mjgauthor
Marc J Gregson
NYT bestselling author. English teacher
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Some of the comp titles and inspiration for Sky's End!
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I'm still celebrating because this is one of the coolest and most amazing things to ever happen to me.
That burst of excitement, the squeeze in my gut, when I realized we made it to the NYT list...
Pure magic.
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I'm so pleased to announce that Sky's End got ANOTHER starred review. This time coming from the amazing BookPage.
This review genuinely brought a smile to my face and I'm completely thrilled and excited.
I'm also feeling grateful and just embarassed by all the amazing reviews Sky's End has been getting. It has a starred review from heavyweights like Kirkus, Booklist, and now BookPage. Furthermore, it has been selected by booksellers as an Indie Next Pick for Jan/Feb 2024. And if you go to B&N, you can read a bookseller's praiseworthy blurb for Sky's End.
I am living a dream.
We're in the final stretch, guys. Sky's End is launching on January 2nd, 2024 from Peachtree Teen.
Get those pre-orders in, and get ready.
Rise like your ancestors. Rise.
-MJG
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Sky's End's journey to publication:
2015: First idea for Sky's End. Wrote a sample chapter but was working on a different book.
2017: Wrote and sent the first version of Sky's End to agents. Got super close to landing an agent, but sadly, they all passed.
2018: Started teaching, but periodically worked on revisions for Sky's End, and tried sending it again. Same as before. Close, but no thanks.
2020: Multiple agents became VERY interested after I sent out Sky's End again. I signed with my agent in April 2020. Received edits back for the book, but we thought another book was closer for publishers to look at. Started edits for Sky's End in December 2020.
2021: Revised and rewrote first 100 pages and last 80 pages. Changed the entire book to present tense. Rewrote entire scenes and generally improved the book. Sent to agent in May. Got edits in July. Then, my agent sent Sky's End out to publishers in August 2021.
2022: The year that changed my life. On January 18th, my agent told me Peachtree reached out to see if Sky's End was still available. We got the offer for a one-book deal a week later! I started writing the sequel, Among Serpents, in Feburary. Sent it to my agent in December.
2023: My agent sent Among Serpents and the outline for the third to Peachtree in Feburary. We got the offer for the sequels only weeks later. On May 26th, I saw Sky's End's cover for the first time with my students. The video went viral on my wife's Instagram in July 2023. Sky's End was picked up as an audiobook and in Ukraine, Spain, and Brazil.
2024: Sky's End launches into bookstores on January 2nd, 2024, officially starting my author career.
What else will happen? Who knows. I'm just thrilled to be in this position. So fortunate!
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Sky's End was rejected by SO many literary agents.
Now look at it:
📖 Trilogy book deal
⭐️ Kirkus starred review
⭐️ Booklist starred review
📘 Kids' Indie Next pick
🇺🇦 Ukraine deal
🇪🇸 Spain three book deal
🇧🇷 Brazil three book deal
🎧 Audiobook
It launches January 2nd, 2024.
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SKY'S END PRE-ORDER CAMPAIGN!
Together we will rise, or together we will fall.
Act now! The first 150 people to share their proof of preorder to [email protected] and to complete the Google Form on the top of my Linktree will get a bookplate signed by me, a specially designed letter written by me, and a holographic sticker from one of the Twelve Trades of the Skylands. I cannot wait to see which Trade Selects you! If you're Selected, please share your sticker on social media and tag me and @peachtreeteen on Instagram so we can boost your post!
If you pre-ordered with the King's English Bookshop directly, you get a signed copy of the actual book instead of a bookplate. Just make sure to share your receipt with the marketing email above.
*Open only to residents of the 50 United States, Washington, D.C., and Canada who are 18 years of age or older as of date of entry. Pre-order materials available while supplies last.
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GOODREADS BOOK GIVEAWAY!
Enter for a chance to win a physical copy of the book that Kirkus Reviews calls, "A thrilling and brilliantly realized series opener."
Sky's End is book one of a YA fantasy trilogy coming January 2nd, 2024, from Peachtree Teen. It's an action-packed thrill ride featuring a deadly competition involving skyships and gigantic, metal monsters.
https://bit.ly/40BI0Qg
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I just wanted to thank all of you for the wonderful support you've shown me, my writing journey, and my book.
It really means everything.
I've received so many heartfelt messages of support from complete strangers from across the globe, and it really has shown me how amazing people can be.
I'm often asked for advice on perseverance and sticking with it after so many rejections and years of trying and having to start over with new books. I wish there was an easy answer. For myself, it was always about fighting for my art until I exhausted all the legitimate options available, then I'd start over with a new book. I took what I learned and tried again. And again. And again.
One time, my wife asked myself if I'd still write even if I never got published. My answer was a resounding, "Yes."
I write because it makes me happy. It is an outlet for my emotions and my creativity. And, it also let's me explore awesome worlds, strange lifeforms, and build up unique societies.
It is immensely rewarding.
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I just wanted to thank all of you for the wonderful support you've shown me, my writing journey, and my book.
It really means everything.
I've received so many heartfelt messages of support from complete strangers from across the globe, and it really has shown me how amazing people can be.
I'm often asked for advice on perseverance and sticking with it after so many rejections and years of trying and having to start over with new books. I wish there was an easy answer. For myself, it was always about fighting for my art until I exhausted all the legitimate options available, then I'd start over with a new book. I took what I learned and tried again. And again. And again.
One time, my wife asked myself if I'd still write even if I never got published. My answer was a resounding, "Yes."
I write because it makes me happy. It is an outlet for my emotions and my creativity. And, it also let's me explore awesome worlds, strange lifeforms, and build up unique societies.
It is immensely rewarding.
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ICYMI, Sky's End is now available for request on NetGalley.
This is your chance to potentially get to read Sky's End months in advance.
I'm so thrilled that my book is finding its way into the hands of readers. This is why I write. I crave reader reactions and I hope people connect with these characters, this world, and this story the same way that I have.
Good luck!
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Reviews are trickling in for Sky's End, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite review quotes so far.
If you haven't already, please consider pre-ordering Sky's End, and adding it to your Goodreads TBR. I have links on my profile.
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Earlier this week, I got an email titled, “Are you sitting down?”
When I glanced at the subject, my heart leaped into my throat. What could it be? I was in the middle of teaching, so I had to wait until class ended to read the message. And I’m glad I lowered to sit down because Sky’s End received its first major trade review. And with that review came a celebrated KIRKUS STAR!
For those outside of publishing, you may not understand the significance. But for me, I sat in my chair and cackled for several seconds.
Getting the Kirkus star is very rare and only given to “books of exceptional merit.” Only about 10% of all Kirkus-reviewed books get a starred review. So, you can imagine how, as I read their review, I was positively giddy. My editor and my agent both celebrated with me over email!
From Kirkus’ review of Sky’s End:
“Gregson’s YA debut provides a skillful blend of action, suspense, and comic relief. After each airship battle, readers can barely draw breath before political intrigues turn the story on its head, but this is also a touching story of found family and personal growth.” Sky’s End is a story set “in a racially diverse world.” And is “a thrilling and brilliantly realized series opener; readers will clamor for the next installment.”
My author career launches January 2nd, 2024, when Sky’s End rockets into bookstores. This book is the culmination of a journey that started with me, as a teenager, lying on the grass in my backyard as I watched the clouds pass above, and I imagined all the stories that have yet to be told.
I can’t wait to share my story with you. On toward January!
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Sky's End fan art!
Woke up to an email from a student. She sent me this art depicting Conrad facing down a gorgantaun in my novel, Sky's End! Isn't it incredible? I love it so much. Definitely going up on the wall of Sky's End fan art in my classroom!
Sky's End is coming January 2nd, 2024 from Peachtree Teen.
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A few people have mentioned they wanted a closer look at my drawing of a gorgantaun hunt from Sky's End.
In Sky's End, Hunter Trainees are sent to compete in the Gauntlet where each crew must work together to take down these beasts that threaten the Skylands.
The Trainees use a variety of weapons: flak cannons, harpoon turrets, mobile launchers, shoulder cannons, explosive barrels, and more.
Hunting a gorgantaun is incredibly dangerous. But it's even more dangerous when you don't trust your crew.
In the Gauntlet, every Trainee desires to rise to become Captain. And if they can become Captain of the ship with the most kills by the end of the competition, they get riches AND the ship, mutiny-free, for an entire year.
Sky's End is pitched as Attack on Titan meets the Hunger Games. It is marketed as 14 & up and includes instances of Pg-13 swearing, bloody creature and human violence, and mass destruction and mayhem on an epic scale.
Sky's End is book one of a trilogy that launched January 2nd, 2024 from Peachtree Teen.
Pre-orders are open through Amazon, B&N and more. You can also pre-order signed copies through King's English Bookshop. Check my link on my profile and add Sky's End to your Goodreads!
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AUDIOBOOK!
Great news, Sky's End is now available for pre-order as an audiobook. It's on Amazon, Audible, B&N, and more! Sky's End is coming January 2nd, 2024. It will be available as hardcover, audiobook, and e-book. Check my profile for links.
Recently, I got to e-meet the audiobook producer at Penguin Random Audio and Listening Library. She mentioned that the book's runtime will likely run twelve or so hours. Also, there are other exciting things going on, but I'm going to be quiet on that front until I can share more. Stay tuned.
Sky's End Blurb:
Plummet into a kill-or-be-killed competition where a scrappy underdog hell-bent on revenge must claw his way to the top in this thrilling YA fantasy debut
Exiled to live as a Low, sixteen-year-old Conrad refuses to become heir to his murderous uncle. But Meritocracy is a harsh and unforgiving rule on the floating island of Holmstead, and when his ailing mother is killed by monstrous gorgantauns, Conrad cuts a deal to save the only family he has left. To rescue his sister from his uncle's clutches, Conrad must enter the Selection of the Twelve Trades.
Hunter, the deadliest of all the Trades, gains a fresh recruit with Conrad. Now he must endure vigorous training, manipulative peers, and the Gauntlet—a brutal final test that yields riches and status to whichever skyship crew kills the most gorgantauns. Forced to serve in the lowest of stations and unseen by all, Conrad overhears whispers of rebellion in the dark. Conrad had never known anything existed below the toxic black clouds of the Skylands . . . until now.
Grab your copy of Book One of the Above the Black trilogy today! This action-packed series is reminiscent of Attack on Titan and The Hunger Games—a great pick for fans of Pierce Brown, Scott Westerfeld, and Veronica Roth.
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I finally got to hold an early copy of my book!
I set out to get published as a teen. It only took me nearly twenty years and six books before I got a book deal. It wasn't easy. I got many rejections.
But my journey humbled me and made me a better writer. It made me so hungry for it that it was all I could think about.
I told myself I would get published even if it took my whole life to accomplish it.
Sky's End is the culmination of a lifelong dream. It is pitched as Attack on Titan meets the Hunger Games. It features a deadly competition involving skyship crews battling gigantic sky serpents. And it is coming January 2nd, 2024, from Peachtree Teen.
If you haven't already, consider adding Sky's End to your Goodreads, and pre-order today. It is available on Amazon, B&N, and more. You can also pre-order a signed copy from the King's English Bookshop in Utah.
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Publisher's Marketplace recently updated their format for book announcements, and I've not posted mine on Tumblr in a while. So, here's mine, with the cover art in the background!
Sky's End is book one of a YA fantasy set on floating islands. It features giant monsters, skyships, duels, unexpected friendships, and backstabbing traitors.
Sky's End is coming January 2nd, 2024 from Peachtree Teen.
It is available for pre-order and can be added to your Goodreads TBR!
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