Announcement on the Future of Burn and Sequels to Withered + Sere
So, this sucks to have to write, but it's a reality I think all authors face at one point or another.
I have been so damn fortunate in that my books tend to sell really well. It's humbling and awesome that people like what I write, and I truly appreciate the position it's put me in.
However, not everything meets expectations, which can be humbling in itself. I have never thought myself better than any other MM author; in fact, I think there is room for anyone that wants to tell a story.
Bluntly: Withered + Sere and Crisped + Sere haven't sold like I expected. Therefore, there will be no more books in that series, even though the end note in C+S says there will be. It's disappointing, as I truly thought I'd built up enough trust for my readers to follow. And that, of course, is on me, not those who buy my books. You have the right to buy whatever you wish; after all, it is your hard earned money. But since this is now my sole source of income, I have make the hard decisions as to what I put my time into. W+S and C+S took two years to write, and I don't know that I can take such time again on a single work. It's rough, but it's reality. Risk sometimes yield reward; other times, it does not. Which means, for the first time, I'm going to have to weigh what I write with what will sell. And that's unfortunate, but again, reality. And it explains the lack of promotion I did for C+S, seeing as how W+S didn't sell as much as I thought it would. I tried to force myself to engage, but in my heart, I'd already written it off as a loss, and that's hard to overcome.
Along with that, it means there will be no Burn 2. The reason is that any sequel was also going to be published by Dreamspinner Press Publications (who did W+S and C+S), and again, I don't believe it would be financially successful enough for the time I put into it. I was initially sold on the idea of Dreamspinner Press Publications in that it was meant for more literature driven stories, where there would be reviews in places such as Publisher's Weekly and Library Journal, but that never happened. The books did not get promoted outside of the usual places (and THANK YOU for those that did, you guys are truly the best).
I'm sorry to those who have waited for a sequel. I didn't come to this decision lightly, nor do I do it from a place of anger or self-pity. I write for a living, which means I have to make a living doing it. Comedies sell. Werewolves sell. Kids sell. Risks sometimes do too. But sometimes they don't. And that's okay.
You lick your wounds, and then get back up and try, try, try again.
TJ Klune
Comments from the old website:
Jennifer Gomez
I am saddened that there will not be more Burn really love the book, it made me feel so many things and I can tell you that in the end along with them my heart was broken. I understand your reasons and tell you that it will be unforgettable.
Melissa S
I’ve read about five (six?) of your books, and it’s become a bit of an addiction. I just picked up Into This River the other day and finished it within the day, I simply couldn’t stop. Most of your books are like that, frankly. And I became intrigued with the spin off storyline of Burn (quite the enchanting nudge), and so started Burn when I was done. I’m almost at the end. Felix has warned and warned me, and now knowing there won’t be a sequel: should I stop, before my heart is broken and I’m unable to understand what Micheal was referring to? Am I even strong enough to stop? To finish? Ugh. I don’t know. But thank you, truly, for letting your readers know. That’s very thoughtful and respectful of you. I’m still going to start Withered anyway, but at least I’ll know going into it not to expect a true ‘ending’.
Looking forward to Bones though! :)
Lily
I just wanted to come here and say that I loved these books. I found them disturbing and frightening, but also beautiful and redemptive. I completely understand your reasons for not writing a 3rd book, but I'm very grateful for the 2 you did.
Kayla
I am....insanely heartbroken. I know I'm late to discover this post, but it is still really really hard for me to accept and it'll probably be years before I'm over it. I know that being an author means you can't just write whatever you want to write and I apologize for being a selfish reader.
I have been looking forward to the sequel to Burn since I finished it. I talked about Felix and Seven and the angst and the drama and the glorious writing and the mystery to my mom throughout high school and even into the first two years of college. I even insisted I name one of our cats Felix because I wanted to hold on to that thread of hope that I could find out where they were going next and keep being patient. Honestly some days it felt like Burn gave me a lot of inspiration to keep positive and chase whatever dreams I had. My mom always knows when I'm about to bring it up. It was just...amazing. One of my all time favorite stories.
Thank you for everything. I'm sorry that it's not feasible for you to finish it.
I'll think about Felix and Seven for the rest of my days.
