I’ve always been fond of DAW.

When I was a kid, DAW was one of the few publishers I recognized. I thought their logo was cool, and I remember spending an embarrassing amount of time time trying to get the initials of my name to fit together in some sort of artistic way….

Though part of that was Tolkien’s fault too.

Later in my life, after working on my fantasy trilogy for years and years, I was beginning to despair. My book was so big. Really big. Really kind of insanely big. Who would read this bloated monstrosity? Did anyone even print books this big?

Then I read The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams. My first real exposure to the genre I now think of as BFF (Big Fat Fantasy.) It was a long fantasy book. It was huge.

And there, right on the spine, was DAW’s logo.

Since then my fondness for DAW has only grown. Not only do they publish some of my favorite authors. Not only do they publish some of my favorite books. They publish my books. Call me old fashioned, but I really appreciate that sort of behavior.

The cherry on top of my adoration sundae is the fact that DAW has always been a big supporter of Worldbuilders.

This year, when we announced Worldbuilders was taking on official sponsors, DAW jumped in with both feet. They sent us hundreds of books. So many books we can’t fit them into a single blog.

Today we’re showing off the series they’ve sent us, as you can see in the pictures below, most of these have signed bookplates.

We’re running a few auctions, but the vast majority of these are going into our lottery where you can win them (and thousands of others) by donating directly to Heifer International over on our Worldbuilders Team Page.

Why would you want to donate to Heifer International, I hear you ask?

Because this.

Heifer International isn’t just about giving people goats and cows. They also train farmers to improve their crop yields, provide clean water to communities, and help little kids get an education.

That’s right folks. Your donation does all that *plus* you get a chance to win free books.

Let’s take a look….

Discount Armageddon and an ARC of Midnight Blue-Light Special. With bookplates from by Seanan Maguire.



Seanan Maguire won the Hugo award this year, so you know she’s cool.

What’s more, these copies of Midnight Blue-Light Special that DAW sent us are ARCs. They’re early copies. The book won’t be hitting the shelf until March…

That means if you win it, you get to read the book before your friends and gloat about it on Goodreads. Not that I condone that sort of behavior.

“Discount Armageddon is ultimately entertaining, light and fun. I don’t read a lot of urban fantasy, but given McGuire’s popularity, I couldn’t resist trying this for myself and despite my reservations, was pleasantly surprised.” – SF Signal

We’ve one one of these in the lottery, and one in an auction. To bid head over here.

The October Daye series. With bookplates signed by Seanan Maguire.

“Well researched, sharply told, highly atmospheric and as brutal as any pulp detective tale, this promising start to a new urban fantasy series is sure to appeal to fans of Jim Butcher or Kim Harrison.” – Publishers Weekly

Renevant Eve, Blood Spirits, and Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith.

“Recalling The Count of Monte Cristo and The Prisoner of Zenda in plot and theme, this cross-world fantasy/romance should appeal to YA and adult fans of the genre.” – Library Journal

The Inda Series by Sherwood Smith.

Y’all may recall the beautiful hand-drawn map Sherwood sent along with her own donation of these books earlier. She’s clearly willing to go the extra mile for the fundraiser, and that alone makes her cool.

“A fantasy world fit for the most discriminating medieval partisan.” – Publishers Weekly

My Life as a White Trash Zombie and Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues by Diana Rowland.

Pat’s note: This has to be one of my favorite titles for a book ever.

“I highly recommend this series for those looking for something different in that jam-packed field. I think you’ll love the character and the detail of the zombie worldbuilding.” – Joshua Palmatier

We’ve got one set of these in the lottery, and one in an auction. To bid click here.

The Crown of Stars series by Kate Elliott. One set in the lottery, one set (with signed bookplates) in an auction .

“Elliott demonstrates her talent for combining magic and intrigue.” – Library Journal

To bid on the set with the bookplates, head over here.



The Foreigner Series. With signed bookplates by C.J. Cherryh.

“The Foreigner series is about as good as it gets… so finely and densely wrought that you may end up dreaming of sable-skinned giants with gold eyes, and the silver spun delicacy of interstellar politics.” – SF Site

Prophets, Heretics, and Messiah by S. Andrew Swann.

“Messiah is an excellent conclusion to a consistently good series and proves that S. Andrew Swann is one of science fiction’s most underrated authors.” – SF Signal

The Green Rider series. With signed bookplates by Kristen Britain.



“This is a book that you would want on your shelf, as it is a story that is both captivating, intelligent, and excellently wrought in the telling.” – Fantasy Book Review

We’ve put one of these in the lottery, and one in an auction over here.

The Esther Diamond series by Laura Resnick.

“Gleeful, clever… [Resnick] spins a witty, fast-paced mystery around her convincingly self-absorbed chorus-girl heroine.” – Publishers Weekly

The Novels of Tiger and Del series by Jennifer Roberson.

Fun fact: Jennifer Roberson is also a breeder of Cardigan Welsh Corgis.

And now you know.

The House War series by Michelle West.

“Some say Michelle West has been propelled into the ranks of George R. R. Martin and Robin Hobb—I say that she’s been there all along and it’s about time she was noticed as such.” – Night Owl Reviews

The Mirror Lands series. With signed bookplates by Violette Malan.



“Violette Malan has accomplished that most difficult fusions – she’s given a complex, high fantasy world a very readable contemporary voice.” – Tanya Huff

We’ve one one of these in the lottery, and one in an auction. Bidding happens over here.

The Magister Trilogy, the Braxi/Azea duology, The Madness Season, and This Alien Shore, by C.S. Friedman.

“This is space opera in the best sense: a combination of high-stakes adventure with a strong focus on ideas and characters whose fate an intelligent reader can care about.” – New York Newsday

The Elemental Masters series. With signed bookplates by Mercedes Lackey.

“This is Lackey at her best, mixing whimsy and magic with a fast-paced plot.” – Publishers Weekly

The Collegium Chronicles series. With signed bookplates by Mercedes Lackey.

“Lackey is a spellbinding storyteller who keeps your heart in your mouth as she spins her intricate webs of magical adventure.” – Rave Reviews

A set of every single book released by DAW in 2012.

(If you click to embiggen, you can read every title)

This is something cool DAW came up with all on their own. They sent us one of every book that they published this year.

I *wish* we would have thought of something like that.

This is all one prize, folks. 52 books. One for every week of this next year. And we’re throwing it into the lottery, because we love you.

And remember, DAW loves you too.

* * *

Remember, for every 10 dollars you donate on our Team Page, you get a chance to win these books and many, many more.

We have some auctions going on, including those here, so go over to the Worldbuilders eBay page and check them out.

Or, if you want to see the other items that have been donated to Worldbuilders, or learn more about the fundraiser itself, you can head over to the main page here.