Launch (and Sale) of Dying to Write by Mary Simonsen

Today is the official launch of Dying to Write, a Patrick Shea mystery. (My unofficial launch was in May before I went on a six-thousand-mile road trip.) Dying to Write is the fourth in the Patrick Shea mystery series. Ordinarily, a British police procedural would not be a good fit for an Austen-centered blog. However, in Dying to Write, Detective Sergeant Patrick Shea of London’s Metropolitan Police is on holiday when a murder is committed at a JANE AUSTEN conference. Here’s the blurb from the back jacket:

In need of a break from his job at Scotland Yard, Detective Sergeant Patrick Shea of London’s Metropolitan Police is looking forward to some quiet time at a timeshare in rural Devon in England’s West Country. However, when he arrives at The Woodlands, Patrick finds himself in the midst of a Jane Austen conference.

Despite Regency Era dresses, bonnets, and parasols, a deep divide exists between the Jane Austen fan-fiction community, those who enjoy expanding on the author’s work by writing sequels and re-imaginings, and the Janeites, those devotees who think anyone who tampers with the original novels is committing a sacrilege.

When one of the conference speakers is found dead in her condo, Patrick is back on the job trying to find out who murdered her. Is it possible that the victim was actually killed because of a book?

Usually, when I launch, I have a giveaway, but that would mean only one person can win, and I want lots of people to read my book. Instead, I am reducing the price of the book from $4.99 to 2.99 for six days (9/16 – 9/21). It’s a fun mystery with Austen-quoting attendees roaming the halls of an old English inn and a Lady Catherine-type bully trying to run the show. Having been on the receiving end of some unflattering comments about my novels from disapproving Janeites, I really enjoyed writing this book.

I hope you will take this opportunity to read Dying to Write at a discount and that you will let me know what you think. If you enjoyed the novel, Three’s a Crowd, the first in the series, is always priced at .99, and if you did like it/them, I would encourage you to write a review on Amazon or Barnes and Noble or Goodreads. A good review is the best way to help your favorite authors.

A word about pricing. You may wonder why many e-books are priced at $2.99. Here’s why. Amazon, the gorilla in the room, will pay you a 70% royalty for any book $2.99 or more. For anything below that, you get a 35% royalty, which means Amazon is paying you pennies for a lot of hard work. And that, my friends, is why most authors price their books, at a minimum, at $2.99. Now you know.

As always, I appreciate your support. Any comments? I’d love to read them.

Dying to Write is available on Kindle, Nook, and in paperback ($9.89).

21 comments

Skip to comment form

    • BeckyC on September 16, 2014 at 1:06 am
    • Reply

    Hi Mary! So fun to see your launch and be reminded of the dear DS Patrick Shea. I read Dying to Write back in May. It is her best mystery yet! What fun to combine Mary’s mystery with our love for Jane Austen. I must say that I breifly thought that there was another one ready for us already. I set aside my disappointment by revisiting the story and encourage all to take advantage of the sale. It will be well worth it!

    1. Hi Becky. What an excellent way to kick off a launch! Thank you for your kind words. I hope people follow your advice. I’m rather fond of this story.

  1. Congratulations, Mary. I love the idea of a Janeite mystery!

    1. Thanks, Monica, and thanks for spreading the word.

    • Deborah on September 16, 2014 at 4:57 am
    • Reply

    I purchased the book in May. It is on my TBR list and am looking forward to reading it soon.

    1. Thanks, Deborah. I hope you enjoy Dying to Write.

    • Jane Odiwe on September 16, 2014 at 5:06 am
    • Reply

    Sounds fabulous Mary-love the idea of a Jane Austen Murder!! Congratulations and good luck with the launch!

    1. Thanks, Jane. I appreciate it.

    • Margaret F on September 16, 2014 at 9:50 am
    • Reply

    I purchased the book a while ago & really enjoyed it. You’ve created a good main character in your Patrick and the various JA conventionites were amusingly drawn.
    (I think you’ve drawn me in to try out the non-JA books in the series.)
    Best wishes,
    Margaret

    1. Thanks, Margaret. So glad you enjoyed Dying to Write and that you like Patrick b/c I really like Patrick.

    • Gail Warner on September 16, 2014 at 9:54 am
    • Reply

    What a fabulous premise for a murder mystery! I’m off to buy right now and I can’t wait to read it. I’ve loved all your books, especially Second Date as the family was so like my own!

    • Sheila L. M. on September 16, 2014 at 10:21 am
    • Reply

    I purchased it back in May but then had to buy and read the other three before reading this one. Patrick’s private life is as interesting as his professional life – in fact, I think I made a comment in my reviews about being disappointed not to read more of that in one of the books.

    1. Hi Sheila. Thanks for the review. I did read it. It’s not easy striking a balance on personal/professional. I was criticized for talking too much about Patrick’s private life in the first book, but I thought it was important for people to get to know Patrick. I like Patrick so much that I could go on and on. I have another book in my head, and hopefully Patrick’s love life will improve. It was supposed to improve in Dying to Write, but the muses took over. 🙂

    • Sheila L. M. on September 16, 2014 at 10:23 am
    • Reply

    OH, I should have said how interesting they all were also. Good job, Mary, and good luck with the official launch.

    1. Thanks again, Sheila.

  2. Congratulations on the official launch of your new book, Mary. Thanks for telling us know why most ebooks sold at Amazon are priced at $2.99 and about the sale too. I’ll keep it in mind.

    1. Good to hear from you, Sylvia.

    • Maggie Griscom on September 16, 2014 at 2:44 pm
    • Reply

    Thanks so much!

    1. You are welcome.

    • Regina Silvia on September 16, 2014 at 5:22 pm
    • Reply

    Mary,
    I think by now I have all your Jane Austen ff books: among my favorites is Darcy on the Hudson. I have not read any of your Patrick Shea mystery series, but I will start with this newest one. Thank you for the explanation of pricing on Amazon; makes a lot of sense!

    1. Thanks, Regina. I hope you enjoy the story. Amazon really calls the shots for everyone in the e-book industry.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.