Farewell Mobipocket

In my working and private life I'm constantly reminded that the advancement of technology and ideas is accelerated on the internet. More so than we could have ever imagined even during the spread of electricity, the high times of the industrial age or even during the early days of the ARPAnet. This acceleration comes with benefits and drawbacks.

Mobipocket, a French company that was once at the absolute forefront of EBooks and their distribution, can provide an interesting example for the life cycle of a company that depends on having a web presence. I'm not going to go into the history of the site in this post, I'm going to talk a little about my experience with it. If you want to see an accurate history of Mobipocket, the Wikipedia page is a great resource.

While the First Light Chronicles (now collected in Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins), first appeared on Lulu.com, it didn't actually get picked up by a significant number of readers until it was posted on Mobipocket.

Pictured above: a sloppy screenshot of the first time one of my books hit #1 on Mobipocket.

Within a few months it actually rose to number one in the Science Fiction category. During those early days, I was on stress leave from my job at a call centre that provided customer support for a New York cable company. Thanks to that rise in placement and earnings, I didn't have to return to that particularly hellish cubicle.

The Spinward Fringe novels occupied the top 10 site wide regularly over the following two years, and never left the top ten science fiction spots. Until Amazon began distributing my books, Mobipocket was my primary source of income. Smashwords became the replacement for Mobipocket when the Kindle started out doing the Mobipocket mobile app, and I needed a new distributor.

My long stunt on Mobipocket wasn't all happy times, however. On several occasions their servers went down, and they removed my books from the Science Fiction category entirely so big publishers could get into the top 10. Readers complained every time, and every time they claimed it was a system error. Regardless of those bumps in the road, I'm glad they were there, and grateful for the platform they provided.

During Mobipocket's most successful period, they distributed to over thirty different small and large EBook retailers, and was in use by all the major publishers. Little did I know that Amazon purchased Mobipocket in 2005, long before I came along.

They used the software Mobipocket designed for PC, Mac OS and other devices as the foundation for their  Kindle app, and adopted the EBook format as their own. Since 2010 Amazon has been phasing out Mobipocket, stopping new publishers (indie and large alike), from joining and directing focus to the Kindle.

Independent publishers weren't stranded, however. Migration to the Kindle Direct Platform went fairly smoothly in most cases, and that further bolstered EBook sales on Kindle, not that they needed the help. Sadly, most readers were stuck with a sizeable number of books that were purchased through Mobipocket. These files were heavily DRM'ed (copy protected), and would only work on a Mobipocket app / compatible device.

My story with Mobipocket was clearly ending by the end of 2010, and I couldn't help but be a little sad about that, considering there were a couple thousand readers with my books stuck on a mobipocket device, and Mobipocket was a fantastic platform for over two years. A couple months ago the majority of titles were removed from Mobipocket, with the exception of a few public domain titles.

Amazon seems to have finished phasing out my old stomping ground, but I can't blame them. That's what they do when they need new technology and another company of an affordable size has it. They absorb the company and the technology to improve their customers' experiences while offering new products.

Seeing it shut down is sad, but in the end I'm glad I was brought along for this phase of technological progress. I just hope that Amazon found a way to migrate their Mobipocket customers' libraries to Kindle...

RL

[Farewell Mobipocket, and thanks for all the support!]

Spinward Fringe: Fracture Now Available!

I love this book, my editor loves this book. This is the kind of writing I wanted to do for the Spinward Fringe series: true space opera. There's a little technology, environmental interest, fantastic environments and a few other points that make science fiction great but the real focus is on the characters.

Why do a trilogy so late in the game?

The answers are pretty simple. It was time to create a new starting point. A lot of new readers will want to start with the First Light Chronicles and work their way through the series, true, but this book provides them with an opportunity to experience just a part of the story and discover the characters in a different way. My writing has come a long way as well and I think this is a very good story to start with for a new reader. Will they want to go back and read from the beginning after reading this book? Possibly, and they'll still have a few surprises waiting for them if they do.

The outline for Rogue Element also put the book at over six hundred pages and I didn't want to keep everyone waiting another eight months for a book. So I split it into three parts. The next one is right behind this book, so there won't be long to wait, trust me. Some of you might not be finished reading this one when the next comes out.

Now that I've told you how crazy about this book I am, and you know why it's the first part of three it's time for me to spill the synopsis and tell you where you can pick it up.

[Broadcast 5]
The crew of the Triton, a rare, Earth built Space Combat Carrier, make their way to Ossimi Station, a safe haven for independent ships and traders. In a galaxy gripped by conflict and teetering on the verge of chaos, Captain Jacob Valance and his crew will be faced with the unexpected, the unknown, and an opportunity to save thousands of lives. Will their sympathy be their undoing?

Recommended for readers who have experienced the Spinward Fringe series from the beginning and for people completely new to the story.

Spinward Fringe: Fracture at Smashwords
Online HTML reader
Online Java reader
Mobi Format (Mobipocket Reader, Kindle)
Epub (Stanza, Android Aldiko, other)
PDF
LRF (Sony)
PDB (Palm)

I would prefer you purchase your copy through Smashwords because they don't use DRM (Copy protection), so there's no limit to how you can use your copy or back it up. The only drawback is the lack of an index, but I've made things easier by numbering the chapters, so you can make up for it with a word search. They also pay fair royalties, which is impossibly rare.

Spinward Fringe: Fracture At Mobipocket

Mobipocket Format With DRM (Digital Rights Management - Copy Protected)

Mobipocket readers have been incredibly supportive, so I've released this book there as always. The plus side to this version is that it includes an index with every chapter listed right after the copyright page. Again, if the index isn't important to you, I suggest you pick up the Smashwords edition above.

Spinward Fringe: Fracture At Amazon.com

Kindle Edition With DRM (Digitial Rights Management - Copy Protected)

This version is available through Amazon's Whispernet, and it contains the index. If those points aren't important to you, please pick up the Smashwords edition in .mobi format.

The print edition will be available sometime in the next 30 days, I'll announce its appearance as soon as it pops up!

Thank you very much for joining me on this journey. My long time readers know that your support is what keeps me writing full time. The frequency and quality of these books is fully dependent on the patronage of my audience, and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I don't make what most people would call a great living, but I've got a roof over my head, food on the table and my Internet connection is all paid up. I love entertaining and the opportunity you've provided for me to do so!

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please take a moment to post a few words about it wherever you purchase it!

RL

[Now to get back to work on the second and third parts of the trilogy!]

Mobipocket Cleans Up Public Domain Titles for Kindle! What's Next?

It had to happen sometime. With project Gutenberg books freely available to everyone a lot of small publishers have taken the raw digital adaptations of the old classics and collected them into eBook editions.

Sadly for distributors like Mobipocket who rarely if ever discriminate, this meant that anyone with a laptop, Notepad and their Creator software could upload and sell a copy of Pride and Prejudice. That's a problem. Some publishers took the raw digital adaptation from the Gutenberg project and did a fantastic job of indexing and formatting the classics, others just copied and pasted or worse. If you want to see how utterly extreme this problem has become you only have to do a search for Pride and Prejudice.

The problem doesn't end with Mobipocket.com, they're a major eBook distributor and have a direct pipeline to the Amazon Kindle store. Everything you see on Mobipocket.com (in English, I'm not sure about other languages), you'll see in the Kindle store. The announcement Mobipocket put out indicates, though indirectly, that the resulting mess for Kindle users is what prompted this cleanup.

Regardless of what may have brought this on, I hope this improves things for Mobipocket. The vast majority of my readers are Mobipocket users and anything that improves their experience on that site has got to be helpful.

As long as they don't remove self published content like the First Light Chronicles Omnibus, for example, I'm happy. Not all self published content is bad content, so I hope the Mobipocket and Kindle teams just leave that as it is. The users sink anything they dislike with bad reviews and few purchases anyway. It's a self policing system that generally works across the Internet.

There was no mention of them cleaning up self published titles in their notice, so I'm led to assume that as long as self published work is part of their bread and butter it'll remain. I've been in the top ten in Science Fiction on Mobipocket.com for a year now. I take extra pride in that because the readers put me there with their reviews and their hard earned money. I'm also thankful and humbled. Readers put a welcome pressure on me to reciprocate with high quality releases, and I'm told each book gets better.

Let's hope that the changes to Mobipocket end with the removal of poor quality royalty free titles, I'd hate to see my readers lose access to my work.

RL

[What do you think of Mobipocket removing poor quality classics? Would you stop using Mobipocket if one went missing from your bookshelf?]

One Year On Mobipocket

Never has one website and its users had such an effect on my life.

Since I uploaded my books on Mobipocket, who I thought would be more of a distributor than a direct conduit to readers, I've gone from working in a cubicle to writing full time. Mobipocket hasn't made me rich, far from it, but thanks to the readers who enjoy my work I have just enough to do what I love without making time for another full time job.

"Why are you leaving Mobipocket?" Someone asked me this week. They interpreted my inclusion by other online eBook retailers catalogs as a move to separate myself from Mobipocket. My answer was simple; "I'm not leaving Mobipocket!"

My books will always be listed there. I've always been treated fairly by the site runners and there are a lot of readers who still very much enjoy Mobipocket, so there's no way I'll leave them behind when I have no reason to, especially after having a great year on their listings. For most of my time there I've been listed as the top selling science fiction author, an honour bestowed upon me by hundreds of readers who wait patiently for each Broadcast and spread the word (most of the time).

The reasons why I'm listing on Smashwords and Shortcovers are many, but mainly it's because Amazon.com, the owners of Mobipocket don't seem to be letting Mobipocket grow or change with the times. Just in case Amazon.com does something that really damages Mobipocket (and I don't know that they will, I hope they don't), I need to know my readers have a place to go to get my books.

There's also a need for more compatibility and people are very irritated with DRM, so there has to be an alternative to Mobipocket for any publisher or independent author. [EDIT: Smashwords doesn't add DRM to their eBooks and are compatible with all readers, even one I saw from Hong Kong recently] Things change, especially in the digital world, and I want my readers to feel confident that they can find my work no matter what reader they're using. I'll be the last person to force someone to buy print.

So, thank you very much Mobipocket, without you I wouldn't have met most of my readers. Thank you readers, without you and your reviews I would still be working in cubicle hell! Here's to another year on Mobipocket, may they remain viable and vital.

There is one more thing I should mention. I'm trying to spread the success I've had on Mobipocket to Shortcovers, Amazon.com and Smashwords. There are a few ways people can help and the one I'd like to focus on right now is getting reader reviews for the First Light Chronicles Omnibus on Amazon.com and Smashwords. I can't send signed copies out to everyone who posts a review, I simply can't afford it, but I can provide free eBooks! So if you post a review, send me an email with a link to it and you'll be rewarded! It doesn't have to be exhaustive, overly long or even an essay. Just a paragraph or two.

RL

Again, thank you readers, I'm a lucky author. Now, back to work on Spinward Fringe Rogue Element!

The First Light Chronicles Omnibus - Celebration Sale

In the spirit of celebrating seven science fiction novellas and novels in the Spinward Fringe series, the First Light Chronicles Omnibus, which contains the Freeground, Limbo, and Starfree Port novellas, is on sale for $1.00 on Mobipocket and Lulu. It'll remain at that price until July 24, 2009 and will never again be marked down.

There are other reasons why this is happening. A lot of my readers have friends with smart phones who refuse to try Mobipocket and one of the initial hurtles to getting them on board is price. Well, here's your opportunity to tell them to give it a try with one of the top 3 science fiction books on the site (the other two books in the top are from the same series).

Fans spreading the word have been a massive help to me and this sale is a way for me to make it easier for all my mobipocket and lulu non-DRM PDF readers to do just that. This week they can share the First Light Chronicles and Spinward Fringe series' with friends. I know I enjoy a series more when I can talk to someone else whose read it. That could be just a writer's thing, but I doubt it.

So, for better or worse, the book is on sale for one week! Tell your fellow fiction fans!

[Mobipocket Link] [Lulu Link (DRM Free PDF)]

RL

A special thanks to Somacow for mentioning this event on their radio show, which happens to be the greatest Internet radio show, ever. Check them out: SOMACOW

Spinward Fringe Frontline Available on Amazon Kindle

This book has done quite well on Mobipocket with 107 copies sold to date. Now Kindle users, including people who use the Kindle App for the IPhone, will have access to the latest Spinward Fringe book.

I'm very happy with the feedback I've been getting on this book, and since I take some pride in my relationship with my readers I invite anyone and everyone to send me direct email with regards to Frontline or the previous books. I do listen. When Resurrection and Awakening came out I recieved emails from people who had to tell me that their favourite characters were Ashley and Finn. As a result I gladly wrote them in as point of view characters in Triton and Frontline. They happen to be two of my favorite characters too.

On that note, if you feel compelled to write a short review on Amazon.com for anything I've written it would be very helpful.

Thanks for all your support thus far, work on Spinward Fringe Rogue Element is going very well.

RL

As of this writing Amazon has Spinward Fringe Frontline is on sale for $7.99.

Spinward Fringe Frontline Hits Number 1 and Four More Months...

Thaaat's right, after selling 97 copies in under three weeks on Mobipocket, Spinward Fringe Frontline is now the number one book on the site. The First Light Chronicles Omnibus (where this whole series found its beginning), is number four.

Being number one anywhere is a telling sign. For a new stand alone book (one that isn't part of a series), it means that publicity, author popularity and word of mouth worked. For a book that's at the far end of a series like Spinward Fringe Frontline is, it means that there were enough people looking and waiting for it to propel it to the top of the list. For that, I thank you!

Omnibus being at number 4 on the Mobipocket overall top ten means that the word is still spreading, that you're still talking about your experience with that and the Spinward Fringe series. I have to take a minute to thank you for that as well. The glowing testimonials on the site are a huge help too.

While I'm on the topic of reviews, there's something I've been meaning to mention. If you have a blog or website or have seen a review done on any of my work, please drop me an email or leave a comment on any of my blog posts so I can link to it from my websites. If someone takes the time to review one of my books I'll gladly take the time to share my audience with them by adding a link here. I have to take a moment to thank the SomaCow crew, who haven't seen me lately because I've been rediculously busy as of late, thanks again for continuing to mention me and for looking forward to the printed edition of Frontline.

There's one other thing I really have to talk about before I go. Most authors see the topic of money as taboo, but then, most authors with an audience also have an agent and publisher(s). If you haven't guessed already, I do things a little differently than most. So, on to the topic of money. Thanks to the people who have been buying my books and the two donations I've recieved over the last two and a half months I'll be able to keep writing full time for another four months by the end of this quarter (July 1, 2009 is the beginning of the next quarter). There is a minimum I have to earn so I don't have to go find a part or full time job and I'm glad to say that as of yesterday I hit it! With only two weeks left in this quarter that's cutting it a little close, but I'm not complaining. Thank you everyone, I hope you're all enjoying my work!

What's going on right now? Well I've also socked away just enough to put my order in with Amazon.com so they'll start digitally stocking the master files for Spinward Fringe Frontline and print copies as people order them. There's no fee for them to do this for me, but shipping the proof (which I have to review before anyone can order a copy), costs more than you'd expect.

I'm also finishing work on a supernatural short today. I don't know if it's any good, but it's controversial and very cinematic in nature. It's not unussual for me to be unsure of a work's enjoyability as I finish it, that's one of the reasons why I have test readers. I'll have much more info on this as my proof readers and editor gets through with it some time next week. Hopefully I've written something decent and not given birth to a great big turkey. (Turkey = Boring, cheesy, silly piece of work that isn't worth saving).

After that I'm back to work on Spinward Fringe Rogue Element full time, which is looking pretty good so far.

Thank you again for four more months of writing full time. Everyone who bought a book (on Mobipocket, Kindle, Lulu, Amazon.com), or spread the word had a hand in it and I'd shake every one if I could reach far enough. You'll have to settle for more fiction as your reward.

RL

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 5: Rogue Element

Spinward Fringe Frontline is the second best selling EBook on Mobipocket.com thanks to the seventy six people who have downloaded it so far. As some of you already know the ending of that book is unique to the series. Frontline was about things coming together under the worst of conditions.

Now I'm working on Spinward Fringe Rogue Element. It's been a blast so far, with a definite shift in my writing style that is thanks to the pair of novellas I completed while Frontline was being edited.

The first sentences of this new work were written to the sounds of Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Rogue Element marks the beginning of a new era in the Spinward Fringe series and the name refers to the ship and the crew we've all become so familliar with.

I can tell you for a certainty that this book won't take as long as Frontline. Why? Well, that's simple: the characters are all where I need them to be to tell this story. That will probably only make sense to people who have read the entirety of the series so far, Frontline included, and so be it.

I hope everyone is enjoying the journey thus far, keep inviting your friends and I might be able to keep doing this for a living! As long as there's a demand for Spinward Fringe books they'll be my primary focus. Even the work I did between Frontline and the one I'm starting now: Rogue Element was only undertaken to try a vastly different style, experiment with some character dynamics and now I'm back to writing science fiction, applying what I learned.

It's good to be back and I'm having so much fun writing Rogue Element that I'm having trouble sleeping and massive issues focusing on anything else for more than a few seconds at a time. I think I have a case of the Fringes... or something...

RL

Oh, and if you've never heard of this series and want to see where it all started you can either download The First Light Chronicles: Freeground for free (there's a link to the right), or you can purchase the First Light Chronicles Omnibus from Mobipocket or Amazon.com

First Light Chronicles and Spinward Fringe Take 5 Top 10 Spots

I have the readers to thank and as I've done before, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this display of patronage.

That's right, the First Light Omnibus remains at the number one spot in Science Fiction and Spinward Fringe Frontline has taken number two! Spinward Fringe Triton has placed third while Resurrection and Awakening take up the rear in seventh and eighth place. The First Light Omnibus is maintaining a spot in fourth place for site wide sales and Spinward Fringe Frontline has crept up to the sixth spot, almost trumping Dan Browning's Angels and Demons.

Considering the fact that I'm an independent author with no advertising and no budget, I find this pretty amazing. Mobipocket is a small site, selling far fewer books than say Amazon.com or Stanza and I think that's a pretty important factor in making this all possible.

Thanks to Mobipocket users I can write full time! Most authors with a couple published books can't and I've never met an independent author who has a large enough following to quit their job, so thanks to Mobipocket I can continue to stretch my imagination and entertain people around the world without having to beg an agent to pay attention to my work or answering to a publisher who takes most of the profits. If I had that kind of support on Amazon.com I could rule the world! Sadly I'd be too busy writing to handle that kind of administrative responsibility...

When I think of all the people who have supported me so far it boggles my brain. These are people who sent donations, posted five star reviews, spread the word to friends, relatives, ordered signed copies, sent emails, posted on forums I've never heard of and most of all bought the books. Without one of those points of assistance I believe I'd be stuck working at a call center, getting carpel tunnel syndrome for all the wrong reasons! You'd have four books to read instead of a staggering seven with another on the way.

I've been at this for eighteen months now.

It feels like the books in the First Light Chronicles are ancient history, like I spent three years working on Spinward Fringe Frontline (it was actually six months). On the other hand the time has flown by. There are still people just discovering the First Light Chronicles and the Spinward Fringe Series is spraining new thumbs every day as science fiction and general fiction fans keep advancing through the books on their cellphones. Only four hundred people (give or take a few), have purchased all the books leading up to Frontline and today the forty fifth copy of the latest Spinward Fringe book was sold.

From a publisher's perspective that's barely a handful of people. To me it's enough to keep a reasonably priced roof over my head and three square meals on the table. I couldn't imagine selling a million copies of anything, perhaps I never will. I'll tell you what I'd like to see though; a television show or well made film. A video game with all the fixin's of the Spinward Fringe universe would be fantastic too. In fact, that would be pretty amazing. Above all else I'd like to make a reasonable living off my writing alone so I can keep entertaining people for the rest of my life. That's the dream.

WAIT! I KNOW!

Does anyone still play Role Playing Games? I've written a few gaming systems and compendiums over the last twenty or so years, I wonder...

Anyway, those are dangerous, distracting thoughts. I'd rather finish what I'm working on now, the next Spinward Fringe book, Broadcast 5. All I can say about it right now is that it's different, it's fun and I'll be announcing the title on June 14th.

Thank you for taking this journey with me. I'm glad to see Frontline received well so far. See you back here soon!

RL

[Would you like to see a Spinward Fringe Tabletop Role Playing Game? Sound off in the Comments!]

Spinward Fringe: Publisher Offers $3,500 US For Rights

Some writers dream of a publisher coming along and saying; "Hello! We want to buy your book! We'll publish them, you can do signings, get recognition for your work and be eligible for awards!"

To be honest, I wouldn't mind. Despite my love of being independent, able to do whatever I like on the page and release what I like where I want, when I want, the living isn't fantastic. I'm very thankful for the income and support I have, don't get me wrong, but even with stable EBook sales on one website (Mobipocket my books aren't actually popular anywhere else), I'm barely making a living. Amazon sales are nonexistent (literally, I sold one book last week. Hope you're enjoying that Jason! Thanks for picking it up!). Aside from that I haven't been able to get a single vendor for IPhone EBooks to pick up the First Light Chronicles or Spinward Fringe series. Most of them just ignore my emails.

Now, I'm not belly aching, like I said, I make a very small living that's provided to me by Mobipocket customers and a couple of donators to whom I'm so thankful I can't put it into words, you make it possible to do this full time. I'm just explaining what was behind me responding to an email from a publisher yesterday (after the announcement that my science fiction books took the top 4 spots in Mobipocket's Science Fiction section yesterday, again, thank you Mobipocket and even more; thank you readers!!).

I replied to their email and got a call from one of their account reps, who put the offer on the table. I thought that was a little unussual, to be honest. Normally an offer on a book or a series takes a bit longer, or so I thought. According to him that's not the way it works though, and after a little prodding I got a little more info and eventually he even sent me a proposal contract.

For legal reasons I won't post the publishers name or the contract online but I can tell you that the publisher was not in the US or world top 10, and I'll give you the gist of the contract:

They offered a $3,500.00 US dollar advance on the entire Spinward Fringe series that included Freeground, Limbo, Starfree Port (actually in the First Light Chronicles Series, which the publisher didn't seem to notice), Resurrection + Awakening (they refferenced the ISBN assigned to the combined book available through Amazon.com, so I'm assuming they consider this one volume, not two books), and Triton. The royalty they were offering was also very, very low but would grow as they sold more books to a size that I still thought was really very low, but not quite as bad. The contract included printed books, EBooks, Television, Film and all other resulting merchandise, so I'd really be selling all rights and control.

I would also be obligated to work with an editor on the existing work (how much revision they wanted wasn't mentioned), and they'd take over branding, the covers (which could be a good thing), and publicity.

You know, I'm not in great financial shape, it's true, but after looking at the contract I wouldn't give them the rights to ONE book for those terms, let alone the WHOLE SERIES! Not only that, but I would be surrending a great deal of creative control and if I'm not mistaken I'd have to submit the book I'm working on now (Spinward Fringe Frontline), to them for approval, editing and then they'd probably drag their feet on getting it to press and into Ebook format IF they wanted to publish it at all. People waiting for it now would most likely not see it for a year if it hit the market at all.

Aside from all that, I'd probably get that advance check and not see any more funds for a very long time, so I'd probably have to get a full time job again, which would take a lot of time away from my writing. Suffice it to say, I told politely told them that I wasn't interested and haven't heard a so much as a peep from them since.

Now, I realize that conventional publishers invest a lot of money in a book, that new authors are very high risk, and a lot of books that seem to do well still lose money or take a very long time to turn a profit. I'm not completely new to the publishing industry and I'm aware that offers, big and small, don't come often especially if the author doesn't have any kind of agency representation.

So, I'll say it now;

If there's a publisher or agent out there who can personally offer or get me a real, fair deal for the sale of any of these books and/or exclusive rights for development or publishing then I'll be happy to consider your fair offer. I'm a reasonable person, all I want is to see these books remain accessable to the public, reasonably priced, to maintain the creative freedom I need to tell a good story and I want to make enough to write full time, pay my bills and taxes. If they want to saddle me with an editor who can help me tell an even better story, or maybe suggest some good technical tune ups and tricks, that's fine too. I'm always looking to improve my craft.

I don't want awards, I don't want a mansion on the hill with two Ferrari's in the driveway, and I don't want someone to hold my hand while I'm writing or suggest sweeping revisions that make my work fit conventional moulds, even if it'll make the books more marketable. I get emails from people who enjoy my work on a weekly basis, I sell just enough to survive and have a couple of people who have so much faith in me that they donate some of their hard earned money, and I have the most intelligent, emotionally invested editor I could dream of.

Spinward Fringe Frontline will be out in April, the momentum, the story, and the readers demand it. You'll see that book on Mobipocket, maybe even on Amazon.com.

RL

P.S.

I'm all right with not being wealthy, I'm also all right with never getting another offer again as long as I have the support of my readership. I owe everything to them and truly believe that if I remember them I'll make the right decisions creatively and monetarily. Please voice your opinion of this situation below, I'd like to hear your comments.

First Light Chronicles Freeground: The Free EBook

To the right you'll see a new set of links that are simply labeled "Download Freeground For Free Or Get It Cheap From Amazon.com" and those links will stay there permanently.

This novella has appeared and disappeared as a free EBook a few times. That's mostly because the various distribution channels I was putting this through didn't allow free Ebooks or there were costs attached to offering the book online that I had to cover.

One thing that can kill any publishing endeavor, online or in print, is uncertainty and changes that affect availability. To put an end to this, and to make it easier for people who enjoy the First Light Chronicles and the Spinward Fringe series to share the experience I'm offering the EBooks myself in two file formats.

The first, most commonly used format is PDF. it's the most universally accepted document file and with the help of Adobe Acrobat Reader (browser plugin and/or hard drive installation), you can view the entire book as it's intended and even add bookmarks.

The second file format I'm offering this book in is .prc, or the Mobipocket format as it's more widely known. The PRC file format is readable on most smartphones, PC's and many EBook reader devices. A lot of people prefer this format mostly because there's a short cut menu right at the beginning of the book leading to each chapter, making it faster to pick up from where you left off. If you want to try the reader software you can download it from Mobipocket.com.

This is me offering free stuff as a thank you for all your support so far, and I hope everyone can finally be a little relieved that Freeground is finally free for good. Since I'm doing this for a living and I've sold too many copies of the books that follow Freeground for any publisher to pick up this series I honestly can't afford to offer any other novellas or novels for free. Somehow I think my writing would suffer a little if I were doing it from a cardboard box...

The good news is that the rest of the books are very reasonably priced on www.amazon.com (print and Kindle editions), and on Mobipocket.com (EBook editions). Even in print Freeground is only $7.99 in a large print, 6"x9" Trade Paperback format from Amazon.com. Since I don't have an agent or publisher taking a bite out of my profits I can afford to offer my work at a lower price than practically anyone else for their quality. Sadly the printed editions are only available in large 6"x9" Trade Paperback editions, making them more expensive than the small mass paperbacks, but the quality and clarity of these books make them very much worth having. Amazon does an absolutely amazing job at printing and shipping these books, I couldn't be happier with their work.

I hope you and anyone else whose into science fiction or fiction in general enjoys The First Light Chronicles Freeground, it's the start point for the First Light Chronicles and Spinward Fringe series and establishes the basic universe and introduces the most important characters in a fast paced, exciting package. Most readers suggest you start reading this in the afternoon and not at night since it's been known to keep people up in the wee hours, I'm told it's a real page turner.

Here's a synopsis!

In the middle of the darkest region of explored space sits one bright beacon; Freeground Station. Serving as a supply and trading post it is home to a select number of human beings that will take an unlikely chance to make a difference in their end of the galaxy.

Jonas and his friends spent their spare time in tactical simulations and drew the attention of Freeground Fleet Command when they hacked into restricted combat scenarios for elite trainees and defeated all comers.

Instead of punishing Jonas and his friends they offered them an opportunity to undertake a dangerous and exciting mission. They were to go out into the Galaxy and acquire any advantages that would improve life for Freegrounders.

This series is about their first voyage together, the challenges they face, and the relationships they forge with each other and the beings they meet along the way.

The First Light Chronicles Omnibus, the volume that contains all three parts of the First Light Chronicles; Freeground, Limbo and Starfree Port, has held the number one spot on Mobipocket.com (an Amazon subsidiary company that only sells EBooks), for almost six months. I'm proud of the First Light Chronicles series, and extremely happy that most people who read it go on to read the Spinward Fringe Series, the unlimited series of books in the same universe and a number of novels that I couldn't be more proud of.

So go ahead and download Freeground. Welcome aboard, I hope you enjoy the beginning of what has proven to be a long and exciting journey for hundreds of readers around the world.

RL

Oh, and after consulting with several readers and my editor who has 35 years teaching experience, I'm happy to announce that the entire First Light Chronicles and Spinward Fringe series' are suitable for readers ages 13+, so if you want a series of books you AND your teens can enjoy, here it is.

[Mobipocket Store Link] [Amazon.com Store Link]

Spinward Fringe Frontline: First 200 Pages Get Approval

The ultimate suspense for me when I'm working on something new and everything has to slow down while my editor reviews it. If I'm doing good work and enjoying myself I generally lose all objectivity and she's the one who tells me if I'm writing something that's purely self indulgent or something that other people will enjoy as well.

That time is mostly over with Frontline. A week ago (give or take a few days), I handed the first 200 pages of Spinward Fringe Frontline to my editor. There's a lot of action mixed with some serious character and plot development in those pages, and I just had to know how it was turning out from her perspective before I went full speed into the second half of the book. (I kept writing anyway, just not quite as quickly as I normally do in case I'd have to go back and change a few things, but we'll keep that between us...)

After she finished reviewing it she told me that "it read like it was written for a TV-14 or TV-MA rated television show and it was so hard to put down that my sleep schedule is all screwed up." Coming from her that's very high praise, she also liked the balance between many of the characters. (If you want to find out what that means, I'm afraid you'll have to wait for the book to be available, since I'm not going to give anything away).

So, with her approval on the first 200 pages and the knowledge that I don't have any huge plot holes, bad characterization, poor dialog or unbelievable events I'm moving on. It's full steam ahead from here on out.

This novel is definitely the epitomy of Space Opera and it's shaping up to be the longest book I've ever written. I love the characters, what they're doing and that the rules and settings in this universe are coming together perfectly while the plot carries on with the intensity and impact of a tsunami. How long is the book? So far it's 278 pages, and I think I'm about two thirds through it, there's a lot of story to tell and everyone's favorite characters are right in the middle.

Thank you for sticking with me, there IS a light at the end of the tunnel and given a little more time Spinward Fringe Frontline, which has been a blast to write so far, will be available relatively soon. Until then, please continue to spread the word about the First Light Chronicles and Spinward Fringe series, especially now that the books are available on Amazon.com in print (and of course they're still available on Mobipocket as well as other good Ebook retailers). Your support matters, and I'm greatful to every one of you!

More news on the series soon!

RL

Coming to Amazon.com Soon: Randolph Lalonde In Print

By January 17, 2009 many of my books will finally be available in print through Amazon.com. They'll be be pressing copies the day they're ordered and you can benefit from Super Saver Shipping as well as other Amazon.com specials.

It'll be nice to be working with a retailer (or Etailer in this case), that people trust and doesn't charge anyone outside of the US massive shipping fees. Here's a list of the books that will become available on or before January 17:

First Light Chronicles Freeground
First Light Chronicles Limbo
First Light Chronicles Starfree Port
First Light Chronicles Omnibus (All three of the above collected)

Spinward Fringe Resurrection
Spinward Fringe Awakening
Spinward Fringe Resurrection and Awakening (both books collected in one volume due to their individually smal size).
Spinward Fringe Triton

All of the above titles are already available through my new Amazon storefront on the Kindle (that's Amazon's proprietary reader), and through Mobipocket or Lulu.com for those of you who prefer to read your ebooks in PDF format. There are also signed copies from a very limited initial test print run I had done early in 2008 just in case you're looking to snag a collector's item or memento. (Links to all of those places are just to the right of this post).

Since I'm still an independent writer and Mobipocket users have been so loyal, I won't be waiting until printed copies of future books are available before listing titles electronically like most publishers do. So Mobipocket users will have access to my work weeks before anyone who still reads conventional print has a chance to order a copy. I'm happy to make Mobipocket a priority even though things have slowed down quite a bit. Without the users there I wouldn't be putting my work up on Amazon.com and I wouldn't have a remote shot at making a living at this.

Thank you all for your support so far, there will be an announcement when the books are officially available so you don't have to keep checking my webstore every day (don't wear out your Ctrl+R keys Paul, you'll hear the news here moments after I do!)

RL

Farewell 2008, Helloooo 2009!

On January 1, 2008 I resolved that I would write every day of that year. I only missed sixteen days and the results of putting the work and time into my craft are beyond what I could have imagined.

I started with Freeground on January 1, and I had no idea what I started. Five and a half more science fiction novellas/novels followed along with a non-fiction self help, two other books that will go unpublished as well as the full outline and treatment for a horror novel/screenplay that you'll most likely see this year.

My writing has improved, my plot craft has gotten sharper and I've fallen head over heels with the universe I've created over the last 365 days as well as the characters dwelling within. The Spinward Fringe universe is something that will persist whether people are interested or not. The good news is that interest is growing and Spinward Fringe is actually putting bread on the table and a roof over my head.

In August I launched the First Light Chronicles Omnibus and the first Spinward Fringe novella (Resurrection), on MobiPocket and the few people who had purchased them through Lulu.com were kind enough to post reviews there. The growing interest there since has shown me not only where my audience is but that there's actually a demand for what I'm doing. I love to entertain, I could easily say that it's one of my primary reasons for being and it seems the British love what I'm doing. Not to diminish my other readers, I appreciate everyone, but over 70% of my readers live in Britain. If this keeps up I'll have to make the trip to meet a few, but I'm still a little under funded for that I'm afraid.

Since then there have been rumors of a television series, another rumor that the whole book series has been put on hold because I've been picked up by a publisher and yet another rumor that I'm giving up Science Fiction for Horror. Well, none of those are true. If there's a television series coming (and I'd love it if there were), no one told me. I haven't been picked up by a publisher, but two agents have passed on me since I'm self published and I'm certainly NOT giving up Science Fiction.

It's true that I'll be writing a horror novel after Spinward Fringe Frontline, but only one and it's already fully outlined so it won't take very long. There are plenty of Spinward Fringe books waiting to be written and you'll see a few of them in 2009.

Here's something else that's true: I'm just a hair away from making a real living at this. No side jobs, no extra work here and there, just writing full time. Complete independence is a dream that not only my characters lust after, but something I've sought out my entire life and thanks to all of you I may be able to attain that goal. I'll have the opportunity to entertain with the written word a hell of a lot longer, hopefully for the rest of my life. In the meantime my primary donator and a couple much smaller ones have filled in financial gaps that I would have had to pick up a part time job to cover, I have to thank you especially. Just the fact that people are buying and enjoying my work is amazing, that someone actually invests a little (or a lot), more so I can keep producing is just incredible.

To think back to a time when I thought few (if any), people would be interested in what I was writing but I kept inventing and typing anyway really shows me how suddenly and surprisingly things have developed. I wrote for the enjoyment back then, and to be completely honest, writing is still a selfish act for me for one simple reason: I love what I'm doing. If I don't enjoy writing something, I simply don't do it. The fact that others are entertained by what I'm doing just makes me want to create better, more surprising and engaging fiction, thus increasing my enjoyment. It's a mental exersion that its own reward and I couldn't stop if I tried. Having said that, any movie, book, television or puppet show is always a lot better when you've shared it with a friend. So I'm truly fortunate to have a few hundred friends to share my favorite books with. When you have a cinema running in your brain 98% of the time it helps to have a few bodies in the seats.

Thank you all, I truly owe so much to everyone who has purchased one of my books, clicked on the donation button or passed the word.
You'll see some amazing, horrifying, and interesting things in 2009. After all, 2008 was just about getting started and 2009 will be all about making things bigger, brighter, bolder.

You ain't seen nothin' yet.

RL

Happy new year!

The Call Center Survival Guide: This Isn't the Book You're Looking For

Early last year I wrote a little self help book somewhere between Limbo and Starfree Port just to see if I could do it. Well, obviously I could.

It's sat on my shelf for months missing the last chapter (which contains sections entitled; "Quitting Suddenly" and "Getting Fired"), and yesterday I finally dusted it off, edited the entire thing and released it on MobiPocket with a temporary cover.

Now, I realize that there are a few hundred people waiting for the next part of Spinward Fringe, but the unfinished task of completing this dry, over descriptive book has been nagging me like crazy all year.

The result of my labors is a self help book that is really only written to help Call Center employees. More specifically, Call Center employees who expect to run into trouble socially or professionally and need a little advice on how to prevent such problems and need tips on how to deal with them when they happen.

To be honest, if you don't work in a call center, or you do and your career is in good shape, you don't need this book at all. I know, if I had a publisher they'd slap me silly, duct tape my mouth shut and toss me in a closet for saying that, but I'd rather be honest so no one mistakes this for a comedy and buys it for a laugh only to discover it's actually a self help book.

Somehow writing this reminded me of an instructional film made in the 40's or 50's, which actually made it a bit of fun. I'll also write a comedy screen play based on this book someday when I have a week or two to spare just for kicks.

Now that this is all finished (with the exception of a cover, which Marcus Froment will be illustrating this week), I'm going back to work on Spinward Fringe Fronline. Time to go back to what I really enjoy: writing fiction!

RL

Coming soon: 2008 in review!

Spinward Fringe Awakening: The Final Edit Is Complete

I have to admit, going through Awakening again after not so much as touching it for months was a lot of fun. There were amusing and dramatic moments in this part of the Spinward Fringe series and I enjoyed giving it one final edit.

There was a little cleanup to do, I'll admit, but I benefited a great deal from the look back. As the sort of middle child in the Spinward Fringe Series (at least for now), it got a little neglected. After reading it over again I couldn't help realizing how important some of the events in here are and how well it leads into the next book, Triton.

Now that this final polish is done I've updated all the versions available (MobiPocket, Lulu.com, and the upcoming Amazon.com versions), and once more I can reassure you that there were no plot changes made. The decisions I made the first time were the right ones, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed reading this book over again.

So, update your readers (if you use MobiPocket), by revisiting your online library and give it a read if you have the inclination. You don't have to read it over again, however, as I said before, most of the changes were gramattical and cosmetic. These final edits are being performed so I'll be ready for Amazon.com in January and so I can get a refresher before finishing Spinward Fringe Frontline.

Now I move on to edit Spinward Fringe Triton, the largest and most significant Spinward Fringe book so far. I get the feeling I'm about to get sucked in all over again and I love it.

RL

Spinward Fringe Resurrection: The Final Edit Is Complete

Spinward Fringe Resurrection: The Final Edit Is Complete

Spinward Fringe Resurrection was a much closer match to the science fiction novel I dreamt of writing a little over a year ago, and after running it through the final edit I have to say that the quick character development, rich colour I found in the dialogue was surprising. As with the First Light Chronicles Omnibus I didn't make any plot changes, so no one has to go back and re-read Resurrection.


This fresh final edit is really just a cleanup and a chance for me to look back before going forward. The foundation of the Spinward Fringe series is set in this and the following two books; Awakening and Triton. So far I think the three books are strong enough to support another six, and for those of you who have followed authors before for many many books without conclusion, this isn't the kind of series that completely closes off.


I actually plan to leave something open at the end of every book, especially when most of the plotlines are resolved. The Spinward Fringe series will never be tied up in a neat set of three, six or nine books unless people stop reading them, and as it stands more people are buying the most recent book; Triton. That tells me that there's still an interest, so the fourth Spinward Fringe book; Frontline is more than half finished and there are plans for a fifth as well as a sixth. If I do my job well people will keep following me on this journey and they'll tell their friends about it.


So far, after doing the final edit on Spinward Fringe Resurrection I can tell you that there are so many stories to tell, so many interesting things for these characters to do while they survive in my imagination and on the page that this series could go on for thirty books. I do not exaggerate. Consider that in the space of one year I was able to write six novellas in this universe and it feels like the whole year just whipped by.


I'll post a little more about what I'm thinking going forward once I've finished the final edit of Spinward Fringe Awakening, but until then I thank you for your support and encourage you to keep spreading the word, sharing my work and enjoying the adventure.


RL


All I have done is nothing compared to what I intend to do.

Twelve Months and Twelve Days Later: The First Light Chronicles Omnibus

A while ago I promised that there would be an Afterword added to the First Light Omnibus. It's a little late, but after four drafts I've decided on which one to include. The Afterword is called Twelve Months and Twelve Days Later, An Afterword by Randolph Lalonde. The significance of the title rests in the fact that I started writing Science Fiction twelve months and twelve days before the final edit of the First Light Chronicles was complete and the afterword was added. On January 1, 2008, this journey began as I wrote the first chapter of Freeground. For more details on that journey and the two novellas that followed you'll have to read the afterword, available to anyone who has a copy of the Omnibus in their MobiPocket library or who orders a printed copy of the book.

As I completed the editing and polishing work on the First Light Chronicles Omnibus I was happy to place the Afterword right at the end. Sadly, only people who own the Mobipocket rights to a copy of the book and people who purchase a printed copy from Lulu.com or Amazon.com in the future will have access to it.

Polishing the three books in the Omnibus was a great look back, and now that it's all finished I've updated the individual novellas as well; Freeground, Limbo and Starfree Port. The afterword isn't included in any of those volumes, however.

Now I'm moving on to the Spinward Fringe Series, it's about time I finish taking a look back before taking a great big step forward and finishing the next novel in the series: Spinward Fringe Frontline. This whole review process takes time, and I thank you for your patience with reassurances that taking a look back is crucial to doing a good job on the next two books.

This is a great universe to write in, you're fantastic people to write for and after taking this look back I'm ready to push forward and expand it once more.

So, if you've got a copy of the First Light Chronicles Omnibus in your MobiPocket Library, go ahead and update it. Even if you don't plan to read the whole thing over again (since I didn't change any plot points, you really don't have to), you might want to take a look at the new Afterword.

Thank you for reading along, the road ahead promises to be longer and more interesting than the one behind.

RL

The First Light Chronicles Omnibus: Final Edit Complete!

Here are the facts:

When I started writing this series at the beginning of 2008 it had been almost three years since I had done work on long fiction.

I was more of a technical writer, every sentence had a period and thoughts were rigidly separated.

I didn't expect anyone else to enjoy the material I turned out for practice at the beginning of the year (First Light Chronicles Omnibus), but I had great fun doing it.

Here's what happened:

I loved the storylines that sprung out of the three novellas contained within the Omnibus so much that I started the unlimited series; Spinward Fringe. To my surprise people enjoyed the First Light Chronicles so much that they wanted more and enjoyed Resurrection, Awakening and Triton.

So MobiPocket took me on as an independent publisher and people started reading these high technology science fiction novellas on their blackberries, other cellphones, ebook readers and laptops. Now that's a happy irony! These books are perfectly suited to small devices as far as I'm concerned. The books have sold quite well for something available mostly on a fringe market (eBooks are still quite unpopular compared to the printed, tree wasting kind), and I'm so happy to have an audience for more Sinward Fringe novellas/novels so I can easily justify more novellas and novels.

The problem:

It had been almost a year to the day since I started writing this series and I needed a refresher. I remembered what happened in the First Light Chronicles, don't get me wrong, but I needed to go through the books once more to clear up some vagaries and make sure I wasn't leaving any minor plot strands dangling loose.

Even though my editor has been through the First Light Chronicles, I also wanted to make sure that there weren't any rough edges left. You know, sentences and paragraphs that were correct, but not smooth. So, another read through / edit was required before I moved on.

The result:

I've enjoyed re-reading the First Light Chronicles, and yes, there were a few squarish sentences and points that needed a little more explanation. I'm happy to say that those have been all rounded out and expanded. Have there been major changes? No! The worst thing I could do is go back and make sweeping (or minor), plot changes that would chance the universe and stories I've already told. The edits I made were actually quite minor, and I can honestly say that I've done everything I wanted with these books.

The Future:

I'm going to take this week to revisit the Spinward Fringe Series; Resurrection, Awakening and Triton. I know Resurrection needs some polish and there are some details I absolutely need to have straight before I go on and finish my work on Spinward Fringe Frontline.

About Fronline:

Spinward Fringe Fronline, simply put, takes all the charm, excitement, characterization and plot craft that you've seen in the First Light Chronicles and the Spinward Fringe series thus far and draws from it. Everything that was exciting and compelling about those novellas (all six of them), is getting pressed into this book just so I can tell the story contained in Frontline properly. I'm not finished, I actually had to take a break at page 166 so I could take this backwards look then make the next mighty leap forward.

I'm hoping to have Spinward Fringe Fronline (the seventh book), completed by Christmas, but if I miss my date it'll be on MobiPocket in January 2009. It's been a great year, and reviewing it this way is a fantastic method of preparing to write in the next.

Amazon.com?

After all that's finished I'll be sending all the books to Amazon.com, where they'll offer copies of the printed book for sale. They're going to use their own presses to print copies as people order them and apply the same specials / shipping savings to my books as they do to everything else they offer on their site. Everyone will finally have a good, trustworthy, well known online store to order printed books from, maybe even in the UK!

So stay tuned, there's more Spinward Fringe news to come!

RL

Oh, about the Afterword that will be added to the First Light Chronicles Omnibus; it's with my Editor and THAT will be out before Christmas. I know, it's not much compared to another Spinward Fringe Novel, but it's the best I can do at the moment, unless someone manages to add an hour or two to our restrictive 24 hour days...

Books by Randolph Lalonde: Six Steps Back To Take Six More Foreward

The First Light Chronicles Omnibus has spent over two months in the top spot on the MobiPocket Science Fiction section. That's huge for me, it's exposed this book to hundreds of people, and every few days I get an eMail from someone whose enjoyed it and moved on to Spinward Fringe. I couldn't be happier that people enjoying my work, especially since I want little more than to entertain people for a living. I'm so very close to living that dream, to continuing my efforts full time.

That's why I'm taking a short break from working on Spinward Fringe Frontline (I know, that's not what you want to hear), to look over all the previous books and ensure that they're exactly the quality and style I need them to be before going forward into 2009. No plot points will be changed during this final edit. Frontline is still on track to be finished by the end of the year, regardless of this break, but looking back before going forward is especially important at this point, partially to ensure the quality of the plot and characterization in the new book and partially because everything will be submitted to an Amazon.com subsidiary company so all the books will be available in print for competitive cover price early in 2009.

2008 was an amazing year for me. On January 1, 2008 I started writing an unnamed science fiction novella, and eleven months later I'm working on my seventh. A few hundred people have found my work and find real enjoyment in it. There are so many possibilities from here, and there are projects under way that involve the Spinward Fringe Series that I still can't talk about.

For the few out there who heard that our family just suffered a loss and there were some personal issues, I'm very happy to reassure you that the storm is over and everyone is going to be fine. I'm back to work and we're all set to have a great couple weeks leading up to the holiday season. My editor is also very, very anxious to dig into Spinward Fringe Frontline, so you can trust there will be no delays there!

Thank you all for the bounty of support during 2008, things are looking fantastic for 2009!