Frequently Asked Questions

Product Delivery

How do I get my Ebooks?

Your ebooks will be delivered shortly after payment by Bookfunnel. Bookfunnel is a service devoted to making sure you can easily get your ebooks onto any device. Read on a vintage Kindle, on your phone, tablet, or all of the above.

Bookfunnel staff are AMAZING. If their easy to follow instructions don't work well for you, there is a number to call to speak to a live human who will walk you through the process of getting it onto any device. They are great at this. I am not. This is why I use Bookfunnel!

They also have an app where you can read on your phone and listen to any audiobooks you buy from authors using Bookfunnel. 

Unlike your purchases in the Kindle store, you own the ebook you buy from me. You aren't merely leasing it. This means if Amazon stopped selling books, all the books you have on your Kindle would disappear. In contrast if I ever stop selling ebooks (not gonna happen), you still have them for as long as you want them. 

I didn't get my Ebook. What do I do?

Check your spam folder. Sometimes the download link gets sent there.  It should take less than 10 minutes from purchase confirmation to getting your book. If you can't find it after an hour you can e-mail me and I'll get it resent: molly@mollyjstanton.com 

Shipping and Delivery of Physical Items

How long will it take for my books and other items to arrive?

When you order a book from me, it is printed just for you by Bookvault.  This is great for me because I don't have to store books. It's great for you because you'll get your book shipped the moment it prints. It's great for the planet because no books are printed that go to waste.

Because of the printing time and the fact I'm not a big guy like a major retailer, you should expect to have your book in hand in about two weeks. You will get a shipping confirmation with tracking when it ships. However if you have problems or questions, please e-mail me: molly@mollyjstanton.com.

 Why is shipping more if I ordered a book and a shirt or mug?

Generally shipping will be more with more items due to shipping being calculated on the weight of the package.  However, my books ship from Bookvault, and the other items from one of two other suppliers. Keeping shipping costs low to you is important to me, so I do my best to keep my product costs low or discounted forever, like my books, to lessen the financial outlay for the total order. 

The book and any other items will arrive separately and may ship at different times. 

Will my print books be signed?

No, unfortunately your books will not be signed unless you bought the Kickstarter Exclusive hardbacks during a Kickstarter campaign, you find me at a live event, or you bought your books during a special signed book promotion in my shop.

The reason for this is cost. For your books to be signed there is double shipping involved: to me, then to you.  I price my signed items so that you don't bear that total cost, but signed books do drive the price up for both of us. 

How the Books Are Created

Did you write these books yourself or did you hire a ghostwriter?

No ghostwriter here!  All my writing is my own.

People tell me indie books are lower quality than traditionally published books. Are your books even edited?

While I'm sure there are some poor quality books out there, the vast majority of independent writers have a team of people they hire to help with story structure (developmental editors) polishing the prose (line and copy editing), proofreading, and cover design. 

Early copies of my books are pored over by my team of Beta Readers who are book lovers like you. They read my book in its semi-edited state and give me notes about what works and doesn't work. Then I edit that Beta draft a few more times before it lands in the capable hands of Meredith Tennant, my amazing editor. 

Meredith used to be an editor for a major publishing company. She does not spare my feelings. I love her for it. So yes, my books are on par with what you'd purchase from a large publishing house. 

While I designed the covers you see in my shop, the retailer editions of my books have covers designed by Stuart Bache. Stuart has designed covers for many traditionally published authors, including Stephen King. 

Do you use generative AI?

Books 1-3 of The Last Battle of Moytura series were drafted before generative AI had market based products. I've tried generative tools for writing and even brainstorming.  Truth is, I didn't find them all that helpful with one sole exception: names. I'm rubbish at making up names, but the robots are quite good at it. So yeah, there are a few place names and character names that Claude came up with. 

I use Pro Writing Aid to do my initial edits before I send the books to my editor.  This tool has long employed 'AI'.

Before I began to write, I was a professional artist.  Sculpture, mostly, but I did do some painting and color pencil. Then carpal tunnel and later arthritis hit me hard. I had to retire from my artwork in 2015. 

I did create the illustrations and the cover designs in concert with generative tools in programs like Photoshop and Illustrator. The genesis of each piece is different. Some begin with my photos, most with sketches or just the character. Generative fill for things in the background has allowed me to create images again, and to illustrate my own books. 

Yes, I know some people are bothered by the use of these tools, but my thoughts are they are not going away.  And there IS a way to use them ethically as part of a process. Adobe in particular licensed all the work that went to train their Firefly AI that undergirds their creative suite. 

After the AI tools have their go at background fill or finishing a sketch, they go into Procreate where I work on them further.  The process is not low effort, and it's not me just typing in words to get a picture.  But it does take enough of the background work out of it that I can create images again.

Are they art?  Loaded question. Since no one ever has really fully defined art, that designation is in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I don't think they're art writ large, but that's not the purpose they serve. 

Where do your ideas come from?

 Other Questions

Where can I leave a review?

You can scroll to the bottom of the product page and leave a review.

What is the reading order?

The Last Battle of Moytura is a continuous series that must be read in order for the story to make sense.  You should read Hunted by Fae first, followed by The Cursed Land.  In 2025, book three, Escape from the Underworld, releases first on Kickstarter in a special illustrated edition. My release process is described below.

There is a prequel coming to my shop in spring 2025. This book can be read at any point in the series.

When do you release new books?

I am not a super fast writer, and I love immersive, multi-point-of-view stories so my books are longer. This means I release roughly annually. Retailers increasingly offer creatives a raw deal. They still have their place, so my core series will be available at all major places you buy books online in paperback and ebook.

I want to bring people who buy direct from me the best price and a better book. And I want to reward my early adopters with the prettiest book I can make.  The Kickstarter editions have a number of extra features like extra color illustrations, extra chapter spreads, reversible dust jacket, author's note, and a variant case lamination design.

Is there anywhere I can read more?

Yes! I share my research and modern analysis of Celtic myth along with the occasional short story on my free Substack: mollyjstanton.substack.com. You can also subscribe to my newsletter where I share more exclusive behind the scenes progress, stories, and more.  Click my logo for the main page and join with the sign-up form.