The Lily and the Crown, which most of you will know as a Devil Wears Prada AU (in spaaaace), is now a novel. Published for real. And for sale. Over the years, many readers have told me that they’d love the chance to pay for my work, and here it is!
I’m sure you have questions, and I’m hoping to answer some of them here. Hit me up if you want to know anything else. (I don’t usually take anon asks, but I’ll disable that for the next few days.)
Q: Is this a money grab where you just did a find-and-replace for the characters’ names?
A: Nope. Nope, nope, nope. The original fanfic is a novella of about 50,000 words.
The novel is nearly double that length. I wrote a lot more, you guys. More scenes, more worldbuilding, more thorough and (IMO) more satisfying and consistent characterization. And, yes, more sex. Some scenes have been radically restructured. But don’t worry–my editor is a huge DWP fan who knew the original story very well, and she assures me that if you liked the fanfic, you’re going to like the pro novel too.
More Q&A below the cut.
Q: Why isn’t the e-book for sale on Amazon yet? I have a Kindle/Kindle app.
A: I wondered about this too, so I asked. To quote my editor: “[Many people] don’t realise when you buy a book from Ylva, one of the formats it’s sent in is Mobi, so they can put it straight on their Kindles.” Tah-dah. Same for epub and pdf.
The book will go live on other platforms on December 20.
Q: I like paperbacks! When can I get one of those?
Those are available right now on Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon.ca, Amazon.de, and Amazon.fr. Currently they are not available in Australia or on other distributors like Barnes & Noble. @ylvapublishing might be able to provide more information about that.
That said, because sometimes people ask, paperbacks get me the smallest royalties. I get the biggest chunk of royalties when people buy the e-book directly from the Ylva site.
Q: Oh. So you probably don’t want me to buy the paperback, then?
Are you kidding? Buy whatever format you want! Just the fact that someone wants to pay to read my work is the biggest thrill ever. It still seems unreal, honestly.
Q: Will there be an audiobook?
A: I honestly have no idea. Sorry!
Q: Any other books coming out?
For my next trick, I will be transforming “The X Ingredient” into another full-length novel. With a beginning, middle, and end. I know, right? Crazy! That’ll happen in mid-to-late 2018.
Q: Will you keep writing fanfic?
A: Absolutely, time and interest permitting. My commitments to my publisher come first, but if I’m meeting those in a timely manner, I’ll feel free to play in other sandboxes. I’m still determined to finish my Grace and Frankie remix, dammit.
Q: Is your pen name on social media?
A: You can find me on Facebook and Twitter. On Friday, December 8, there’s going to be a Facebook release party with the Lesfic Reading Group where I’ll be hanging out, chatting, and answering questions live. Like any party, I’m terrified people won’t show up. Aaaahhhhhh.
Q: Cool, but is there any chance we’ll ever hear your pure, lilting voice?
A: Sure is. I’ve given a couple of interviews. The first one is here, with my editor Lee Winter. The second one is with Tara Scott of Les Do Books and will be posted this…Friday, I think? I’ll let you know.
Q: What IS that pen name, anyway?
A: The first name is a tribute to Laura Roslin, president of my heart. The last name comes from a character in a book series I loved as a kid–and wrote fanfic for, before I knew what fanfic was. I honestly wouldn’t be here if not for my lifelong history as a fan and writer of fic. That’s thanks to all of you. Being part of a fannish community has meant more to me than I’ll ever be able to express, no matter how many words I write.
