Shareware ebooks

[carandol]

Originally Posted by Richard Herley

Thanks for the exposure, everybody! The experiment is going quite well at the moment, and some very kind people have even made payment before having had a chance to read the books. Early days yet, though.

BTW, be utterly fearless if you want to post reviews, carandol and Puffball. I can take the knocks.

Nice to see you here! I'm a few chapters from the end of The Stone Arrow at the moment, and it's all very exciting, so if you'll excuse me, I'll get back to it...

[Richard Herley]

Thanks for the welcome, carandol. "Exciting" is what I like to hear!

[Hadrien]

Decided to add the essay too: http://www.feedbooks.com/discover/book/2266

It's important to understand why you're releasing your books this way Richard, and the essay is a must-read in this case.

All the books will be available on the Kindle guide in the next 24/48H as usual.

Do you have a short biography that I could add Richard ?

[Richard Herley]

Thanks for posting that essay. I think other authors will be given food for their minds ... Really, something has to be done about the present state of the publishing trade.

As for a bio, will this do? Most writers tend to be rather boring types, sitting at a desk most of the time, and I don't think I'm much of an exception.

[carandol]

And here's a review of The Stone Arrow. (I don't promise I'll always be this prompt on finishing a book!)

[Richard Herley]

Thank you, carandol, for being so scrupulous and fair. Your point about the bells is well taken. Can we say this is the beginning of the Bronze Age and they might have been made of copper? No? All right, then.

If you'll permit me to post this, with due acknowledgement, on my blog, I'd be very pleased -- unless you'd like to do it yourself.

[carandol]

Originally Posted by Richard Herley

Thank you, carandol, for being so scrupulous and fair. Your point about the bells is well taken. Can we say this is the beginning of the Bronze Age and they might have been made of copper? No? All right, then.

If you'll permit me to post this, with due acknowledgement, on my blog, I'd be very pleased -- unless you'd like to do it yourself.

I'll be playing Spot the Bronze in volume 2 now...

Sure, by all means put it on your blog!

[Kingston]

Originally Posted by Richard Herley

Thanks for the exposure, everybody! The experiment is going quite well at the moment, and some very kind people have even made payment before having had a chance to read the books. Early days yet, though.

BTW, be utterly fearless if you want to post reviews, carandol and Puffball. I can take the knocks.

Richard, or should I say, Mr. Barnes, some karma to you Sir.

I enjoyed out email exchange a few days ago and want the forum members to know that Mr. Barnes even refunded me for paying for an item twice!

You are a gentleman and a scholar and I applaud your efforts.

Doc

[Richard Herley]

caradol, thanks for the permission. I'll cut 'n' paste it this morning.

Kingston (or should I say "Dr L."?), thank you, that's very kind of you to say. Yes, "Richard Herley" is a pen-name. You'll find plenty of authors like to keep their physical neighbours in the dark about their somewhat disreputable occupation.

[carandol]

Originally Posted by Richard Herley

caradol, thanks for the permission. I'll cut 'n' paste it this morning.

Kingston (or should I say "Dr L."?), thank you, that's very kind of you to say. Yes, "Richard Herley" is a pen-name. You'll find plenty of authors like to keep their physical neighbours in the dark about their somewhat disreputable occupation.

You mean Kingston's blown your cover? Well I hope he doesn't give away the whereabouts of your secret underground base in the abandoned flint quarry.

[carandol]

It's just occurred to me to mention Marcus Rowland's excellent Victorian role-playing game Forgotten Futures, which he's been successfully selling as shareware for years. Each collection comes with one or more Victorian SF or fantasy novels (in html format) together with the rulebook, a worldbook based on the novels, and a book of adventures. As with Richard Herley's novels, you can download them for free, and only pay for them if you like them. There are nine different games in the series, and they're usually nicely illustrated with period illustrations too. There's also a PDF version of the main rulebook.

[Kingston]

Originally Posted by Richard Herley

caradol, thanks for the permission. I'll cut 'n' paste it this morning.

Kingston (or should I say "Dr L."?), thank you, that's very kind of you to say. Yes, "Richard Herley" is a pen-name. You'll find plenty of authors like to keep their physical neighbours in the dark about their somewhat disreputable occupation.

Yes Richard c'est moi "Dr L". I don't know if you have read about karma vis a vis this site. It's rewarded as a thank you for a 'good job', 'work well done', 'thought provoking post' etc.

Here's an explanation:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10713

Certainly a professional author such as yourself who freely gives away his books to us is deserving of some karma in appreciation.

Thanks again.

[Richard Herley]

Kingston, that's nice of you to say, but what is an author without a reader? It takes two to tango. One of the really encouraging things about my experiment (for such it is) is the large number of downloads taking place. I've no idea how many people will actually read or finish each copy, or how many copies will be made privately and emailed to friends, or whatever. But however many it is, I have a chance of reaching people who otherwise would never have seen my work. And thanks to the miracle -- no irony: it is a miracle -- of the Web, authors and readers can now talk to each other in ways that weren't dreamt of 50 years ago. Like this, for example.

As I believe I mentioned to you in private, if you talk to any publisher, he will tell you that word of mouth is what sells books. Advertising is a waste of money; professional reviews are treated with scepticism; bookshop signings and chatshow appearances by non-celebrity authors don't achieve much. No, it's your workmate or cousin saying "Hey, you've just gotta read this!" and handing you a copy: that, replicated a zillion times, is what makes a book a success.

If a novel isn't enjoyable, or if it doesn't connect with readers, it doesn't deserve to succeed. What I like about my project is the idea that the books will stand or fall entirely on the collective opinion of the people who matter -- not agents, publishers, professional critics or booksellers, but the readers.

It's readers like yourself, and carandol, and each of those principled souls who have already hit my PayPal buttons, who really matter in all this and who will deliver the verdict. A writer surely can't ask for more than that.

[Kingston]

Richard is this 'you' in another guise?:

http://www.omnivoracious.com/2008/02...an-barnes.html

[Richard Herley]

Kingston, it's no good trying to out me!

I used to do business with Wm Morrow, but no longer.