First off, a word of apology for getting this second volume of THE PHOENIX LEGACY out more than a week late. Unfortunately, we here at SBP had a pretty trying holiday season; there were three deaths among family, friends, and neighbors. When faced with the decision to either show up for people in need or go into the studio so I could get the books out on time, it turns out there wasn’t much of a decision. Nevertheless, we know there are many of you who’ve been waiting patiently, so we’ve been working hard to get this second volume to you ASAP, and here it is. SHADOW OF THE SWAN, on audiobook. Hope you enjoy it.
I’ve been very gratified to see how many of you have responded so favorably to this series, especially when many of you had never heard of it before I announced my publishing schedule a few months ago. Word of mouth is an important thing in our culture, especially among book lovers. Believe me, I understand. But last month’s blog, the ‘This is the best series you’ve never heard of’ entry, seems to have struck a chord with people, and copies have been flying off the shelves. Or rather, MP3s have been flying off the website, or download servers, or what have you.
Still, there were a few people who seemed skeptical, but given their previous support on my THOMAS COVENANT endeavors, I made them all a promise: I told them that if they purchased the first PHOENIX volume and didn’t like it, I’d let them exchange it for another book from my company. I admit, a few people here at SBP looked at me askance when I did this, but I never doubted it was the right thing to do. I mean, people who support this audio line of mine are putting their money where their mouth is, so how could I not do the same?
It took a few weeks, but I’ve now heard back from everyone to whom I made that offer, and you know what? Nobody’s taken me up on it. Not a single one.
Here’s the latest email I received about it; it’s from Christian Walters, a very cool guy who came to the site after hearing about THE CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT finally coming out on audiobook. “Man, you were right about THE PHOENIX LEGACY book,” says Christian. “I’m not quite done, but I still find myself sitting in the car waiting for a good stopping point, which never comes. I see that the next one is imminent, so that’s a relief. Not only are you an excellent reader, but I see you have outstanding taste in books.” Then came a smiley face, as well as a funny signoff: “If you ever decide to start up a side business recording voicemail answering messages in your Thomas Covenant voice, please let me know.” (Hmmm, I’ll have to give that some thought…)
Well, again, I’ve been so gratified by people’s response to THE PHOENIX LEGACY that I’m going to make everyone this same deal: if you purchase it, listen to it and for whatever reason just can’t stand it, you just let me know and I’ll replace it with another book. Email me and I’ll hook you up. Seriously.
This series is so damn good, it’s staggering. I’m not sure if you’ve ever seen any print editions of it, but if so you’ll see some nice praise on the covers. The first two editions had this lovely quote from Jean Auel, of CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR fame: “A new classic! Has the sweep and power of Asimov’s FOUNDATION TRILOGY.” [Ed. note: Scott narrated the FOUNDATION TRILOGY for Books on Tape: FOUNDATION,FOUNDATION AND EMPIRE, and THE SECOND FOUNDATION.] The most recent print edition says, “Full and satisfying. The society of the far future is superbly extrapolated, the action well-integrated, the characters interesting and idiosyncratic…” This from ASIMOV’S SCIENCE FICTION. Hmmm, given my love of Asimov’s work, it’s no wonder this series appealed to me.
Still, despite these recommendations, even my girlfriend Wendy was just the slightest bit skeptical herself, but rather than offering her any kind of guarantee, I did something a bit sneakier: I hired her to proof all my audiobooks. (Proofing is when someone listens to the recording while following along with the text, making sure I didn’t make any mistakes, and that the final product is word-perfect.) The result? She was quickly and completely hooked. Not a day goes by that she doesn’t bug me to hurry downstairs into my studio to finish the damn thing so she can find out what happens between Alexand and Adrien.
So, there you go. I’ll repeat my offer one last time: Buy THE PHOENIX LEGACY. Don’t like it? I’ll replace it at no cost to you.
And that’s by no means the last incentive I’ll be offering. Volume Three of this series, HOUSE OF THE WOLF, will be arriving in just under a month, and if you’ve purchased the first two volumes of the series and want to finish it off with the third, you’ll be receiving a discount for doing so. A similar incentive will also be in place for the Covenant series. More details to come when the final volumes become available.
Okay, it’s time for me to get back to work, but I want to let everyone know what’s coming in just about a week here on Scott Brick Presents. For months I’ve been promising people I’ll be doing a blog on how to get into this wonderful world of audiobook narration, and at long last, it’s finally on its way. My next entry will be all about how to create an audiobook demo, filled with as much wisdom as I can muster on the subject. Hope it helps. See you back here soon.
Thanks for listening,
Scott Brick
