Can’t find the books? Here’s why

by | Dec 6, 2019 | Gentleman series, Neighborly Affection series, Publishing | 16 comments

So I got an email from a reader today asking why Finding Their Balance (Neighborly Affection No. 5) was listed as “unavailable” at an online vendor.

That was the first I’d heard about it, so naturally I went looking to see what was going on. After confirming that all of my books except one–Playing the Game (Neighborly Affection No. 1)–had been removed from digital sales, I reached out to my publisher. Turns out they made a miscalculation and removed the books from online vendors before notifying me of the change in status.

Not cool.

What is cool, though, is that I’ll be able to move forward as an independent author in 2020. (Cue confetti, balloon drop, Champagne toast!) I have reclaimed the rights to all of my books except Playing the Game, which my publisher is keeping because it still makes them a small bit of money.

Since Playing the Game is the first book in the series, that’s a tad inconvenient for me–I’m legally required to put new covers on the rest of the books when I republish them as an indie author, and I can’t put together a series box set that includes Playing the Game because my publisher still holds those rights. So for the moment, I’m in a holding pattern while I determine the path forward for my books.

The author's beagle mix stares pleadingly up at the camera. She's a good doggo, yes she is!
This good doggo says, “Please be patient with my human. She stares at the computer a lot, but then she notices that you’re waiting patiently and delivers the tummy rubs and yummy treats.”

But I’m excited to explore this new-to-me frontier! Please have patience with me while I navigate all of the indie author jobs–the book formatting, choosing a cover artist, planning release dates and marketing, and maybe even attending some conventions to meet you all in person.

And, of course, continuing to write books!

So if you were planning to recommend the series to a friend or fifteen (and thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has brought someone new into the fold!), please hold off for a few months until I have this indie publishing gig under control. 🙂

Step one for me will be to correct any typos in the existing text before I get it reformatted. That means carefully re-reading all of the existing novels. Step two will be to choose a cover artist and hire them to do digital and print versions for all of the books.

I will try to keep you all informed throughout the process, and I’ll be asking for your help, too! If your eagle eyes spot a typo, please let me know! If you have a favorite cover artist who you think could do justice to the characters and the emotions, send me their name!

Because this whole indie thing is new to me, I can’t set a date for the return of the books yet, but once I get up to speed, I hope to start putting out new stories, too. In any case, 2020 should be a very exciting year!

Thank you to all of my readers and friends for your patience on this journey with me. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Available from these fine shops

The links below will take you to the M.Q. Barber page at each retailer. Need more info to make up your mind? Check out the series pages for the Neighborly Affection books and the Gentleman books.

Also available at your library

Did you know that you can read M.Q. Barber books for free through your library? Libraries can request digital copies through Overdrive, Hoopla, and BorrowBox.

If your library uses Overdrive, you can download the Libby app and request a book directly from your library. Check it out!