The King's Game is a series of standalone fantasy romance novels, set in the same world. It includes Spider and Silk, Ashes and Wine, and Blood and Candies.
Spider and Silk and Ashes and Wine were published as novellas in multi-author collections a few years ago. Now extended to novel length, these two steamy fantasy romance standalones, plus the brand newBlood and Candies, in the same universe, have been combined into a Black Edition hardback.
The black edition contains a prologue and epilogue (the four main male characters appear in the prequel, and the full cast of characters appear in the epilogue) exclusive to this specific version.
The Pet Level includes an ebook only version of the combined trilogy, delivered digitally at the end of the campaign, once all surveys are filled. That's ~ one or two weeks after the end of the campaign. The digital ebook will contain the all illustrations unlocked by stretch goals!
The sweetheart is an ECO version of this book for readers on a budget. The sweetheart version is a hardback without foil, without sprayed/digital edges, and without bookends. Regardless of stretch goal reward, this version will not feature special finish. Why? They're printed locally to you, (rather than sent to me) which lowers the shipping and production cost, but those printers do not have the ability to make those books as special as the other versions. You have the possibility of enhancing a sweetheart reward level with swag and bookplates but note that with shipping and add on price, it'll likely be around the same price as the full Lover edition (depending on location! Check for yoursef.) Content wise, this book will include the same text, with the exclusive prologue and epilogue. It will not include the bookends or color pages.
This is it: the black edition with a gold foil case. Should we reach the first stretch goal, it'll also feature a foiled jacket. This version will be affected by all stretch goals.
The Knight version is a "regular" hardback (same look as you can find on retailers) with a twist: this specific version through backerlit includes a silverfoiled finish and illustrated color endpapers, and can be enhanced with the stretch goals (if we reach the sprayed edges etc, these will be changed too!) while if you order these hardbacks through retailers, they will not include any special finish (no foil etc)
This is the Gold edition, only available from the author. It features a gold foil finish (title and author name) and an illustrated chapter background different to the black edition.
This is for collectors wanting all the things. This reward level features every option except the flat sweetheart edition.
I have all the elements and really want this to get off the ground, so this is a small campaign with a low goal, but if we exceed the necessary funds to get this going, I'd love to offer more goodies!
Foiled jacket. The case features gold foil, but if we hit this stretch goal, the jacket will feature silver foil! 🔒
One extra naughty art print per book (by the same artist as the jacket for a cohesive look!) 🔒
...I honestly believe we'll hit this one so the artist is already hired ;) If we don't hit this stretch goal, no biggie these will just be sent to my patreon.
World Map! Black and white, included in the book and as a print. 🔒
Sprayed edges (one color.) This stretch goal would extend the shipping time by two weeks.
Double sided jacket (additional art design) 🔒
Digital edge design (instead of a solid color, the edges will be a drawing. Note that this stretch goal will add a further two weeks of production) 🔒
World map in color. ( included in the book and as a print.)
6 character art. This stretch goal may extend the shipping time by up to four weeks (while the artist works on those. They'll get started as soon as we reach the stretch goal) 🔒
vellum prints. 🔒
One exclusive extra epilogue with the main characters from all three books getting together added at the end of the book. (this stretch goal adds up to 2 weeks to the delivery of digital and physical goods as the extras will need to be written, and formatting changes will need to be made.) 🔒
Audiobook production for all three novels, delivered with all physical book purchase at no additional cost. These will be delivered digitally when ready; estimate, 3 months.) 🔒
But May! I only ordered the ebook; how can I benefit from these stretch goals?
If we hit the art / map stretch goal, you will receive the art digitally for your personal use!
Every single part of this book, in and out, was produced by a human, art, writing, and design. There is zero AI in any part of the production. I take great pains to ensure I only hire artists who create their stuff from scratch.
Don't forget to account for shipping while pledging! Here's a estimate. (full shipping costs will be calculated at the end of the campaign, depending on your specific location. This indication shows the maximum estimate in GBP.)
*Shipping will be calculated and collected after the campaign, but should not exceed amounts stated above.
About the "add on" indication above: this is specifically for the swag-less level (digital and eco book) who want to add swag to their orders. Swag are already included in other reward levels.
What if you're adding one of the heavy books offered as add on? Each combined edition will likely add between 5 and 10 per book in shipping cost.
I have a tendency to underestimate how much time producing, shipping and sending books will take me. For that reason, rather than setting up a "preorder" while writing or editing the book, this campaign is going live now everything is ready to roll.
A mockup wrap is on its way to me right now from bookvault 👀
I'll show you when I get it!
So, timing wise what does this mean? The digital version will go once all surveys are filled~around two weeks after the end of the campaign.
Some of the stretch goals, if we hit them, don't really add any production time, either because I already have the art or because the artist is on standby/booked, and because my current printer can handle them. Other stretch goals can only be handled by a different printer, which is slower.
So, let's run through options:
general timing for the physical book if it hits the first 3 stretch goal (foiled jacket, naughty print, black and white world map): these books will come to me 4 weeks after the end of the campaign and get to you 2 to 4 weeks after that. September due date.
general timing for the physical book if it hits any of the the 4 following stretch goals (sprayed edges, double sided jacket, digital edge, colored map.): this adds another additional 2 to 4 weeks, so let's say 4. October due date.
general timing of the physical book if it hits the following 3 stretch goals (6 character art, vellum print, extra epilogue). The extra art is highly dependent on artists and may take no time at all, or may take an extra month. The campaign's shipping due date is set up to take these eventualities into consideration which is why the latest due date is December. And that's if we hit those stretch goals.
Audiobook production: this one is a bit of a wild one, that could be faster than the paperbacks, and could also be well into next year, depending on narrator availability and production timing. But these will be sent digitally as soon as they become available and will not affect the physical reward shipment!
I can't support the campaign. Can I read the book a different way?
Yes, absolutely: these three books will be available on retailers a few weeks after the campaign ends, and you can purchase regular paperback and hardback version on any retailer. The prologue is not including in the regular editions, but it's only about 2000 words, less than 1% of the book, and you won't miss out on anything essential!
The Black Edition is only available from me, as long as stock last.
The Gold Edition is an author exclusive, too.
Release schedule:
Patreon: same time as the digital reward release. Retailer: Spider and Silk July, Ashes and Wine August, Blood and Candies September.
So, this is your first black edition...what does it mean?
Well, I write a lot of books, with a lot of different themes and looks, but some of my readers stay with me through it all. This if for you guys. Going forward, every fantasy and paranormal story under my pen names Alexi Blake and May Sage will have a Black Edition (Emm Darcy will also have a Emm Black edition, but it's different/different look based on the fact that it's contemporary.) Take a sneak peek at the next Black Edition to know what's coming: Their Dark Queen (combining 1 and 2) (this one is still a work in progress, changes will be made especially to the typography) As a general rule, Black Editions will combine series to have "the full story" in one edition unless the individual books are too large. Which means all of them are chonkers. They will feature jackets by various artists, but the case covers will be a perfect match (same size/look)
If you're a May fan under all pen and would like to support both projects currently running, you can add Royal and Heirs as an add on (Platinum, Diamond and Crown levels are available).
All stretch goals achieved in the campaign and rewards apply.
