eBook Signing: We Don't Plummet Out of the Sky Anymore (EPUB/MOBI)

[Vintage Season]

EDIT: The 10-14 July 2010 eBook Signing Event is finished.

Yes, you can still get a signed eBook! See here for additional information.

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Book signings are a wonderful way for readers to brush elbows with the authors they love, and for authors to get to know the people who have been enjoying their stories. You just wait in line until you reach the head of the table, whereupon the author picks up a pen, flips to the flyleaf, asks your name, jots down something witty, and then with a quick flourish swirls something that is probably illegible, but that you can assure your friends is a genuine signature.

Oh, wait... you went and bought an iPad. Or was it a Sony? A nook, you say? Maybe it was a Kindle. There are just so many eBook readers these days, and each one can hold thousands of eBooks.

How many signatures can those things hold, anyway? What sort of pen should the author use on your shiny new toy, and what will you do if someone accidentally gets ink on the screen?

Perhaps it is time for MobileRead.com to show the way, by hosting an eBook Signing Event!

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"Wait a minute," I can hear some of you muttering, "how are you going to do that? eBooks don't even have a flyleaf to sign, for crying out loud."

No, they usually don't, but they could... and now they do. To demonstrate, I am signing copies of my first published * SHORT STORY *:

The regular, non-signed edition of "We Don't Plummet Out of the Sky Anymore" is also still available at Smashwords.com, but this version is a little different, because every single dedication will be hand-written, hand-signed, and uniquely numbered.

Why am I going to such lengths? To be blunt, I really do believe what I wrote about book signings being a special interaction between readers and writers. I want people to read my stories, and enjoy them, and hopefully also keep an eye out for my name in the future. As writers, it is important for us to invest a little time in that relationship, because it won't develop at all if we don't.

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Would you like to participate? All you need to do is send an e-mail to this address:

MDavidBlake <use a DOT> writer <use the AT symbol> vintageseason <use another DOT> com

... and be sure to include the following information, so that I can get your dedication right!

Subject: eBook Signing Event: We Don't Plummet Out of the Sky Anymore
Name: what you want the author to call you
E-mail: an address where the signed eBook should be sent

The *.epub and *.mobi files you receive will be DRM-free, and you are welcome to make copies for your friends, because if you enjoyed the story, they might enjoy it too. You are expressly granted permission to share the specific *.epub and/or *.mobi file(s) you receive from the author, with two stipulations:

• the eBook (including your unique, hand-signed dedication) must remain in its complete original form, and
• any such sharing must be non-commercial (you may not accept cash, goods, services, or any tangible value in exchange for this work).

I will begin signing and sending eBooks tomorrow morning (10 July 2010) at 10am EST. I have dedicated time for signing each day until Wednesday (14 July 2010). After that, I will still continue to sign as requests trickle in, but dedications will then be handled as I find time in between my active writing projects.

— M.

... and for the benefit of our visitors, who couldn't see the images because they were not logged in:

[zelda_pinwheel]

excellent initiative David ! thanks so much for choosing the mobileread community to be a part of this (possibly historical !) event. you can expect my request.

[gilag]

eBooks have sparked a new love of reading for me and this event just adds so much more. Thank you for this and I know others will appreciate it as much as I do.

[BexBits]

My email is on its way. I've been waiting for a chance to tell you I really enjoyed that story.

[Davimee]

I just sent you an email, as well. Thank you!

[banjobama]

This is such a good idea! I'm sending my email now!

[dreams]

I have my request in, too!

[cbell]

Fantastic idea! I'm in

[Poppa1956]

This is really very innovative, David. I expect your signing hand may get a little if you don't do stretches before and at regular intervals during the signing event.

[MickeyC]

Great idea; my email is on its way. I attended a book signing the other day and the author (Brad Thor) signed the back of my eBook reader with a silver felt tip pen but I like this approach as well.

[GeoffC]

Brilliant idea, the start of a new phase in enjoying ereading ....

[Vintage Season]

I just added a few last minute "thank you" notes at the end, and am signing the initial dedications now. Every dedication will be signed and numbered in the order received, and then sent out in batches.

Each of you will get both EPUB and MOBI, in case you want to share with a friend who has a different sort of eReader than whatever you use.

Ready? Here we go!

— M.

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by Vintage Season

I just added a few last minute "thank you" notes at the end, and am signing the initial dedications now. Every dedication will be signed and numbered in the order received, and then sent out in batches.

Each of you will get both EPUB and MOBI, in case you want to share with a friend who has a different sort of eReader than whatever you use.

Ready? Here we go!

— M.

Ah !

You read my mind .....

; looking forward to this momentous occasion ....

[Vintage Season]

The first few people should be receiving their SIGNATURE EDITION eBooks now.

For the curious, here is my sequence:

• receive requests
• sign and number requests, in the order they were received
• keep signing until my hand gets tired... doing four dedications per page
• scan the signed pages, and convert each dedication into a unique, numbered flyleaf
• insert the unique, numbered flyleaf dedication into the *.epub source
• do a careful *.mobi conversion from the custom *.epub
• send both the custom *.epub and custom *.mobi to the individual who sent the request
• repeat, ad infinitum...

The whole process is a lot more fun than that sounds, and I am having an absolute blast! More to come....

— M.

[Poppa1956]

Originally Posted by Vintage Season

The first few people should be receiving their SIGNATURE EDITION eBooks now.

For the curious, here is my sequence:

• receive requests
• sign and number requests, in the order they were received
• keep signing until my hand gets tired... doing four dedications per page
• scan the signed pages, and convert each dedication into a unique, numbered flyleaf
• insert the unique, numbered flyleaf dedication into the *.epub source
• do a careful *.mobi conversion from the custom *.epub
• send both the custom *.epub and custom *.mobi to the individual who sent the request
• repeat, ad infinitum...

The whole process is a lot more fun than that sounds, and I am having an absolute blast! More to come....

— M.

Again, I like your initiative and innovation as well as some other words that start with “I.” Having not previously read your work —excerpt as you post on MR— I happily anticipate recognizing that genius in your writing as well.