Hi Grim Oakers,
Now that Becky is back from vacation, it is time to get Grim Oak moving again toward our ultimate goal—world domination!
That means I'll be updating you about our forthcoming projects, giving you a pre-order date for Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence, and revealing two polls where your honesty is critical.
Projects Update first. Here is our current timeline:
- King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence: Shipping for the next two weeks
- Magician by Raymond E. Feist: Will arrive in warehouse right around the time Becky finishes shipping King of Thorns.
- Dragonquest by Anne McCaffrey: All elements complete and at the printer and bindery. Hope to receive copies at the end of August.
- Unfettered 10th Anniversary Edition edited by Shawn Speakman: All elements complete and at the printer and bindery.
- Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence: Art complete, signature pages signed, and final files going to printer and bindery next week.
- Unbound II Limited Edition edited by Shawn Speakman: Shawn, Todd Lockwood, and Patrick Swenson meet today to finish signing the signature pages. Files ready for printer and bindery. Pre-order date forthcoming.
- The Belgariad Volumes 3-5 by David Eddings: Art complete. Maps to be finished by mid-August. Signature pages created and shipping to artist Allen Morris next week. We are close.
- Prince of the Blood by Raymond E. Feist: Art finished. Signature pages printing and soon going to the author and artist.
- The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune: Art finished. Signature pages printing and soon going to the author and artist. A poll coming soon.
- The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay: Cover finished. Interiors being painted. Signature page finished and mailing to author soon. A poll coming soon.
- Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris: Cover finished. Only one interior and the signature page art left for completion.
- Stone of Farewell by Tad Williams: Artwork in progress for September delivery. Then signature pages will be mailed to author and artist.
Linked titles are pre-orderable now. The others are not yet. And that list is the likely progression of those books coming into the warehouse barring any misfortunes at the printer or bindery. Though we reserve the right to move a few around if we feel the need. Some of these will ship in 2023 obviously but some will arrive into the warehouse in early 2024.
What about the other projects, you ask? These will likely be pushed into 2024. Here you go: Servant of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts is having artwork done right now. The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett still needs the wrap-around cover art and one interior. Fool Moon by Jim Butcher is at the thumbnail stage for Chris McGrath artwork. Malice by John Gwynne is at the thumbnail stage for Sam White artwork. Valor by John Gwynne is at the cover art stage. Moon Called by Patricia Briggs is at the thumbnail stage for Dan Dos Santos artwork. Temeraire Omnibus #2 by Naomi Novik is at the thumbnail stage for Daniel Govar. Book of the Ancestor by Mark Lawrence is at the thumbnail stage for Francesca Resta. There ya go!
Onward. Given that Becky will finish shipping King of Thorns in the next two weeks, it is time to get the last book in the Broken Empire trilogy going at the printer. Therefore, the pre-order date for Emperor of Thorns will be August 16th at 11AM PT. Mark your calendars. We will also be in touch with owners of King of Thorns closer to the date.
There you have it! Expect two polls from us over the next two weeks respectively, one about The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune and The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay! I'm reallly excited about both of these!
In the meantime, stay magical!
Shawn Speakman
Publisher & Creative Director