The Selection Series

     There’ve been some misunderstandings about exactly how many books will be in the series, when they’re out, and what they even are. I try to keep people updated as best I can, so I’m making this post for reference. Hope this helps!

     There will be, in total, five full-length novels in the Selection world:

• The Selection (2012)
• The Elite (2013)
• The One (2014)
• The Heir (2015)
• The Untitled Fifth Book (2016)

     The first three are from America’s perspective, and the final two are from her daughter, Eadlyn’s.

     There will also be a companion to the Selection Series entitled Happily Ever After which will be out October 2015. The contents of Happily Ever After are as follows:

• The Prince (with the two bonus chapters), Maxon’s novella
• The Guard, Aspen’s novella
• The Queen, Amberly’s novella
• The Favorite, Marlee’s novella
• Three scenes from Celeste’s POV
• Lucy’s scene (bonus scene from The One)
• The bonus epilogue
• Where are they now?
• A map
• Various illustrations

     These will be ALL the works I make related to the Selection world. I have plans for other books (including the totally revamped version of The Siren that will be out in early 2016) and some other things I’m playing with. So this isn’t the end of my books period… just the ones in Illéa. Feel free to leave questions, and I’ll try to make this post as complete as possible. Thanks!

Why your preorder was cancelled

Okay, if you are one of my very faithful readers, then you’ve probably already preordered The Favorite or The Selection Stories: The Queen and The Favorite, which were due out March 2015. And there’s a chance that you’ve gotten a notice that your preorder is cancelled, which is weird, yeah? So let me explain.

Yes, your preorder has been cancelled because the e-book of The Favorite and the paperback bind up of The Queen and The Favorite are no longer happening. At least, not in March. Why? Good question. One of the great things about the world of The Selection is that the more time I spend with it, the better it gets. It was amazing (if not a little weird) to see a young Clarkson through Amberly’s eyes, and it was a special opportunity for me to show you just how hard Aspen was fighting for America in his own words. America, Marlee, Maxon, Aspen, and Amberly have all gotten to take a turn sharing their voice, but recently, I felt there was one more character I wanted to give just a tiny, itty bitty, little moment to: Celeste.

With the timing of everything, a few things had to be rethought, and my hope was that you’d be able to have all the stories, in print, in one place. So, instead of simply getting The Favorite in March, in OCTOBER you will be getting a HARDBACK bind up with the following:

• The extended version of The Prince
• The Guard
• The Queen
• The Favorite
• Three scenes with Celeste (that I still need to name... hmm.)
• The second epilogue to The One
• Some other stuff
• Oh, and did I mention that this will be illustrated?

So, yeah, the awesomeness is being delayed. But it means that you will get bonus awesomeness. I know it’s still a bit of a wait for The Heir, but don’t worry! There will be plenty to talk about between now and then, and I hope your wait for the new (title-less) hardback will be worth it. Leave questions in the comments ,and I will try to update on Friday!

Happy New Year!

UPDATE 01/02/15

Yes! The Favorite will still be released as an ebook! It will be released at the same time as the hardbound book, so you will all get it at the same time, but not be forced to buy books you already own.

No! The date for The Heir is NOT being pushed back. Still coming out May 5, 2015!

Celeste is NOT getting a full novella. It's three scenes across the series from her perspective. One made me cry. I miss that girl!

I don't have a full list of the other content at the moment. We're picking a choosing things. More soon!

The epilogue is the same one you read at MoreSelection.com, just in print now. And this is the same version of The Prince that is in The Selection Stories: The Prince and The Guard, which has 2 more chapters than the e-version.

Yes! Eventually this will be out in paperback, so if you want to wait so it matches the rest of your set, no worries.

If you haven't preordered anything yet, you can still get this. It will be available in October.

I'm assuming this will all be available as an ebook as well in October. Not sure how illustrations will translate (I don't really eread, so I don't know much about it) but I will keep you posted on this one.

No! I'm not illustrating! And no news as to who is or what exactly will be illustrated. Updates on that once it's available.

International readers! You will (probably) get this in some form or another. Several countries already bought the rights to the two new novellas, so we're scrambling to change wording/deals and make sure you get everything. That stuff is out of my hands! I'll keep you posted.

No, I don't think there will be any more novellas or short stories after this. I think I'll be done.

Finally, this was done in partnership with my publisher. I don't make all the calls, and I'm certainly not trying to rip you off. If you feel uncomfortable buying the new book, I encourage you to borrow it from a library or friend. I respect that.

Things You Must Know About The Heir

First of all, if you've somehow missed my screaming today, let me inform you that THE HEIR HAS A COVER AHHHHHH! Head over to Entertainment Weekly to see it in all its glory!

Second, you now know our heir's name! It's Eadlyn. There's already been a little confusion, so let me help you out here: It's prounounced EED-len. And, yes, Eadlyn is telling the story. If you look at the cover (and watch the awesome video of how it was made) you can kind of see that she is not the same girl her mother was walking into this situation. It's strange getting used to a new voice, but I love her for all that she is, and I hope you will as well.

Third, and this is brand new information as of this second... her twin brother is named Ahren. If you're confused on this one, too, it's pronounced AIR-en... like Aaron or Erin, but not. And Ahren, well, he may be Eadlyn's twin, but he is not her mirror, if that makes any sense.

And fourth, I have been hearing from you all day "Girls weren't supposed to have Selections!" "I thought she was supposed to marry a prince!" and tons of other different thoughts on the cover info. And, yes, that's true. So don't you want to know how Maxon and America's daughter ended up in this position? May 5, 2015, guys. I'm nervous and excited. More info to come over the next few months, I'm sure. EEP!

Prequel Time!

I get questions about a lot of the other women in America Singer's life. The maids (of course), Marlee, and (one my personal faves) Queen Amberly. It seems to be quite a mystery to most of us how such a wonderful woman could have ended up with Clarkson. But soon, you'll all know the answer! We're taking you back to the last Selection to see Amberly's story unfold in a new novella!

Descrption for The Queen:

Before America Singer’s story began, another girl came to the palace to compete for the hand of a different prince….

Don’t miss this digital original novella set in the captivating world of Kiera Cass’s #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series. This prequel story takes place before the events of The Selection and is told from the point of view of Prince Maxon’s mother, Amberly. Discover a whole new Selection with this inside look at how Maxon’s parents met—and how an ordinary girl named Amberly became a beloved queen.

HarperTeen Impulse is a digital imprint focused on young adult short stories and novellas, with new releases the first Tuesday of each month.

Final Thoughts

It's only a few short hours away. Here are some final thoughts as The One comes out. Hope you enjoy it!

First Review for The One

It's barely two months until The One hits shelves, and I know you guys are always aching to hear more news about it. Well, I just got the first review back from Publishers Weekly. This is what they had to say:

"America is as willful and defiant as ever, making her both a target of King Clarkson’s wrath and the darling of the people of Illea. She and Maxon continue to butt heads even as the chemistry between them remains palpable."

Want to read everything they had to say? Check out the full review here!

I'm Coming to Brazil!

I’m so excited to finally announce that I’M COMING TO BRAZIL! I’ll be at the FLICA Book Festival on October 25^th! I will also be heading to Sao Paulo around that time as well. I don’t have any info on specific events or signings at the moment, but as soon as the plans become more solid, I’ll share.

For now, please refer to the FLICA web site for any questions you have, and I will probably have more updates once I get back from the Philippines. One trip at a time!

That said, I seriously can’t wait to come. My Brazilian fans have been some of my most enthusiastic, and I cannot wait to meet/hug you. See you in October!

ANNOUNCING! Selection Stories: The Prince & The Guard

You guys asked, and we delivered! I’m stoked to announce The Selection Stories: The Prince and The Guard AND The Guard coming to you February 4th, 2014! The Guard is another e-novella, this time telling part of The Elite from Aspen’s point of view. I feel like Aspen gets misunderstood a lot, so I can’t wait for you to see America through his eyes.

Coming out simultaneously with the e-novella is The Selection Stories. Now, this will contain both The Prince and The Guard in printed format, a sneak peek at The One, as well as some deeper information on the entire series compiled by yours truly! So many of you have asked if Maxon’s story would be made available in paperback, and now it will be right along with Aspen’s. But, if you’re happy with your e-copy, and only want to get The Guard, that option is out there, too!

I’m really excited about all this, and I can’t wait to share every last scrap of information I can before The One comes out May 6^th. Hope you guys like it!

Pre-order Selection Stories here!

Or pre-order The Guard here!

I'm coming to the Philippines!

Ahh! I’m so thrilled to finally announce that I am coming to the Philippines this August! I’ve been sitting on this news a while, ABSOLUTELY dying to tell you all about it. I’ll be in Manila on August 3 and Cebu on August 4, so if you’re in the area, please come out and see me (and Callaway). I have to give a massive thank you to the wonderful people at National Bookstore for putting on these events and for being so helpful in organizing everything over the last few months. Even though I’m TERRIFIED about the flights, I can’t wait to see you there. My readers in the Philippines have been some of my sweetest, so I’m packing extra hugs for you guys. If you have questions, I’ll try to find answers for you as soon as I can.  Otherwise, see you next month!

RSVP to the events on Facebook here!

UPDATE: Read the FAQ!

#songscenematchup

THE ELITE has been out about 6 whole weeks now. And I’m shocked by how well some of you already know the details of the book! But my question to you is this: Could you identify a detail from an outside source? Specifically… a song?

Next Monday, June 10 at 4PM EST, I will be playing a little game with you guys via twitter. I will share (probably) a youtube link to one of the songs on the playlist for THE ELITE. Your job will be to respond with the proper chapter/scene. For instance, if the song was what I imagined in the background of Maxon and America in the garden stargazing, you would answer “Chapter 1, Maxon & America’s date!”… or something like that.

In return for your skillz, I will be giving you some pretty exclusive things including foreign editions of THE SELECTION, international swag, and probably some random stuff I have sitting around my office because that’s how I roll. Long story short: you can’t get this stuff anywhere else.

RULES! First, sorry, this is open to US residents only. But, yes, if you have a mailing address in the States, you can participate. Second, this will take place ONLY on twitter. So even if you posted a complete list of answers on facebook, you don’t win. Sorry. Three, you are only allowed to win ONE of the scene/song matchup prizes. And four, the winner will be the first correct tweet replied to me. No hashtag required, no runner ups. As to how many chance you’ll have… I don’t know. I’m thinking of doing 5 songs at the moment, but I haven’t finalized them, so we’ll see.

If you have any questions, feel free to tweet them at me, and I’ll retweet answers as necessary. I’m really excited about this, guys. I know you all know how important music is to me when I work, so I’m hoping this will be a fun way to start sharing the playlist and give you some well-earned goodies.

Official Update on THE ONE

Okay, so this may not* be the cover art for the final book in The Selection Trilogy, but I do have some real news for you guys. We have a release date!

THE ONE will be out May 6, 2014.

Now, I know what you're thinking: KIERA, THAT'S MORE THAN A YEAR AFTER THE ELITE. Yes, that is true. Congrats on mastering your calendar! But I promise there will be plenty of goodies between now and then to keep you excited. And sometimes these things change, and if this happens to, I'll make sure you know ASAP!

*is totally not.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's a little gift from me to you. I promised a LONG time ago, I'd share some deleted bits from The Selection... Well, here they are. You'll find them saved under the bonus content for The Selection on the Books page so you can go back and read (and comment on) them whenever you like.  

It's a bit embarrassing to share them as they are unedited and kind of crappy, but I think it helps for you guys to see that not every line you dream up has to make its way to the final version of the book. I hope you enjoy and don't laugh at me too hard!

The Pilot!

Some of you may have heard yesterday that the CW picked up The Selection as one of its new pilots for the season! At this point, there's still very little else known, but it seems to be confirmed that Aimee is no longer available to play America. I'm sad to lose her, but I can't wait to see what new faces will come to the cast. I'll be updating as new info comes along.

Please remember that this doesn't mean the show will make it to air. Just like last year, they could go through the whole process and still not pick it up. But we can cross our fingers together and see what happens!

Think happy thoughts, keeks!

Early Elite Goodies (& stuff about The Prince!)

So you want to read a bit of The Elite? Well, I don’t blame you. Because it’s awesome. And the lovely people over at HarperTeen agree! So, here’s the deal, if you buy the paperback version of The Selection (due out March 26^th), it comes with the first chapter of The Elite! I know, right? But it gets even better.

Maybe you already have copy of The Selection and would like to read even MORE of The Elite EARLIER than March 26^th. Well, cool. If you order my e-novella, The Prince (due out March 5^th), it comes with the first TWO chapters.

A reminder! The Prince will only be available in e-format. If you do not have an e-reader, you can still access it on a computer or with something like a Kindle or Nook app on your phone or tablet.

Oh, and can we just talk for a minute about the summary for The Prince? Just deal with this for a second:

Before thirty-five girls were chosen to compete in the Selection . . .

Before Aspen broke America's heart . . .

There was another girl in Prince Maxon's life. . .  

Don't miss this thrilling 128-page original novella set in the world of the New York Times bestselling novel The Selection. Also features a teaser to The Elite, Kiera Cass's hotly anticipated sequel to The Selection.

To summarize: In less than two months, you will be able to have a portion of The Selection told through Maxon’s POV via The Prince AND read the first two chapters of The Elite. Pre-order, baby! Pre-order!

Pilot Update!

Hey, I just wanted to confirm the rumors. Yesterday, Spoiler TV announced that The Selection reshoots were starting early next year, and that’s true. I haven’t seen the new script yet, but I’m sure that will come about in the next few months. Also coming this fall will be announcements about the new cast. As far as I know, the only person confirmed to stay is Aimee, who played America. Trust me, I’m just as curious as you are to see the new faces coming to the show, and I’ll do my best to keep you updated.

I just want to remind you guys that the pilot being reshot doesn’t mean there will necessarily be a show. The CW could still pass on the reworked pilot. However, if it does work out, The Selection should air sometime next spring or summer. Stay tuned!

Name Contest!

Watch the video to learn how you can get your name into the third book of The Selection trilogy!

The Prince

Alright, I want to make things official about The Prince. The Prince is a novella I wrote to accompany The Selection Trilogy. It’s basically a short story that takes place within the timeline of the first book. The Prince came about mostly because of my wonderful editor, Erica Sussman. As we were editing The Selection, she asked all these fantastic questions. Some of them led me to start looking at things the way other people in the stories would see them. In the end, I wrote two scenes from different POVs, one from Aspen’s and one from Maxon’s.

The Prince is taking that scene from Maxon’s perspective and elaborating on it. If you’ve ever wondered what the whole Selection thing looks like through his eyes, then I think you’ll really love this. It will be out exclusively in e-format (which, if you don’t have an e-reader, you can still access on your computer) and should be released March 5, 2013, just before The Selection comes out in paperback. I seriously can’t wait to share. I’m almost as excited about you guys having this as I am about handing over The Elite next April!

FAQs, Novellas & Other Cool Things!

First: As I've been going through the reader mail and doing Question Monday on twitter, a lot of the same things come up. I thought it'd help to have those all collected in one place, so we now have a FAQ page! I'm sure it will grow, but if you're looking for general stuff, it's a good place to start.

Second: The novella has a title! It's called *drum roll* THE PRINCE! More info on this very soon.

Third: As you all know, I self-published The Siren back in 2009. Turns out it's recently become a bestseller with my publisher, iUniverse! I can only attribute that you guys, so thank you!

And Fourth: There have been a few updates over on the Events page. Stay tuned because it looks like I'll be touring next spring! Woot!

Secret Project!

So, since it’s listed on Amazon and GoodReads, I figure it’s okay to go ahead and tell you about my current secret project! I’m working on a Selection-related novella! The novella will be out in March (I think), and will only available in an e-format. I can’t tell you anything about the content, but I will tell you this:

The novella takes place within the timeline of the first book.

Cool Things

Okay, a few things. First, yes, we have power again and are safe and sound! Thanks for all your concern over the last few days.

Second, in case you missed it, The Selection is heading to China! As with most of the translations, I'm not sure when it will be there, but I'm working on that. Honest!

And third, The Selection Series Facebook page posted the playlist for The Selection! A few quick notes about this: What You Wish For by Guster is on there twice, but it's only in the playlist once. And there are two songs on the list that playlist.com didn't have, but I wanted you to know they were in there: It's a Disaster by OK Go, and Spinning by Jack's Mannequin. I hope you have fun lining up songs and scenes!

In not exactly an update news, I'm hoping to share some info about the CW pilot soon. I have to get the ok from some peeps first!

And... that's it. This time next week, I'll be snuggling with Zuzu! Wahooooo!