Former Indie Author Settles At Gallery (That’s Me!)

From Publishers Weekly:

Ania Ahlborn has signed a world English rights deal with Simon & Schuster’s Gallery Books imprint for three books and two e-novellas. Ed Schlesinger acquired the works from Inkwell Management’s David Hale Smith. Ahlborn self-published her novel Seed in 2011; Gallery said the author has since been dubbed by fans as “the female Stephen King.” After self-publishing, Ahlborn signed with Amazon Publishing, selling Seed and three additional novels to imprints at the division; her novel The Bird Eater was published by 47North this month.

First off, I’ve been keeping this news to myself for nearly six months, six MONTHS! You can imagine how crazy difficult it’s been to keep my mouth shut. I’m a sharer. I tell you guys everything. Well, finally, I can blabber on and on about how totally crazy excited I am about signing a publishing deal with Simon & Schuster’s (!!!!) Gallery Books. Publishing my books with Amazon’s 47North and Thomas & Mercer has been incredible, and the folks at Amazon (specifically, Terry Goodwin) will forever be my heroes… the ones who let a little indie street urchin slip through the door and gave me a home. However, as both readers and authors alike know, times they are a-changin’, and as Bryan Adams assured you in the 90’s (over and over and over again until you could no longer stand the radio)… everything I do, I do it for you. Look into my eyes.

Okay, fine. I did it a little for me, too. Simon & Schuster is a big deal in its own right, but to me it’s even more so. As some of you may know, my writerly soul-mentor Stephen King publishes with Scribner, which is also a division of Simon & Schuster. Just recently, he threw out a blurb for a book published with Gallery. I mean, he runs in the same circles, people. :shakes you by the shoulders: Do you realize what this means?!

Ahem. Sorry. I just… I get really… you know… freaked out by that. But, that’s the news! :does a little jig:

And as always, my tireless thanks to you guys, my readers, whom without this kind of crazy amazing stuff would never happen. Look how far we’ve come together. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways…

P.S. The whole “female Stephen King” thing is kind of terrifying, honestly. First off, I’m not that good. Second, it’s probably going to make some people immediately loathe me, because how dare I call myself that (when it isn’t me who’s calling myself that)? You all will protect me from the angry mob, right? Pitchforks at the ready!