Danai's Dispatch: March 2026, a breath held

Welcome to Danai's Dispatch, where I pop into your inbox once a month whenever something exciting happens, bearing gifts: VILE LADY VILLAINS updates, writing resources, short story and book roundups, and exclusive giveaways! Thank you for reading. If you haven’t subscribed already, please consider signing up below.

What do you mean, it’s time to March on?

Time goes by slowly and then all at once, fellow villain.

Last time we spoke it was January, and there was snow everywhere. Now the snow has melted (although in the Swedish forest, this can often be misleading and not permanent), the birds are singing… and the world is burning. Seriously, for the past year or so, every time I hit send on one of these dispatches I think to myself, “hopefully by the time I send the next one, I’ll have some more positive things to say about the world.” And every time, things get progressively worse. And amid all this madness, authors are somehow still beholden to promote their books, because if we don’t, then our books won’t sell and it will somehow be our fault 🙃. And especially as a marginalized author (this is even worse for BIPOC authors), I am aware how fragile things are right now.

So on that note, please excuse me while I talk about the fact that my book comes out next month in the UK, and in two months in the US and Canada.

Vile Lady Villains publication dates:

UK: April 02, 2026, from Michael Joseph (PRH UK)
US/CAN: May 12, 2026, from Union Square & Co (Hachette)
GR: June 2026, from Anubis Books

THE US cover of VLV is officially revealed

We have now officially revealed the US cover of VILE LADY VILLAINS and it’s very different from the UK one — but equally striking. Debutiful was kind enough to help us with the cover reveal, and even allowed me to write a short essay about what it feels like bringing such theatrical characters to life, and how every cover art is an act of adaptation. You can read the essay here: https://debutiful.net/2026/03/06/see-the-cover-for-vile-lady-villains-by-danai-christopoulou/ 

Also reminder that Vile Lady Villains is still available to request on NetGalley! (If you don’t know, NetGalley is a website where you can make an account and request advance copies in return for honest reviews.) You can request it both on the US and the UK site, using the buttons below. And please, if you’ve read Vile Lady Villains already leave a review on NetGalley and/or Goodreads. It really helps.

PREORDER VILE LADY VILLAINS IN THE UK/US

We’re in the final stretch now, and I know you might be thinking “why bother preordering, I can just wait a few more days and get the book then”, which is a perfectly normal thought! But unfortunately, the publishing process is not famous for its normal-ness. See, preorders are being used by publishers and booksellers as a way to gauge interest on specific titles. So if not enough people preorder VILE LADY VILLAINS, the publishers and booksellers might feel like there isn’t enough interest in the book, and thus not bother so much with stocking it in various bookshops. Which, as you may have guessed by now, will impact the book’s sales even more. LGBTQ+ and BIPOC books, especially in the US, have an even more uphill path, as certain bookstores (cough, Barnes & Noble, cough) might decide to not stock them just because.

So I know you’re sick of hearing me say this but please: if you can, preorder my book.

Did you know you can work with me as an editor/coach?

When I’m not working on my own stories, I love helping authors polish their manuscripts, queries and submission packages. I’ve been editing non-fiction (mostly articles) since 2015 and fiction since 2017. I can work on:

-your query package

-your short stories

-your manuscript (both developmental edits, and line edits/proofreading)

I’m also offering hourly author coaching sessions via Zoom, where we can discuss anything writing/publishing related you’re struggling with.

More information on my services and rates, here: https://chronovoros.com/?page_id=279 

Thank you for Marching on with me

When shall we two meet again, in thunder, lightning or in rain? Perhaps, in the next instalment of this dispatch. So I hope you’ll subscribe, if you haven't already! And maybe help my ravens spread the word by sharing it on your social media?