Heroic Sci Fi Author Gives Up Unequal Battle Against Cruel Publishing Industry

[Liviu_5]

I received this message sent to sff reviewers and since the author gives away 3 books I thought of putting it here:

"Hi

Some of you may have heard of me, most probably not. I've been published a few times in *Interzone* in the UK, and appeared a few times in *Best New SF* anthologies in the USA. I was also nominated for a Hugo in 2006 for my story, *The Clockwork Atom Bomb*. I have decided to stop sending out speculative novel-length manuscripts to publishers, as I am coming to believe a *Kampfgeschwader* of pigs will carpet-bomb hell with snowballs before a novel of mine reaches the outside world via that route. Instead, I've decided to put three of my novels - possibly more in the future - online. They're free, take them or leave them. Two of them - *Smallworld* and *Abaddon* - are adult SF. A third - *Saucerers and Gondoliers* - is for a young adult readership.

They're at http://homepage.ntlworld.com/lumfylomax. If you like them, send the URL to your friends. If you don't like them, send it to your enemies. It's now the only way these stories will ever be read.

Cheers

Dominic Green"

[zelda_pinwheel]

perhaps someone should tell him about the feedbooks publishing / distribution plateform as well ; he might find a much larger audience that way.

[Hadrien]

Sure, we have a dedicated help page for this: http://www.feedbooks.com/help/self-publishing

Recent examples of self-published books on Feedbooks:
- Fall Love: http://www.feedbooks.com/userbook/1900
- Rowan of the Wood: http://www.feedbooks.com/userbook/1998
- Union of Renegades: http://www.feedbooks.com/userbook/1954

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Liviu_5

Two of them - *Smallworld* and *Abaddon* - are adult SF. A third - *Saucerers and Gondoliers* - is for a young adult readership.

You don't mean "sexually explicit" when you say "Adult" right?

Now... what you need to do is get them into some offline format like mobipocket or MS Reader so we can enjoy them on our ebook readers.

Also, you should consider putting up a Donate button like Jeffrey Carver has done or run it as "Read and pay if you like it" like Richard Herley

BOb

[zelda_pinwheel]

hey, pilotbob : the author didn't post this thread. in fact he might not ever have heard of MobileRead (sad prospect, i know !). so those are good comments but you should go make them on his site, where you're sure he'll read them. maybe you could take the opportunity to tell him about this thread, while you're at it.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

hey, pilotbob : the author didn't post this thread.

Totally missed that Madam B...


BOb

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Totally missed that Madam B...


BOb

(re : missing that, no worries, it happens)

[mtravellerh]

Those are html files. Easily converted. I guess someone should e-mail the man and tell him how to publish to a wide public.

[Gibbo]

I've already send him an email with the link to this post

[zelda_pinwheel]

thanks Gibbo.

[EricWiz]

So.... anyone reading the books?

[Gibbo]

Originally Posted by EricWiz

So.... anyone reading the books?

Not yet only downloaded and converted

[Elsi]

Originally Posted by mtravellerh

Those are html files. Easily converted. I guess someone should e-mail the man and tell him how to publish to a wide public.

A wide public here on MobileRead who have proved that they are fans of SF!

[Dr. Drib]

I just sent the author an email asking for permission to assemble them and to make them available here on MobileRead.

Let's hope he says 'yes.'


Don

[CleverClothe]

For his future works, we should point him to some of the online indie publishers. He might be able to do pretty well there, especially if the free books he gives out now generate a following.