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March is the Lucky 🍀 Season
- Rosie Burke
- Mar 3
- 7 min read
I may be late... but it's on purpose!
Now, I know what you're thinking?: "Rosie. You always share the newsletter blog post on the 1st. What's going on?"
And if you're not, then you're incredibly gracious and I don't deserve you. lol
The fact is, I prepped this post towards the end of February. Made notes on what I wanted to share and say. Thought about the fun things coming up. And that's actually a big reason on why this post is late.
Less in your inbox
As I've gotten deeper into the audiobook world, I've realized that my ability to keep sharing blog posts every other week isn't feasible. Between writing my stories, editing audio-files for the books I had and currently still have contracts out for, creating content and promoting myself (as icky as that sounds, it's part of the gig as a super indie author)... the time to sit down and give randomly insightful posts two extra times a month isn't something I can maintain. Instead of feeling like a failure every month when I don't do this--share more posts--I've decided to take a step back and just focus on the books. Writing is such a huge part of me and I love it, but the stories are beginning to pile up and these characters are pounding on the walls. It's a bit crowded right now!
Along those lines: I'm going to share reviews when I do receive ARCs or ALCs... but I'm not going to be signing up for very many of those right now.
And finally-- the big reason for the delay in this post specifically...
FULL COURT PRESS IS ALMOST LIVE!
In my decision to not flood your inbox every month, I wanted to wait to share this post until Full Court Press was finalized and available on Audible. Which is... not yet. 🫢😳I'm checking the status every hour--minimum!!-- but as of now there's just no more info on when FCP will hit the Audible shelves. Moving forward, though, I will be working to keep the releases either around the first of the month so they can go out with the newsletters or mid-month so you're not flooded with the emails.
Jennifer Walls did the most incredible job of narrating Court & Clara's story. She got their personalities to jump off the page and into your ears in a way I could only dream of. There were a few hiccups along the way--none of us were spared the clutches of that infernal flu that took over the States! And then there's the whole ACX process which is the most unreliable process ever. We just never know when they'll have the book go live. Best turn around time I've had was like 7 days; worst was the 3 weeks it took Trading Tinsel to go live.
... Man Coverage is coming to Audible in April!
Now that we've got the Franklin U Hawks train rolling through the Audible station, there's no stopping us. Mariana Olmeda is killing it with the narration on Becky & Beau's story and we're hoping to have this one out in April. No date or even a close approximation right now but look on my socials for more details as we get closer.
Let's go Shopping!
Back in October, when I was presenting on the Romance Hockey League's Virtual Book Tour, I mentioned that I wanted to have my own online store. The goal was to have it up and running by March 1st. And...
I did it!
That's right! Rosie P Burke officially has merch!
Now, there's not a lot there. Let's be honest. There are a few reasons for this; one being that I got swept up in the whole "Get all my books onto audio for the listening readers" aspect. But also, I did a brand revamp a while back. Therefore all the stickers and products I had on hand are technically discontinued. That means you get a discount on the vinyl stickers I currently have on hand.
** Newsletter subscribers will also have access to a special promo code for an additional discount on top of the "Discontinued" price!
Ultimately stock will include not just the discontinued stickers as well as new designs; but there will also be bracelets, bookmarks, signed bookplates, and eventually eBook versions of my books will be available for purchase.
Bookmarks are in development. As of right now I don't have a release date.
Bracelets are available for preorder online! Check out your favorite team and/or player. With all these options, you can make a stack and rep the Sharks or Hawks... or BOTH! I'm planning to release these mid-May.
Signed Bookplates are actually available at this time. If you've purchased a physical copy of any of my books and weren't able to get them signed, you can choose between several designs. There are multiple hockey, basketball, and brand options. You can choose between a signature bookplate OR a custom version; with the custom option, you simply fill in the personalization section with what you'd like the message to say.
eBooks... this is a big deal and therefore needs a whole section to itself!
Kindle Unlimited actually will be limited.
For the first time since I started writing, I've had to sit down and really consider the feasibility of staying on Kindle Unlimited. I've said in the past that I would stay on KU. That I remember what it was like as a new mom who loved to read. The late night feedings where I would sit with my daughter, my phone in one hand, reading my favorite authors as I tried to stay awake.
When I started writing, I never considered NOT being on KU. It felt like I'd made it by having my books in that program.
With the influx of the AI crap flooding the program, the truth is I make $0.0045 per page read. (I'm being completely transparent here). Y'all that's less than half a penny for each page read. And it's only getting worse.
As someone who has committed to the business part of being an author, making this a priority and not merely a hobby, I had to make some hard decisions. The biggest one was to leave Kindle Unlimited. Sort of.
Starting this month, my books will gradually leave the KU program; based on when I released them. It's a weird situation that isn't easy to explain, but basically between now and April 30th, all my pro-hockey books will fall off the KU platform. You will still be able to purchase them from Kindle, but you won't be able to borrow them from KU.
OR... hear me out...
You can simply purchase directly from me!
See, when I realized a lot of readers were frustrated with Amazon's decision to remove the "download option" for books they had purchased, I knew I had to do something.
With Kindle's new set up, even if you paid money for a book, there's a chance you might not own it. If they remove the book from their catalogue, you would lose it in your own library. I can't handle that. As a reader and as an author. I want you to have my books!
So, starting May 1st, the Dropped Puck Series will be available on my website. Legally I can't make them available before then or I would! So there will be a lame duck period where you can't get them on KU or my website. I'm so sorry about that. But hopefully you understand that I'm doing this so you will always be able to own the books you've paid for.
The prices will stay the same as they're listed on Amazon, but if you purchase from my website and are subscribed to my newsletter, you do have the chance to save even on those eBooks!
Schedule of when the DPS & standalone books leave KU
Dropped Season omnibus collections: February 27th
Trading Tinsel: March 1st
Playing Hooky: March 11th
Coach's Call: March 12th
Final Shot: March 31st
Power Play: April 4th
Called Up: April 30th
**Saving Grace: May 16th (this book will have a slightly longer wait until it'll be available on my online store)
What's this mean for the other books/series?
Not all my books will be leaving Kindle Unlimited, though. I know a lot of readers like to complete a series and making that as easy as possible is important to me. That's why The 6th Man Series will stay on KU until it's completed. But, there will be a few changes for 6th Man and any/all future books.
For new releases
Each new release will be made available on my online store for 2 weeks prior to releasing on Kindle/KU.
After those two weeks, I will have to remove them from my store and then they will be on KU for 3 months.
They will stay on there until the series is complete.
6th Man is set to be 5 books, meaning there are only 2 more in the series.
Future series may have to have this part modified slightly but that's something I'll face when I come to it.
Previously published books
Since I have a while until I release the next book in the 6th Man series, I've considered my options for this. There will be a short time where the first books in the series will be taken off KU so they can be sold on my store. Then, when Book #4 is set to be released, they will go back into the KU program so readers can enjoy them all at once.
I'm still considering how I want to handle this process for any future books I write. But that's a problem for future Rosie!
I know this is a lot of information. And it's sort of confusing with the back and forth. So I'll be sharing a condensed version of this information in future newsletters for a while.
Next up?
I'd love to know which story you want next! Do we want JP from the Franklin U Hawks? Or are we ready to find out about those MMA fighters of the Twin Cobras?
Who's up next?
JP, 6th Man #4
Turbo, Twin Cobras #1
In The Zone will be coming to Audible Fall 2025! Spencer & Ryleigh's story is now under contract with a planned release date in August/September. When I have more information, I'll be sure to share with y'all.
As if this wasn't enough, my brain has decided it wants even more! I've got an entirely new series just waiting on deck for me to get through the planned books with 6th Man and Twin Cobras, but ... yeah! Be on the lookout for the chaos that is this writer's imagination.
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