Many of my readers will now be aware of the novel I wrote and was offering, for free pdf download, on this site. In order to protect the free novel from being plagiarized by some privileged asshole with the publishing connections I lack, I applied to become a small press so I could get ISBN numbers and register the eBook in the Library of Congress. Thus I would not have to fear walking into a bookshop one day and discovering my novel, with a different name attached, on the shelf.
Since I had to name my small press in order to have it registered, and could not think of anything really cool or awesome, I called it 100 Flowers Press. I know, I know, typical for the maoist-type communist. And then I designed a kick-ass logo:
But now that I have the ability to "legitimately" peddle books, I figured that I should do something with my so-called "press" that would make the "legitimacy" more, well, legitimate. So I have decided to launch an actual 100 Flowers Press site where the aforementioned eBook, along with future projects by myself and other comrades, will be available.
The eBook has done better than I expected. Not that it has become an underground best-seller or anything (hell, it's not even being sold), but it has had a few hundred downloads and I've received some generous feedback. Obviously I cannot be sure that these few hundred downloads mean that it is always being read, but it does indicate some interest. Also, the fact that none of the readers who have commented or contacted me personally have hated the book––some seem to have actually enjoyed it––means that I am not producing utter crap.
(SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION: if you haven't read my novel by now then you should. I mean, what's stopping you? The bloody thing is free! Don't you like free things? No, you don't? Well then you're a capitalist who likes private property and the only reason you don't want to read my book is because you don't value anything that you haven't paid for because you think exchange-value is Value. All of this is to say: if you don't read my book you're a capitalist. I mean, seriously, how hard can it be?)
I figure that it makes sense to separate the novel from the rest of my site, placing it in an appropriate context, so that there is a clear distinction between my blog and my fiction. I also figure that I should do something with the pseudo-press that is 100 Flowers: I already have plans to layout an another shite novel, as well as to layout projects by other people. I also plan, with the help of some friends/comrades,
to launch an eJournal under the 100 Flowers name. So I figured it should become its own thing and I plan to eventually phase out the links to my novel download here and point people, instead, to the 100 Flowers site. I will also advertise and promote, whenever it comes up, the upcoming books and projects of my semi-legitimate press when appropriate.
(SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION #2: And seriously, where are all the cool reviews of my novel? Where is the interwebs acclaim! Give me your reviews, even mean ones––but not so mean that I cry.)
So head on over to 100 Flowers Press where my novel (and hopefully soon other novels and books) is available to download. And the version that is downloadable there is BETTER because it has acknowledgments and biography.
Since I had to name my small press in order to have it registered, and could not think of anything really cool or awesome, I called it 100 Flowers Press. I know, I know, typical for the maoist-type communist. And then I designed a kick-ass logo:
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| My logo: are you not impressed? |
The eBook has done better than I expected. Not that it has become an underground best-seller or anything (hell, it's not even being sold), but it has had a few hundred downloads and I've received some generous feedback. Obviously I cannot be sure that these few hundred downloads mean that it is always being read, but it does indicate some interest. Also, the fact that none of the readers who have commented or contacted me personally have hated the book––some seem to have actually enjoyed it––means that I am not producing utter crap.
(SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION: if you haven't read my novel by now then you should. I mean, what's stopping you? The bloody thing is free! Don't you like free things? No, you don't? Well then you're a capitalist who likes private property and the only reason you don't want to read my book is because you don't value anything that you haven't paid for because you think exchange-value is Value. All of this is to say: if you don't read my book you're a capitalist. I mean, seriously, how hard can it be?)
I figure that it makes sense to separate the novel from the rest of my site, placing it in an appropriate context, so that there is a clear distinction between my blog and my fiction. I also figure that I should do something with the pseudo-press that is 100 Flowers: I already have plans to layout an another shite novel, as well as to layout projects by other people. I also plan, with the help of some friends/comrades,
to launch an eJournal under the 100 Flowers name. So I figured it should become its own thing and I plan to eventually phase out the links to my novel download here and point people, instead, to the 100 Flowers site. I will also advertise and promote, whenever it comes up, the upcoming books and projects of my semi-legitimate press when appropriate.
(SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION #2: And seriously, where are all the cool reviews of my novel? Where is the interwebs acclaim! Give me your reviews, even mean ones––but not so mean that I cry.)
So head on over to 100 Flowers Press where my novel (and hopefully soon other novels and books) is available to download. And the version that is downloadable there is BETTER because it has acknowledgments and biography.
Cool. One thing I would be worried about is that I have the impression that "previously publishing" (by making the ISBNs and everything) can hurt your chance of actually getting the book published (so indicative of our society, since they then feel its market value has gone down, instead of serving as some publishers do as a useful filter for good stuff). It's funny how this hasn't been the case for performative art like music and videos, but I suppose less time has to be invested in those to figure out if you like them. Unless you achieve later fame and they want all of your juvenilia.
ReplyDeleteHowever, self-publishing has saved the writing life of authors like Charles Saunders out in Halifax, whose sword and sorcery novels with a black protagonist were frequently out of print along with sequels cancelled. Of course, Saunders is doing that after a lifetime of getting or trying to get published the traditional way (I discovered him because Imaro was assigned in my girlfriend's African-Canadian Literature course).
Yeah, I understand what you're saying and that's precisely the reason that I am only self-publishing, as eBooks, those novels in which I am only slightly invested. There are other books that I spent a lot of time working on that I will never offer as a free eBook... mainly I see these self-published attempts as a way to get people interested in publishing the things I'm with-holding. Even the next book I"m self-publishing is extremely flawed: the writing style is about a decade old and I am not entirely interested in rewriting the story - it's more just fun pulp than anything else.
ReplyDeleteI've never read Charles Saunders: I'm going to check him out.
I know I promised you a review Josh. But after spending a day reading your book, life caught back up and it slipped down and then off my list of things to do. But for what's it worth, I just came onto you site now to download the book and share with comrades here in the Philippines.
ReplyDeleteThanks Steve! Glad you liked my book, and I know you've been uber busy for months now. Thanks for sharing it with the comrades and I hope you're still having an awesome time. Looking forward to catching up when you get back and hearing the report back.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the successful launching!
ReplyDeleteMay I suggest that, once the series has been concluded, you and TWD polish it a bit and publish The Three-Headed Beast? It's a very awesome series.
Thanks mosfeld: BF from TWD agrees that we should try to edit and publish the Three-Headed Beast exchange at some point... But we also have to finish it, lol, because it keeps going on hiatus for eight months!
ReplyDeleteWell, you two gotta get this shit done already. People need to read this MLM beast in proper format.
ReplyDelete