeing, re, comments, is, new readers are 'in no way' gonna take that risk.
But they may just be outlying naysayers there may be a silent majority.
The bar has been set so high for this, it could be it's just a way high number intended to shut me up…shrug.
To meet it, we'd have to sell OVER 800 per month.
Just to give you some clue (when print books were bigger than they are now) SOME publishers had a 1000 per month 'threshold' for backlist to stay in print; it's worth noting that MOST books could not possibly make that bar; and print SF/F were in their heyday compared to now. Press runs are tiny for reprints, now…much, much smaller.
The publishers that had a backlist threshold of 200 were a much steadier deal for authors to stay visible.
I know there is a way to do this - but it's not at my fingertips.
I don't know what the press run was for the HC and TP copies of Destiny's Confict - that would give us a clue. (asking/request was put in to know that).
IN fact, I don't know what the sales figures are, current, for the past half decade, my requests to know on the earlier volumes have not gotten a response, though it is easy (a computer check) it requires someone in the office willing to tell me. Royalty statements run about a year 'behind' the current number. Dinosaur accounting, still in place from the bad old days of 'returns' and 'reserves' held against returns.
originally posted by Auna
The tool was written for the Amazon ebook ranking system which includes trad pubs as well as self pubs and Select books. Everyone is in the same pool of 3+ million ebooks all vying for readers. (I'm not counting the slush pile of no sellers.)
Sell 1 ebook and you get to 300k rank.
Sell 10 ebooks in a single day and you get to around 25k rank.
To reach #1 in rank, you'd have to sell something like 3-6k ebooks in a day.
Other book formats or countries have a smaller pool, so the number of sales needed to achieve a rank are different. And that still wouldn't tell you how many books were sold in other stores. However, if you keep track of the rank of your ebooks in Amazon, you can at least get a general idea of the numbers sold there.
It stinks that you can't just see your numbers. Perhaps you can estimate numbers sold or going to sell based on royalties received from past book sales in the series?
Auna - thank you for the clarification.
There is a way to PAY to see some of the stats: bookscan, but the price of admission is like 500 bucks - not feasible, and I'm not sure it covers e book or audio.
There are authors who chase their rank at Amazon religiously, and I can tell you: you get gray hair over it!! Just seeing where my 'ratings' on GoodReads or LibraryThing stand in relationship to other books - enough to depress me INSTANTLY, until I don't want to write.
So I tend to keep my head down, there, and focus on what I am writing on the page, that is the ONLY way to get this series done is keep that the priority/make sure it gets full attention on the creation and the quality.
Bumming myself out is something I've had to RUTHLESSLY cut back; I'd not track any social media, even (you see the haters, in detail) but I'd not be surviving or growing awareness of the books if I did nothing…catch 22.
Most authors I know, unless they are very imperviously confident (equals hugely successful) buffer themselves from the raw data where they can, it keeps us from getting nuts.
This said: if anyone WANTS to track rankings and deliver the GOOD NEWS here - say, there's an upwards trend/we are making ground - THAT would be a wonderful lift.
Surviving requires intense will/overcoming disappointments as they are part and parcel of the biz.
Sometimes one is rewarded: LOOK what cropped up today, a beautiful surprise review: by an obviously new reader just starting in.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/7vdl0a/ships_of_merior_warhost_of_vast mark_a_review/
This used to happen SELDOM to NEVER on a huge forum like this - that there were several threads cropping on Mistwaith, there, the past few weeks - amazing sign of progress…
So I do not know how or where we'll get that audio book ticket, but things like this are what pave the way.
Thank you for the post. (3 - 6 K books in a DAY…I don't think the Empire series backlist sells that many in a year! And those books have a lot more following than Light and Shadows - by a mile. One day…however, one day…
originally posted by jed
coming out of lurkerdom to ask some probably stupid questions, firstly I wanted say I am very excited we are getting an audio version of at least one book! I have been thinking they would be so good as audiobooks for the last ten years.
now for the stupid questions 
I assume if the book is available from Audible it will come out on iTunes, if I buy it from there rather than Audible does that still count towards that total or do I have to buy it from them? I am rather technologically challenged,I have an IPod but not a smart phone and have only bought Audiobooks through iTunes before.
The sale will count from any outlet; it's originating from HarperAudio/sold through regular channels - so suit yourself, where you buy it, as long as it is a legitimate outlet.
Thanks!!!
Here you go:
Sound clip of Colin Mace's narration of Destiny's Conflict!!!
https://soundcloud.com/harpercollinspublishers/destinys-conflict-book-two-of-swo rd-of-the-canon-by-janny-wurts-read-by-colin-mace
Enjoy, report back, spread the word.
originally posted by Clansman
I now have a new voice in my head when I read WoLaS! Colin Mace is amazing! Janny, you must be ecstatic at this outcome.
I'll definitely buy my copy when it's released!
I am absolutely ecstatic - I'll be beyond ecstatic if we can generate enough enthusiasm for this release to shove ALL of the books into audio with Colin (he DID LOVE THE BOOK) so hit it hard while the iron is hot, spread this link where appropriate (mind spoilers) - I'm totally stoked for this release!!
And he handled the passages that I feared the most absolutely wonderfully (and went out of his way to comment back, that it was 'magical').
originally posted by Auna
Oh that's HAWT!
Well, I'm just a prawn in the stormy seas of self-publishing, but I'm sending out a newsletter Sunday that mentions you, Janny, as one of the major influences for my writing. Hopefully, it helps. I'll also try my pitiful social media methods, but don't hold your breath there.