Hey. Hey guys. That book I’ve been working on for two years now?
Yeah. I think it’s done. FINALLY. I’ve passed it along to my dear boy, Mister Adequate, to give the whole thing a final proofread and then I’m going to e-publish it. And link to it here (and everywhere, I’m sure), of course! So, consider this your official heads-up!
And now to answer some FAQs:
What Is It?: The title of the book is Windshifter. Although I’ve had a couple of the characters and concepts knocking around inside my head for years, 98% of this thing was something I made up on the spot for NaNoWriMo 2009. I surprised myself by turning it into a halfway decent draft, and I’d like to think I’ve carved a nice little story out of it since then. At least, I think it’s nice for a first effort!
What Is It About?: It doesn’t really fall nicely into any set genre. I tend to tell people that it’s a “steampunk-inspired alternate universe” story. I think it also skews a bit “young adult”, although ultimately I wanted to make a story for all ages to enjoy– think Redwall or something. Speaking of Redwall, this is kind of similar. There are a lot of fuzzy creatures, and a race of people descended from dragons. But they have guns and airships and things. So basically, think steampunk Redwall and you’ll be in the right ballpark.
What Else is it Similar To, Besides Redwall?: I had test readers compare it to everything from Final Fantasy to The Golden Compass/His Dark Materials to various Disney movies (The Great Mouse Detective, for example), and honestly that’s a good selection of the sort of thing that inspired me. I was going for a fun romp through an unusual new world. I’m glad my beta readers seemed to pick up on that!
When Will It Be Available?: I’m shooting for “by the end of October” but that’s closing in rather fast. Still, I’m really hoping this will be ready within a few weeks.
How/Where Will It Be Available?: I’m thinking I’ll start with Amazon (Kindle), B&N PubIt (Nook), and also through myself as a pure PDF file. If there is enough interest in other outlets or in a physical copy (via Lulu or something) then it’s something I’ll definitely look into right away.
How Much Will It Cost?: Probably $0.99.
That’s It? Don’t You Think Your Writing is Worth More?: Trust me when I say that this is something I’ve been looking into for months, and I’ve read all sorts of very long and thorough arguments both for and against the 99-cent price point, and after studying all of that I find myself leaning “for” it. I might change my mind if I see something very convincing in the next week or two but it’s still going to be very cheap. Less than a few bucks. I want everyone to be able to afford my story. If there’s enough demand for it I might set up my PayPal so that you can pay-what-you-want for the PDF. And obviously a physical copy, if I offer one, will cost more.
Why Aren’t You Traditionally Publishing?: Partially because I want to get the story out there faster instead of waiting around for years– I know a lot of you have been really waiting patiently for this. Partially because I like the idea of eBooks and e-publishing. I’ve always had a lot of admiration for, say, indie game devs and I see this as being similar. And partially because I sort of consider this story to be a big warm-up exercise more than anything, so I figure I’ll go ahead and use this as an experiment to see what sort of bites I get.
Okay, I think that about covers it. Any more questions? Just ask! And wish me luck!
I for one am very interested in a physical Lulu copy, despite the higher price point. 🙂
@ Tchann – I seem to recall you saying that from last time, I’m glad to see you’re still interested! I’ll definitely keep it in mind! 🙂
Ah mah gawd! <3 Totally gonna buy this (in what form, I'm still debating). though I think you should raise it up to $1.50, still really cheap, but more money to you! :3
I got my kindle ready. Please Please post on your website when it is finally available. I tend to forget things. 🙂
Bru
Yay! I’m sooo looking forward to reading it again and seeing what you’ve done with it. Best of luck with the launch!
Personally, my impulse price for e-books tends to be closer to 3 or 4 bucks, and 5 if I’m vested in supporting the author.
I’m going to hope for an ePub version as I has a cheap ‘n’ crappy book reader. However a PDF will be OK too… Guess I may have to buy multiple copies 🙂
Will you publish for free the first chapter like many do?
@ Ardprest – I do have a way of making ePub versions, so that’s something I’ll consider tossing up alongside the PDF. Thanks for the tipo!
@ Markus – I do plan on putting the entire prologue up on this site either the day the book is published, or slightly before (as a teaser) 🙂
I am so very excited to read this, feels like it’s been forever since you first announced you’d finished ’09 NaNo!!
As a college student cramped for physical space, I would really like to get a PDF copy of the book. None of that Kindle jazz for me here.
Rep
I see your post about My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. I think, “O.K., cool, another sensible person who sees past the name!” That post shows that you are a good person.
So I check out the blog some more. I see something about a book and check it out. I see “NaNoWriMo” and nearly flip out (in a good way.) Then I see “Redwall,” and I think, “This person knows wussup!”
Please, I encourage you to break up with your boyfriend and come and find me. We were made for eachother!
Seriously, though. It would be cool to see the book actually come out in print! I can think of at least a dozen people who would buy it right off!
How’s about cover art =D
And I’ll definitely be buying the nook book. If you do lulu this, I’d probably grab a paper version as well.
Congratulations!