New Version of Ravenmarked
I’ve been keeping this under wraps for a few months, but I’m ready to announce that a fresh, shiny version of Ravenmarked is now live on Amazon and Smashwords. As of this morning, it’s still not live on Barnes & Noble, but I’ll update this post when it is (sometimes B&N is really slow with uploads). I’m not sure how long it will take to distribute to the smaller bookstores through Smashwords.
The reason for the secrecy and the more formal announcement is that this is a huge, significantly revised version of the book. I did a lot more than just fix typos and rein in my unholy love of ellipses. There’s some brand new material, including a prologue that explains how Connor got the ravenmark, and I trimmed several POVs and expanded one by quite a bit. Lest you think I pulled a George Lucas on you, let me assure you that the basic story is still there, and the characters are still true to the ones in the first version. But the story is clearer, the plot is tighter, and the world-building is richer. It’s a much better book, I think, and it’s actually almost exactly the same length as before (within a few hundred words).
Why the major changes? Well, first, there were always things that bugged me about Ravenmarked—things I thought I could have done better. When I started working on the print version, those things started to bug me even more. A friend formatted the print version for me, and as I started reading through it, I cringed. A lot.
Second, as I worked on Bloodbonded, I started to see inconsistencies and tricky things that I couldn’t figure out how to explain or work out. I’m not saying I went back and changed things that were central to the story, but I did work out some of the little niggling issues that were making Bloodbonded really hard to write.
Third, I realized I needed more help. I worked with someone who has a fantastic editorial eye, and she gave me some really great feedback and input that I think took the book from okay to really good. Her input also made me realize that I’m a pretty crappy editor by comparison. I mean, I’m good with copyediting, but content? Not so much. I have a whole new respect for people who can do content editing.
So what does this all mean for my threes of fans? Well, if you already bought Ravenmarked, you should be able to re-download the new version for free. I’m investigating how to notify all of those folks who’ve read the book but don’t read my blog or follow me on Twitter or Facebook, but if you could share this post with folks who might have read it and need the new version, I’d be very appreciative. If I gave you a free copy for some reason (contest, review, etc.), please e-mail me, and I’ll be happy to send you a new version. My e-mail is amy@amyrosedavis.com.
The other thing it means is that I’m now getting back to work on Bloodbonded. Nose planted firmly against grindstone. It needs a LOT of work, and I plan to work with the same editor before it’s published, so I don’t know how long it will be before it’s live. I’ll update everyone on the blog and social media when I have more news.
In the meantime, I’m also going to get to work on re-editing the Ian Mac Roy story from my blog. It needs work, too. And to hopefully keep my brain in creative mode instead of just editing mode, I’m going to try to churn out a few words—at least 1,000 a day—on my new novel draft. Staying in creative mode seems to help keep some of the doldrums away. I’m hoping I can shake my funk enough to get back in the habit of writing new stuff every day. I realize it’s a chicken and egg thing—that if I write, I’ll shake the funk, and then I’ll write more—but I have to at least crawl out from under it enough to start.
This edit of Ravenmarked has been pretty all-consuming for a few months, and honestly, it’s probably been partly why I’ve been so moody and frustrated and anxious here on the blog. It was really, really hard to go back and look at it again, especially since this was about the thirtieth version. No lie. But, now it’s done, and I’ve learned tons of stuff that will hopefully make the process of finishing Bloodbonded a lot easier. We’ll see.
I hope none of you feel confused or irritated or betrayed by this change. Believe me, the last thing I want to do is alienate my few fans! Trust me when I say that I would not be doing this if I didn’t think it would make the story better. It’s my most fervent hope that you will all re-read Ravenmarked and be totally blown away by the changes and the story, and that it will be a better, more entertaining, more fulfilling experience for you than it was before.
Congratulations, Amy, on the revamp! I haven’t read Ravenmarked but definitely know firsthand the frustration and anxiety that comes with rewriting a novel. I wrote my first novel when I was 20 and thought it absolutely lovely. Two years later a good friend gently pointed out areas where it could be better, and I revised it. Now, more than a decade after that first revision, I’m rewriting it again. Only this time I’m giving my characters the story they deserve. The story they were meant to have. The writing and the plot are so much better. And whenever I think of particular points from that first or even second version, I do a lot of cringing myself. I tell people now that if they’ve had an awful day, no matter how bad it is, they should read the very first version of my novel and they’ll instantly feel better because the novel is that bad and that (unintentionally) funny.
From one writer to another, you have my full support of being brave enough to make the revisions and the courage to tell your fans and make it available to them. I wish you all the best and hope it sells big!
Thanks! Yes, I have two or three novel-length works buried in my closet that I wrote around the same age–my early 20s. I don’t plan to ever let them see the light of day. But the good thing, I think, is that when I look back and read them, I can see how much I’ve grown as a writer and at the same time how consistent my voice is. It was immature back then, but there are still echoes of me in that early stuff. I think that’s good.
Good luck with your rewrite!
Thanks, Amy! If you’re ever interested in taking a look at it, let me know and I’ll send you an invitation to the free online subscription. I set it up as its own blog and have a small but dedicated readership.
In any case, have a wonderful day and week!
Okay Amy, now you’ve done it. You know those ‘book-porn’ pics on FB etc of enormous rooms full of books, some even MADE out of books? My tbr collection my Kindle is a digital version of that. Now I need to re-read Ravenmarked. Heh. Looking forward to it.
LOL. My Kindle is much the same.
If you have trouble getting the new version, will you let me know via Facebook? I want to make sure people can get it easily.
Thanks!
Looking forward to finding out how to download a new version, and then the time to reenjoy Ravenmarked. I guess it’ll have to be done before Bloodbonded…
Best wishes, and thanks for sharing.
Tony, one huge advantage of this revision process is that’s it’s really solidified Bloodbonded in my head, and it’s even helped solidify the rest of the series. I’m hoping the rest of the rewrites/edits on Bloodbonded will go much more smoothly… Thanks!
I’ll join the ranks of those looking forward to re-reading it and seeing the changes! Well done, Amy
Thanks, Cassie!
Sometimes, no matter how hard you work on a book, time is the only thing that can take it to the next level. It just has to sit there and simmer in your subconscious. Maybe you even have to stick it in the fridge for a while. When you warm it back up and serve it the second time, all the flavors have had time to blend.
Your experience is something I’ve dealt with. I’m going through my third book, Driven, now, and after all these years and revisions, I can finally see how to fix the things that always bugged me before. Even though my readers assured me of how awesome the book was, I knew it could be stronger and deeper. Also, when you’re working with a series, the books all have to twine together. If a person had the time and patience, I’d almost say it would be best to wait until the whole series had been written to release any of them. I’m sure your experience with Bloodbonded will make you see the practicality in that. Not that any of us would actually do that, except my friend Patti who can practically write a book in a day.
Lisa, I love the leftover analogy… So true… Bryce has mentioned a few times that it would be better to write the whole series, but at 150k words or so each, I’d be writing for YEARS before I published anything. But yeah, there is a certain practicality in that… I just don’t think I have the patience for it.
Ravenmarked was more than just okay. I hope you honestly know that. (I swear I’m not just buttering you up.) But I really am looking forward to rereading it! I have this really good feeling about it. Maybe I’m just picking up on the vibes from you because you do sound quite content here after so such turmoil.
I do feel more content. Also, I feel relieved that it’s done again!
I hope you enjoy the new version, Nina! Thanks!
Congratulations on getting your book to a new place of happiness, Amy! I’m really proud of you, and I can’t wait to have a free moment to read the newly downloaded revised version! Ravenmarked has been sitting on my Kindle for a while. I will definitely need to read it now.
~Ashlee
http://ashleesch.com
http://theDragonsHoard.bigcartel.com
Thanks, Ashlee! Make sure you get the version with the prologue–that’s the newest one. Hope you enjoy it!