It's the Year of the Dragon and the perfect time to visit the Land of Stones with Ebby and Sofia!
With Valentine's Day (for the vals?), Galentine's Day (for the gals), and Palentine's Day (for pals) happening this month, love and friendship is on everyone's mind. In fact, there are lots of Bunderful things happening in the Land of Stones in February. In this month's newsletter it's the Year of the Dragon and we are celebrating it with our very own Dragon, Sofia. Slunj (Slune), one of the places Ebby visits in her adventures received international recognition as one of the best villages to visit in the world. It is a place worth exploring online or, even better, in person. A new deluxe softcover version of Ebby the Magnificent is now available, and there is other magnificent news from the Land of Stones.
Please Note: There was adventure in The Land of Newsletters this month! The Google required newsletter senders like me to comply with strict new policies to lessen the incidence of spam and hijacked accounts. I approached this technological challenge as intrepidly as if I had Elusive Baby Bunny blood running through my veins. But, after reading 100+ different apocalypse-sounding newsletters from giants in the industry, I opted to hire a fantastic tech-goddess to "authenticate" my website. You can now be assured my newsletters are coming to you from a verified sender--ME. In the process, I had to create a new official email address tied to my domain: jessica@jwjulian.com. All emails sent to my ebbyandjessica@gmail.com address will be automatically forwarded to my new email address, but you might want to update my contact information, just in case.
Please Help Me Test! I’d really appreciate it if you would reply to this newsletter to let me know you received it. A simple message of YES, or I GOT IT, or EBBY IS THE BEST, or I'LL TREAT FOR LUNCH is great. Of course, you can also share anything else you’d like to tell me, including suggestions for the newsletter, special merch requests, your review of Ebby, or anything else you want to say. And, of course, if you want to stop receiving these monthly newsletters, just hit the "unsubscribe" button. Thank you!
2023 was a Truly Bunny-Filled "Bunderful" Year, and 2024 has Dragons!
Completely by happenstance, Ebby the Magnificent was released in 2023 during the Chinese Year of the Rabbit. I intended a 2022 book release, but it was not ready yet. Everything came together in 2023, and it was the Year of Ebby! I have sold over 800 copies of Ebby--almost every single one of them in person! I can't begin to express the joy I feel every time a new person picks up a copy of my book and exclaims, "Wow! This book has substance! It's not what I was expecting from a 'children's book'! "If you have read Ebby, you already know this. Ebby is not just a children's book! Ebby is for everyone, regardless of age!
To make matters more magical, 2024 is the Year of the Dragon!! What better way to celebrate the Year of the Dragon than by reading about Sofia, the magical purple sea dragon in Ebby the Magnificent? I wrote the character of Sofia to be full of love and compassion, rather than in the way dragons are often depicted in Western literature. She has had an extraordinary impact on my readers, young and old, with one man telling me he "literally fell in love with" her. It's easy to see how this happened.
One of my favorite quotes from Sofia is “Sometimes the unusual one is the one most in need of love and friends. I’ve seen that happen many times before . . . . I’m often the one everyone fears. It’s hard making friends when you’re a dragon, but I will never stop trying.”
I won't stop either! To mark the Year of the Dragon and celebrate the lovely Sofia, I have created a new set of handmade art greeting cards available on my website, and soon exclusive Ebby and Sofia T-shirts will be available. Happy Year of Sofia, the Dragon!
Slunj, voted one of the most magnificent towns for tourists in the world
Readers of Ebby the Magnificent know that a portion of the book takes place in the wondrous village of "Slune." Slunj (as it is spelled in Croatian) is an actual village in Croatia and inspired me to such an extent, I made it a central part of my story. This is how I described Slunj "The houses in the village were made of brick and stone and were built on top of several rivers and waterfalls, which flowed down from the mountains." I am not the only one who was impressed by Slunj. The United Nations World Tourism Organization awarded Slunj one of the "Best Tourist Villages" from more than 260 applicants in 60 countries. This award is richly deserved! I have included two links to information about Slunj and Rastoke, where most of the waterfalls are. You won't believe your eyes.
Ebby the Magnificent is now available in a deluxe softcover version!
Ebby the Magnificent is now available in a deluxe softcover version! Printed in Croatia by the same incredible printer, Denona, who made the heirloom-quality hardcover book, the softcover version has the same qualities of the hardback, including a sewn and glued seam, heavy, high-quality paper, gorgeous, full-color images, and a map of the Land of Stones on the front and back covers so you always know where you are. The softcover version is perfect for anyone who does not want the weight and heft of the hardcover book. Available only at www.jwjulian.com and a few select independent bookstores, like White Oak Books in Vancouver, Washington.
JWJulian.com is the only place to buy print versions of Ebby the Magnificent online.
On January 13, 2024, I removed the print versions of Ebby the Magnificent from Amazon and all other online distributers. BUT you can still purchase the heirloom quality hardback and deluxe softcover book on my website, through me directly, or at a few select independent bookstores. The Print on Demand versions sold by all online distributors (including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, etc.) were of poor to average quality (they were not comparable to the books I printed in Croatia) and cost more than the books I was selling directly. Further, I received only 6% of the sales price, with Amazon or other online retailer keeping 94%!
As a self-published, independent writer, removing Ebby the Magnificent from Amazon sharply narrows the audience I can reach, (85-90% of all books are sold on Amazon), but fairness to you and me dictated this result. Although I can't compete against the "One-Click" shopping experience of Amazon, I can promise you that the extraordinary heirloom-quality books printed in Croatia will be one of the most beautiful books you will ever see and each will be personally autographed by me. If you are kind enough to recommend my book to a friend, please direct them to my website, www.jwjulian.com so I can send them their very own personally autographed copy.
You can still buy the Kindle or electronic version of Ebby on Amazon for the low price of $2.99. The electronic book is every bit as beautiful as the print versions, with the same gorgeously designed interior.
We LOVE our readers and LOVE getting reviews!!
Reviews are a great way for you to tell other people about the book and are extremely important for independent self-published authors. If you enjoyed Ebby, please consider sharing your thoughts with us, your friends, your book club, your colleagues, on Amazon, Goodreads, or wherever you write reviews. Ebby and Sofia received a review that absolutely warmed their hearts from my uncle's friend who received a copy of Ebby from him as a gift. This is what she wrote to me after ordering a copy of Ebby for her sister for Valentine's Day:
You have written a beautiful book. When it arrived as a gift from Mel, I thought what a lovely book and sat down to read a couple of pages to see what it was like and ended up reading the whole book from start to finish. I don't know when a book has affected me so much emotionally. You have written a book from the heart, and it is very touching in so many ways. Ebby is a truly lovable elusive baby Bunny, and in the course of her adventures basic human values worth having are seamlessly transmitted.
When we were little my father used to read my sister and me stories about mice and squirrels (Peter Church Mouse and Squeaky and Scamper) and I loved those stories and, to this day, the animals that were in them. I was taken back to that time when I read "Ebby, the Magnificent", and I am sure every child who reads your book will be positively affected by the little rabbit who wasn't afraid to explore the world and its inhabitants and make friends along the way. (I really got a kick out of the other bunnies playing "hide and peek" while Ebby wanted more, much more!)
I have never read a children's book like yours. It is what the world needs in all times, particularly these troubled times that we are now in. Good luck with getting it into the public domain. I will always treasure my beautiful edition. --Abbey Nazareth
Ebby the Magnificent T-shirts are coming this month!
Gorgeous new T-Shirts featuring Ebby have arrived and will be available on my website in the next week. Stay tuned for more news!
I wish you a wonderful Year of the Dragon! Happy reading and hoppy adventures!
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