Attention Beauties, Beasts and Fairies! Whimsical’s Next Fairytale Is Here. 🐉

Greetings Gentle Reader from the Land of Whimsical!

Open me for our next fairytale fanatic classic edition and an insider look into how we pick books for publication!


We are SO excited about this particular newsletter. We’ve got lots of news for you all, including our newest classic… and to be honest, one of our favorites! Many books are built off the back of fairytales (shoutout to our very own Numina Parables series by Mckenzie Catron!), but how often can you say we’re publishing our own special edition of the Brothers Grimm?

Grab your beverage of choice and read on for more exciting news like our upcoming sale, a way to read our newest original release for sale, and a look into how we pick books for publication!


Grimm’s Fairytales is up for preorder!

That’s right!! You can now preorder your own newest classic HERE, exclusively available through our website! There isn’t another edition like this on your shelf. Can we say, obsessed!? 😍

Look at that gorgeous cover by our very own Micheline Ryckman. We’re absolutely obsessed with all the details!

So, what is it?

Grimms’ Fairy Tales is a German collection of over 200 different fairy tales written by the Brothers Grimm, (Jacob and Wilhelm), that had the first volume published in the early-1800s, with the final volume published in the mid-1800s. This Whimsical Publishing exclusive edition of these classic tales comes with a complimentary pre-order bookmark, sprayed edges, interior illustrations and Whimsical-created dust jacket and hardcover artwork!

Grimm’s Fairy Tales is a collection of various short stories; the first volume was published in 1812, and contained 86 different tales! And guess what? This exclusive collection features all volumes published by the Brothers.

Preorder now, if you want to reserve this exclusive bookmark! We only have a limited quantity, so the sooner you order, the more likely you are to secure one!

We also only have limited quantities of the sprayed edges, so preorder before May 12th to get yours!

Snag your preorder now!

How Does A Publisher Pick What Books To Publish?

Have you ever wondered how a book gets picked from the sea of submissions? Are you a writer anxiously approaching the time where you have to send out your work? Or a reader morbidly curious how this one book you picked up got selected over hundreds, sometimes thousands, of others?

We can’t tell you what every publisher does, but we can tell you what we do here at Whimsical Publishing and give you a peak behind the curtain in the book production process. I think it’s important to start from the beginning. The founder of our press, Micheline Ryckman, after having success with her own books and art, wanted to be able to share the love with other storytellers. Since our press is family-run, she wanted the authors–and the stories they tell–to also feel like family.

First and foremost, it’s important to follow the guidelines. You’d be surprised how many submissions have to be sidelined because someone simply doesn’t follow the rules, especially when they’re stated on the publisher’s website. For example, Whimsical Publishing only takes agented submissions, so therefore, only agents can submit. 

The second step is to make sure it fits with what we publish. Like we said, we want the books to feel like a family, so therefore, we want them to align with what we publish. We publish closed-door books, but we also publish books that have big adventurous plots, strong romantic stories, and high stakes.

Now, the third step is where things get a little trickier. While we want things that align with what we’ve published, we also don’t want to be publishing carbon copies over and over. We want something that’s also a little different from anything we’ve ever published. For a while we primarily had romantic fantasies before we scooped up Hayley Reese Chow’s science-fiction fantasy. This makes it easier for a publisher to market to a wider audience, and to make sure their books aren’t competing with one another.

You’ll hear this a lot if you’re in the business of books, but it’s a very subjective business. Finding a book that’s just in the perfect perimeter of what you’re looking for differs from publisher-to-publisher, which is often why a book is submitted to multiple different publishers before finding it’s perfect home!

If you want to learn more about books, check out of SUBSTACK  for more!


SALE ALERT! 

We’ve Got Books For Your Budget.

Starting on February 22nd and going until the 25th, we will be hosting our Almost Spring sale! For three days, use the code ALMOSTSPRING25 to save on anything on site!

Additionally, we’re having an overstock sale bonus. YES. That means you can get an EXTRA 5% discount on top of our 25% off deal specifically for our overflow of The Arrow and the Alder.

Use the code ARROW30 for a 30% of ANY edition of The Arrow and the Alder.

While it’s not a sale, we do have an opportunity upcoming for you to read a book for FREE! Starting on February 24th, Fangs, Fate, And Mondays, Hayley Reese Chow’s next release, will be available on NetGalley. If you want to read the book early, and help us out by leaving a review, this is your chance!


Speaking of, we’ve got loads of upcoming buzz for our new releases in March. Mark your calendars so you don’t miss out:

  • New Whimsical Novella Title Reveal – March 3rd
  • The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe Release Date – March 17th
  • Author Live Chat with Kaitlyn Carter Brown – March 30th
  • New Whimsical Novella Cover Reveal – March 31st

If you’ve read all the way to the end, you deserve a cup of hot cocoa. 

Thank you all so much for supporting our journey thus far. We’re a small team and we appreciate and see all your comments, messages, and orders. As a family run press, it means the world!

Until next time,
Whimsical Publishing 🩷🦩

Fangs, Fate, And Updates With Your Favorite Small Press 💌

Greetings Gentle Reader from the Land of Whimsical!

We’re here to grace your inbox with some exciting news and updates! We hope everyone’s been cozy and warm these past few weeks. It’s been busy over here as we hurry to get you new gorgeous editions of your favorites and put together what we hope will be your next five star read. 

In this newsletter, you’ll find:

  • How and where to order Fangs, Fate, & Mondays (and when to read it for free on NetGalley!)
  • What makes a Small Press Different than a Big 5 Publisher
  • Fangs, Fate, & Mondays Author Interview TONIGHT @ Whimsical Publishing Instagram 

Starting with this newsletter, we’ve decided to throw it back to the blogging days! Each newsletter will contain a small blog style article giving you an inside look on all things books and publishing from our Whimsical perspective. Read on to learn more!


Fangs, Fate, & Mondays is up for preorder!

Yep! You heard that right. You can now order Hayley Reese Chow’s next novel HERE for the exclusive edition, and/or on Amazon for the eBook!

Look at that gorgeous cover by our very own Micheline Ryckman. We’re absolutely obsessed with all the details! If you need a refresher on what this delightful, fantasy-genre-blend novel is about, here’s the blurb:

In Azalea Springs, a family curse just means more paperwork.

After her best friend was murdered, Dessa Blue McKinney swore she’d never return to the paranormal town of Azalea Springs. But after she walks in on her fiancé cheating with her business partner, she has nowhere else to go but home. Desperate for a distraction, she agrees to fill in at her uncle’s Paranormal Intermediary Office until she decides what to do with her life. But when the new intern is the handsome golden boy of the most notorious family in town and her dead friend’s sister goes missing, old secrets bubble to the surface, and the past may not be so willing to let her go.


Meanwhile, perpetual screw-up, Jamison Kane, is reeling from his role as the primary suspect in a triple homicide and the brand-new bearer of a family curse. When Dessa’s uncle offers him an internship to search for a cure, he reluctantly agrees—and totally not because Dessa was his high school crush. The job description? Keep the werewolves and vampires from tearing each other’s throats out, solve the missing persons case, and don’t fall in love with Dessa McKinney.

It definitely sounds like a Monday, but at least in this office, the coffee really is magical.

Enticed by the plot? Now, can we dangle this beautiful exclusive edition in your face. Look at these absolutely gorgeous sprayed edges and case laminate artwork by Micheline Ryckman and Keri Manlet!

If that doesn’t get you, we also have these amazing preorder incentives right alongside it! I mean look at that adorable little sticker? And the art work (swooning)? But remember, these are only available until May 26 2026.

Snag your preorder now!

What’s The Difference Between A Small Press And A Big Five Publisher?

Out in the world of publishing, there are hundreds of different kinds of publishers. Some that only publish picture books, others that take every genre on the face of the earth, some that publish three books a year and others that publish three hundred books a year.

Both strive to publish the highest quality stories.

So what makes a publisher considered a small press versus a Big Five Publisher? 

Distribution is a key factor between both. Did you know there’s actually different companies responsible for getting books out? And each of those companies have different reach? Bigger publishers partner with bigger distributors. 

Bookstores, like Barnes and Noble, tend to be picky on what books they stock and therefore, prioritize books from certain distributors over others. Books with bigger publishers have an advantage and a higher chance of getting placed in bookstores.

Small presses typically partner with smaller distributors, such an IngramSpark or handle distribution themselves from their own personal warehouse! This still allows them to get their books distributed widely online, but they have to work a little harder to be noticed by bookstores and aren’t often prioritized when libraries and bookstores stock new books. You can help these odds by requesting books from your favorite small presses at your local library or favorite bookstore!

Budget and Teams are often bigger at a bigger publisher, which can have its ups and downs. While this means more money might be invested in a book and most authors get advances, it also means they can acquire more books and only a few can be selected as “lead titles” (books that are often given the most marketing budget and attention). 

At a small press, they work with much smaller teams (for example, at Whimsical our team is only 5 people!) and budgets. Because of this, small presses can only take a few manuscripts on per year, but are able to invest more equal time, energy, and money into each one. While big publishers often have more resources in terms of publicity and marketing, and have teams dedicated to that sole task, small presses have to take it all on their own and marketing support can vary greatly from publisher to publisher. Small presses rely heavily on reader support to be great (huge thank you to all are readers!)

Both strive to put out the best stories possible! Both are entirely valid paths for publications. Both handle everything from covers to editing and strive to get the best possible version into the hands of readers.


Tune In TONIGHT on Whimsical Publishing’s InstagramFor A Live Chat With Hayley Reese Chow!

Tonight Whimsical’s owner, Hannah Greentree, will be hosting a book giveaway and interviewing our very own Hayley Reese Chow, author of Into The Churn and upcoming Fangs, Fate, and Mondays on livestream at 7PM MST / 8PM CST). Live on the Whimsical Publishing Instagram (@whimsicalpublishing).

(Psst, we will be doing a giveaway of a copy of Into The Churn during the live)!!

Join us for a fun chat AND for a chance to win the giveaway!


Make sure to mark your calendar for these upcoming Whimsical dates! We have a lot more in store for you all this year. 

  • New Whimsical Classic Reveal – February 17th
  • Fangs, Fate, & Mondays goes live on NetGalley – February 24th
  • New Instanolde Novella Title Reveal – March 3rd 
  • The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe Release Date – March 17th 
  • Alice In Wonderland Release Date – April 21st

If you’ve read all the way to the end, you deserve a cup of hot cocoa. 

Thank you all so much for supporting our journey thus far. We’re a small team and we appreciate and see all your comments, messages, and orders. As a family run press, it means the world!

Until next time,
Whimsical Publishing 🩷🦩

Good, better, and something only a little sad.

What’s been going on with me at Whimsical:
Writing

Lots of projects are in the works. I’m still plucking away at Toff’s TMS spin-off, Charting Stars 2, and the Sleeping Beauty retelling I’m co-authoring with my lovely friend Bryn Shutt. I love writing, but at the same time, sometimes I wish I could just snap my fingers and have a complete storyin your hand now! Just know there are a lot of fun things in progess.

Illustrating

I’m still dealing with a relapse of my arm injury, so illustrating isn’t happening as much as I’d like right now. I do have some commissions from a while back that I’m able to share now so be on the lookout for those on social media. And attached here is a little sneaky peek, one you won’t see on social media, it’s a detail of a work-in-progress fan art that I was painting of Harper and Rhen from Brigid Kemmerer’s ACSDAL before my arm relapsed. I look forward to finishing it once I’m finally better!

Publishing

Just a few more days until the release of WE COULD BE VILLAINS! I’m so excited for this book to be out in the world. It’s such a fun adventure. In addition to that, we’re also hard at work behind the scenes with Hayley Reese Chow’s Sci-fi action romance that I’m just bursting to share more details about soon!


This is a small up close detail of a fan art that I can’t wait to finish once I’m healed again of Brigid Kemmerer’s Rhen and Harper from ACSDAL. Hope you find this sneak peek fun!

 


WE COULD BE VILLAINS
kindle sale!

We Could Be Villains by Megan McCullough in ONE WEEK! Are you as excited as I am?! To celebrate, the Kindle version is on sale for only 99 cents on Amazon! But hurry, this deal is only valid until the book releases on October 3rd.

And don’t forget you can still pre-order a paperback copy from my website, which is the only way to get the pre-order goodies, including a signed bookplate designed by Megan herself!


We Could Be Villains
Read-a-Long


To celebrate the launch of Megan’s WCBV, @literaryfaery will be hosting a read-a-long on Instagram beginning on October 7th. Be sure to watch her Instagram for details coming very soon. There will be weekly check-ins and there might even be prizes involved. 😉


I will be going LIVE with Megan Mccullough on Instagram on October 1, 2022 at 5pm PST. We’ll be chatting about writing, publishing, and all things
We Could be Villains!
I hope you’ll join us!


Discontinuing merch is still on sale!


As a reminder, I’m no longer going to be stocking headbands, totes, or mugs in the shop, so whatever’s still there is all there is! If you’ve been eying something, you better hurry over and grab it now!

Stock of these items is ALMOST GONE. At the time of this newsletter, there are only (3) Maiden Ship Compass tote bags, (3) Scarlett headbands, (5) Maiden Ship compass headbands, and (2) Charting Stars mugs!

These products are 50% OFF the lowest listed price. Use code CLEAROUT at checkout.


Charting Stars Rebrand will be delayed

This is the “little sad” part. We’re still planning to re-launch Charting Stars with an exciting new cover, but plans have been slightly altered and it’s a better fit to re-release it later. We will keep the Street Team sign-ups open, however, so if it’s something you are interested in, please complete this Google Forms questionnaire. All street team members will receive a Kindle edition of the book for free!

BIG NEWS & BIG SAVINGS!

On a daily basis, I receive messages about shipping costs, and it’s always been disheartening to know there are those who would buy from the shop if shipping costs were more affordable. Living in such a rural area of Canada, my shipping options are severely limited and I offer everything I can, but the costs to send my products to the US and international customers are extremely expensive. Until now, there hasn’t been anything within my control that I could do about shipping.

But now….

I am now able to offer significantly reduced shipping costs (with tracking!) for all international customers, US included! 

Not long ago, I introduced you to my assistant Christina. I’m delighted to announce that she will be my distributor for ALL international orders!

What does this mean? It means your orders will get to you faster AND will be much more affordable! If you have questions, please check the FAQs below, and if your question isn’t answered, please reply to this email! I hope you’re all as excited by this as we are!

Frequently Asked Questions
How much is it?
Pricing will still vary depending on what products you order and where they will be shipped, but I can guarantee shipping is now significantly less expensive for any customer outside Canada!
Remember that even though we have new shipping rates for international and US customers, ALL shipping costs are displayed in CAD, not USD, but because the CAD is much lower than US and euro, you will see savings when the exchange is process via Paypal.

Does this include tracking?
Yes! All international (including US) orders will include tracking now. The only untracked shipping option will be for orders within Canada.

US has media mail shipping – what’s that?
Media mail is a specialty shipping rate exclusively for things like books, DVDs, newsprint, etc. It is drastically discounted from regular mail costs, but it can ONLY be used for books! If you’re ordering other items in addition to the books, it’s more cost-effective for you to order the book(s) with media mail and order the other items using first-class shipping. You’re also welcome to order everything together – just select Priority Mail at checkout.

What about the pretty tissue paper and other personal touches?
Not to worry! Even though I now have a distributor, it’s not a warehouse. Christina will be packing all US & international orders with care. Books will still be wrapped, signed bookplates will still be included, and all the extras you’ve come to expect from my shop.