Freeground (The First Light Chronicles #1)

[Randolphlalonde]

Originally Posted by JRM34857

Got it. Read it. Loved it.... Purchased all the other books in the series... The first free book hooked me...

Thank you very much for buying the books and following the series! Without readers, I wouldn't be able to afford an Internet connection, roof over my head or a ready supply of spam and cheesy macaroni! (I really do say that with a grin.)

The current plot lines end in the Rogue Element Trilogy - Books six and seven. There will be future books, but I'll be organizing the major plots in single, larger novels and trilogies.

I honestly never thought the Spinward Fringe series would catch on so well, thank you again for being a part of that!

[Guns4Hire]

Originally Posted by lene1949

TOC's are very handy in non-fiction work... but, when reading a story you normally read from the first to the last page in that order. I have never missed TOC's in fiction.

I use different devices to eread. I don't have a dedicated ereader. I read a lot of stuff on my LG VU (phone) since I am on the go so much. When I am reading a book at home I use my notebook, I also upload that epub to http://bookworm.oreilly.com so that I can read it on my phone when I am away from the house. Its works really well for me.

But the problem is that without a Table of Content its almost impossible to navigate the book. http://bookworm.oreilly.com automatically bookmarks the chapter you left off reading at. If there is no chapters then you get to start at the beginning of the book since it doesn't know where you left off. Would be nice if that site just let you bookmark for yourself. But even so what if you forgot to bookmark lol. Its not fun trying to scroll through 200 pages, 350 pages, 500 pages etc lol.

And I have done this. I think you get the picture.

So now I always create a TOC using Sigil when there isn't one, which can be a pain (the program is young and in development, thought I do appreciate it).

I am not trying to come off as ungrateful to these authors that hand out their books for free when I ask about a TOC. I really need a TOC lol.

[Randolphlalonde]

Originally Posted by Guns4Hire

. I really need a TOC lol.

After reading a fair number of eBooks myself since the release of the First Light Chronicles Omnibus, I decided that I'd have to add standard chapter headings (chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, etc...) to the book if it appeared somewhere without a TOC (like Smashwords), so they could use my trick.

I generally remember which chapter I left off on, so I just do a word search for say, chapter 12, if that was the last I read. Since then I don't really miss the
TOC.

Having said that, I still hope Smashwords finds a way to implement a TOC soon. The Mobipocket and Amazon TOC is really nice for the First Light Chronicles, I'd like to repeat that formatting.

[Treven]

I've downloaded it to my "to do" list as well.

[Acreo Aeneas]

I'll be darned. I have the First Light Chronicles Omnibus edition and Spinward Fringe (first 3 books) from Mobipocket.com that I bought about 2 years ago. Too bad my copies are DRM'd.

It's a really good story and you'll get hooked on it if you can look past the litney of grammar errors in the first book. The tech description and characters mesh very well, though I wish the lovable captain wasn't "killed off" so soon.

Speaking of the First Light chronicles...I still need to finish reading the third book. I was kind of put off by the twist-and-turn of Black that I stopped midway through.

Edit: Oops. Confused the main character from The Lost Fleet: Dauntless with the lead male character in FLC.

[Randolphlalonde]

Originally Posted by Acreo Aeneas

It's a really good story and you'll get hooked on it if you can look past the litney of grammar errors in the first book.

Thankfully most of those problems have been licked since the release of the First Light Chronicles Omnibus 2.0 on Smashwords. It went through a pretty aggressive edit once readers made it perfectly clear that they enjoyed the series far more than I thought they would.

Oh, and as for that twist and turn? It's staying in, but there are some changes being made so it's a little more believable, even though it's something I've only received one (now two), complaints about.

Thank you for picking up the books! I'm glad you enjoyed the series, and hope you stay on for the plot conclusion in Broadcast 7!

[Acreo Aeneas]

Originally Posted by Randolphlalonde

Thankfully most of those problems have been licked since the release of the First Light Chronicles Omnibus 2.0 on Smashwords. It went through a pretty aggressive edit once readers made it perfectly clear that they enjoyed the series far more than I thought they would.

Oh, and as for that twist and turn? It's staying in, but there are some changes being made so it's a little more believable, even though it's something I've only received one (now two), complaints about.

Thank you for picking up the books! I'm glad you enjoyed the series, and hope you stay on for the plot conclusion in Broadcast 7!

Dang it. I can't seem to deDRM my PRC versions of the First Light Chronicles nor Spinward Fringe. Looks like I'll have to spend 2x the money to get a new copy that I can read on my PP. Stupid closed formats.

BTW, was there a Spinward book after Triton?

[koland]

Originally Posted by Acreo Aeneas

Dang it. I can't seem to deDRM my PRC versions of the First Light Chronicles nor Spinward Fringe. Looks like I'll have to spend 2x the money to get a new copy that I can read on my PP. Stupid closed formats.

You do know that there is no DRM on the smashwords versions, right?

[Randolphlalonde]

Originally Posted by Acreo Aeneas

BTW, was there a Spinward book after Triton?

There are two books after Triton, actually. Spinward Fringe Frontline and Fracture. The next book is due out on Feb 28 (tentatively).

As for DRM stuff, you can try adding your PP as a device with Mobipocket, but I know a lot of people have run into difficulties. It's one of the reasons why I recommend Smashwords these days.

[Acreo Aeneas]

Yeah, like I said in my reply, I tried on my desktop again and I seemed to be able to strip the DRM. I converted them to ePUB now and loaded them onto my PP. Gonna go try and make sure they aren't messed up or anything. Think I need to start reading from the beginning again since I completely forgot where I left off in Triton.

Just bought Frontline off of Smashwords. Fracture I think is the next one then whatever you're going to release next month I'll also get. I love Captain Valence and his old crew. Love the First Light, small but packs the punch of a dreadnought.

[Guns4Hire]

Completely understand.

[Acreo Aeneas]

Originally Posted by koland

You do know that there is no DRM on the smashwords versions, right?

Yep I know except the PRCs I have were from Mobipocket's webstore when I bought the series about 2 years ago. So those are DRM'd (though now they aren't).

[Randolphlalonde]

Originally Posted by Guns4Hire

I have created a Table of Contents for this ebook. I have not altered anything only added a Table of Contents using Sigil. Its the kind that shows up when you click the TOC button in Calibre's reader (not an in-page linky toc).

So if anyone wants a copy of the epub with toc please pm your email and I will send it to you. Unless of course the author has some issue with me doing this.

I am really sorry to say this, but I really can't have other versions of this book out there. Instead of just saying 'no' and leaving it at that, I'd rather give you a few reasons.

The First Light Chronicles Omnibus will not be free forever.

If this book is distributed outside of approved channels, the downloads go unrecorded. That affects rankings on Barnes & Noble, Smashwords (where I'm struggling to reach number 1), and Kobo, where the book will be appearing for free soon.

There is an indexed version available on the Kindle and Mobipocket already that will be updated before the end of the quarter. That version isn't free.

There may be extra features and revisions implemented in future copies, so there is a good chance that the version you distribute will not be the current edition. This is actually highly probable in the near future, as I just finished working on some extra, or bonus content, if you will, for the Omnibus.

Again, it sucks being the party pooper, but it's one of the pitfalls of being an indie: I have to deal with the business side of my work. I recently had to have a version of this book removed from Scribd as well, especially since it was an old revision and unauthorized.

Thank you for all your work, I wish conditions were right for sharing it, but that's not the case.

If you'd like to grab a free copy of The First Light Chronicles Omnibus, you can get it here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/3178 and the chapters are numbered so you can perform a word search to resume reading since Smashwords hasn't added an index system yet. I hear it's a coming feature.

[Guns4Hire]

Hey no problem. I made the TOC for myself to use anyway. Since Bookworm doesn't have a search feature or a way to bookmark the content. Literally there is no way to navigate the book unless you are willing to scroll to where you left off. I just thought it would be a service to both yourself and your customers/fans.

I will not distribute the book with the added TOC to anyone. I will keep it to myself.

[Randolphlalonde]

Originally Posted by Guns4Hire

Hey no problem. I made the TOC for myself to use anyway. Since Bookworm doesn't have a search feature or a way to bookmark the content. Literally there is no way to navigate the book unless you are willing to scroll to where you left off. I just thought it would be a service to both yourself and your customers/fans.

I will not distribute the book with the added TOC to anyone. I will keep it to myself.

Thank you Guns4hire. I appreciate your consideration for the work, and hope you enjoy the trilogy!