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Answers to Your Frequently Asked Questions

Questions About:
the Books/Series/Writing/Publishing

 

Q: Why are you moving books to Kindle Unlimited?
A: Most of the books that are moving to Kindle Unlimited have been on the other retailers for years, in many cases, and months in the case of newer releases. I have given readers on those platforms plenty of time to purchase their copy of my new books. Kindle Unlimited represents an area of true growth for authors in this hyper-competitive climate. After my books have been on sale for a while on the other retailers, the sales tend to dwindle, which is why I’m moving them to where they can find a whole new audience. Kindle requires exclusivity to enroll in Kindle Unlimited, which is why authors have to remove books from other platforms to participate in that program. I’d prefer to have my books everywhere, but unfortunately I can’t have it both ways. Click here for more information about my titles moving to Kindle Unlimited.

Q: Can you explain your new release schedule?
A: Absolutely. Here it is:

Preorder Schedule

  1. Preorder available for ebook, audio and signed paperbacks from my store to be released first.
  2. TWO WEEKS LATER: Preorder available everywhere, including Kindle, Nook, AppleBooks, Kobo, GooglePlay, Audible, library apps, etc. to be released ONE WEEK after the store release.

Release Schedule:
Week 1 (Friday): Release of all preorders from my store, including ebook, audio and paperbacks mailed the week before. 
Week 2 (Friday): Release on Kindle, Nook, AppleBooks, Kobo, GooglePlay, Audible, Online Paperback retailers, library apps. 

Kindle Unlimited Release
Approximately one month after the wide release, the new book will leave Nook, AppleBooks, Kobo, GooglePlay and library apps to become exclusive to Kindle and Kindle Unlimited, where it will remain. For Hurricane After Dark, watch for the KU release in mid-July.

Q: What is the BEST way to make sure I don’t ever miss a new book or preorder announcement?
A: Please join my newsletter mailing list at marieforce.com and make sure to click on the link in the email you will receive after joining to confirm your subscription. That way you will get emails directly from me with any new developments as they occur.

Q: Why are you making this change?
A: This allows me to offer books to readers in all the formats they have requested from me, and it allows me to sell direct to readers from my own store, which is honestly more profitable.

Q: Why are you adding ebook and audio direct sales from your store?
A: Because it’s a win-win for me and my readers. It allows readers to get the books they want one week early, and it gives me direct access to my customers, which I don’t have through the major retailers. For instance, if I want to know who the most rabid Gansett or First Family fans are, I have no way to know that now. When I see who buys what books early, then I have that data and can use it to inform the readers who most want to know about new books in those series. That’s just one of many advantages from my end.

Q: I want my books on Kindle, Nook, AppleBooks, Kobo, GooglePlay, Audible, etc. Can I still get them there?
A: Yes, you can preorder them two weeks after the preorder from my store is announced. 

Q: If I order my ebook from your store, can I still read it on my Kindle, Nook, iPad, Kobo, etc?
A: Yes! On release day, you will receive an email from BookFunnel that will ask you where you want to send your book, and all the major retailers are listed as options.

Q: I like to keep all my books together. If I get a new Kindle, Nook or Kobo device, will the books I buy from your store transfer?
A: Not automatically. However, readers are always able to access their books again through their BookFunnel library (https://my.bookfunnel.com) in case they do happen to lose them. So if the worst-case scenario occurred, you would still be able to download and access them again. 

Q: I don’t like change. Why are you forcing this on us?
A: I am not forcing anyone to do anything. If you prefer to read the same way you always have, then that option is available to you in the second wave of preorders. If you prefer to read the book when it is first available anywhere, you can get it from my store. If you prefer to read in Kindle Unlimited, it will be there about a month after release. This way everyone gets what they want.

What inspired you to write the Wild Widows Series?

I fell into a rabbit hole of following young widows on Instagram and found their stories to be so unique and compelling. The word “widow” conjures images of gray-haired people living out the latter years of their lives after having lost their spouses. Young widows have a completely different experience, and I was eager to write about that. I’ve loved the response to the first two books, and I’m looking forward to writing more in the Wild Widows Series.

How about the next Wild Widow book?

SOMEONE TO LOVE, Wild Widow book 3, featuring Adrian and Wynter, is available now! 

Now that you’ve ended the Butler, VT Series, will you replace that with something new?

Yes, I’m planning a new series that will debut probably in 2024 and it will be a spin-off of Gansett Island. More to come on that at the end of the next Gansett Island book, HURRICANE AFTER DARK.

When can we expect the next First Family story?

STATE OF BILLS is available now and STATE OF SUSPENSE is available for preroder, releasing in May 2024.

What about Miami Nights?

I’m going to hold that one at five books for now, so HOW MUCH I NEED will be the last one of those for now. I may revisit that world in the future.

What inspired the Miami Nights Series?

Miami and South Florida have played a big role in my life as the area was one of my father’s favorite places. He attended Embry Riddle to train as an aviation mechanic in the 1960s (before the school moved to Daytona Beach) and fell in love with the area. After school, he returned home to RI because he was the only child of a widowed mother. That was lucky for me (and my brother) since he met our mom when he came home! We visited Miami often as kids, and I’ve returned frequently in the years since—I was there twice recently in preparation to write this series. Check out the photos from my amazing tour of Little Havana!

How many books do you plan to write in the Gansett Island Series?

I have no plans to end Gansett, so lots more to come.

Do you plan to write more of the Treading Water Series?

I think the series was wrapped up well in FINDING FOREVER, so I’m not planning anything more at this time.

Tell us the truth: Will Sam and Nick from the Fatal Series ever have a baby of their own?

Probably not. I’d love to give them what they want (as well as what readers want), but making Sam a mother to an infant would dramatically change the way she lives her life and would greatly alter the pace of the series. IF (and that’s a very BIG IF at this point), they have a baby, I expect it would happen much later in the series, closer to the end, and who wants to contemplate the end? Not me!

I’d love to see the Gansett Island or Fatal characters in a TV show or movie. Are you pursuing that?

I get this question A LOT. It’s great to hear that readers would love to see my characters on the big or small screen. However, I have very little input into whether or not that ever happens. If it happens, great. If not, also fine. 🙂

How come some of your books are available in paperback and others are not?

All of my books are now available in paperback. Click here for a list of all the books.

We’d like to hear more about the characters in some of your single title books, such as Blake and Honey in Sex Machine, Cole and Olivia in Everyone Loves a Hero, Michael and Juliana (as well as Paige and Jeremy) in Love at First Flight, Georgie and Nathan in Georgia On My Mind, to name a few. Do you have any plans to write follow-up stories for these characters?

I’d LOVE to do a series of Happily Ever After novellas showing all these characters living their happily ever afters. I did add bonus epilogues to Everyone Loves a HeroLine of Scrimmage and Love at First Flight to follow up with those characters. I do think about revisiting characters a lot and would love to do more. Someday!

Out of all of your books, which one is your favorite?

Ahhhh, such a hard question! Treading Water was my first, so it will always have a special place in my heart. I’d have to say tied for second would be Maid for Love and Fatal Affair, because they launched series that have been very successful and are still going strong many books later. I’ve been on an amazing journey with each of my series, so all of them are special. Georgia on My Mind is another book that is very near and dear to me because it follows the heroine’s story after she loses her mother, something I have unfortunately been through myself. Fatal Deception is a book I am very proud of because of the computer crash that occurred in the middle of writing it. Despite the challenges of overcoming the crash, I’m thrilled with how it came together—and that I somehow made the deadline! I love them all for different reasons. How is that for diplomatic?

I want to make sure I’m notified every time you have a new book released. How can I make sure that happens?

Easy enough! Join my newsletter mailing list at the top of the home page and receive an email every time I have news to report about new books or release dates. If you are a Kindle reader, make sure you sign up to receive alerts from Amazon whenever new books become available. You can sign up here by clicking on the big yellow button under my photo.

Questions About:
Self-Publishing

What first led you to self-publish some of your books?

I had books finished and ready to go and couldn’t find a publisher that was interested in them. Maid for Love, book 1 of the Gansett Island Series, was rejected by every romance publisher. That series has gone on to sell more 5 million books. The Treading Water Series, which has been very successful for me and much adored by readers, was also rejected all over the place.

What do you like best and worst about self-publishing?

I like everything about self-publishing. I like making all the decisions about covers and editing and release dates and prices. There’s nothing I don’t like about it, although it is a lot of work. Luckily, it’s work I love to do, and I have a fantastic team supporting me every step of the way.

Are you still planning to write for traditional publishers?

Nope! I’m 100 percent indie as of August 2020 and thrilled to be completely running my own show.

I have a book I’d like to self-publish, but I have no idea how to get started. What do I do?

You’ve come to the right place! Check out my Formatting Fairies and get in touch with any questions you have after you’ve visited our website. Join my Author Support Network on Facebook.

Still have questions? Email me at marie@marieforce.com.

Marie Force/HTJB, Inc. is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. 

~ Calvin Coolidge

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Marie Force, Gansett Island, A First Family Novel, A Wild Widows Novel, A Miami Nights Novel, A Green Mountain Romance, Quantum Series, Fatal Series  and Butler, VT are registered trademarks with the United States Patent & Trademark Office.

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