Where was I? Ah yes, The Third Rule was due out of the blocks in September. And then it was due out sometime this month, October. However, with all plans there comes a corresponding amount of chance; and it seems chance has taken a hold of things concerning The Third Rule‘s imminent release, and squashed them. Flat.
Several things have happened: my computer went utterly wonky and has thrown the schedule into disarray. And we’ve also hit a few other technical difficulties, so the release has been put back to November – but I have a contingency plan: keeping my fingers crossed!
And further… we’ve had a rethink on how it will be released. Initially, we were going to release the book as one volume because, after all, it is one story. But at 260k words, we deemed it too long to have as one book. And since we hope to be launching it as a paperback next year, its size would have created many problems. I understand that the maximum page count for a single volume is about 750. The Third Rule, in a relaxed state of formatting, would be 900+, and only if we tightened everything up (to the point of it being uncomfortable to read, let alone to carry around with you), could we drop it below that number.
So, it’s going out onto Amazon in three volumes. They will be titled as The Third Rule – Part One: Atrocities; The Third Rule – Part Two: Running Scared; and The Third Rule – Part Three: Sacrifices. Of course, all three books will be launched together so those of you who have been waiting can get them all at once without having an inordinate pause between volumes. And it goes without saying, to those of you who enquire after its progress, that I apologise for the launch date being put back several times already. But I hope the wait is worth it.
