The Patient Spider and Yahoo eCommerce

I have just posted a new short story on the Renegade Data Core website titled The Patient Spider. Head over to the Free Stuff section and download it. Again this is FREE science fiction for your enjoyment.

I've been working diligently on both this short story and In Darkness Forged. If there's one thing I'm discovering about all this it's that it's not easy. Between work, fight training, bull riding training (yes, I said bull riding), and friends, writing one story is hard enough, let alone writing TWO. I give props to those authors who do it every day. I know there are a lot of authors at The Black Library who work on two, three, or four stories/scripts/comics DAILY. That's incredible. My hats off to you, gentlemen.

I will be posting yet ANOTHER short story next month around the same time (though probably after Easter, as I will be spending much of my time with family that weekend). Hopefully this one will have associated art with it to spice it up a bit.

In other news, I've decided that, prior to the release date of In Darkness Forged, I will be migrating Renegade Data Core to a Yahoo eCommerce website. I thought about using PayPal, but a $30-$40 a month Yahoo eCommerce account is much more cost effective than PayPal. PayPal charges 2.5% +.05 for each transaction. If I sold just one hundred (100) copies of my book, they would charge me almost $65. I guess the pros of having PayPal, though, is if nothing sells I don't pay them anything. But that's where an aggressive marketing plan comes in.

Until next time...

The Ultramarines, Revelation Space, and Deadlifting

Today's post is more about my nerdish endevours than anything else (be wary). I shall have another short fiction piece up by Tuesday, at the very latest.

First: Ultramarines, A Warhammer 40,000 Movie, is soon to debut. On the Ultramarines Movie website - http://ultramarinesthemovie.com/ - they are selling the $40 limited edition box set. You know I bought MY copy. The preview on YouTube (here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vF_VLZotWc) is awesome, and gives much greater insight into what the movie is about and who the enemy is (I told a friend of mine Chaos - totally called it). While I'm still overseas, I sent my copy to my home for the Dinoman (younger brother, seen here: http://dinoman87.deviantart.com/) to enjoy. ANOTHER reason I can't wait to get home.

Second: I am currently reading a very fascinating, and at times confusing, book (on my Nook) called "Revelation Space" (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Revelation-Space/Alastair-Reynolds/e/9781440673795/?itm=1&USRI=Revelation+Space). It centers around three characters: Dan Sylveste, a xenoarchaeologist who's been overthrown in the local planetary government, Ana Khouri, a contract assassin, and Illia Volyova, a reluctant captain of a very old, mystery filled, city-size spaceship. Each plot takes place in a different year, but I have a feeling all three will intertwine at some point (I'm on page 67 of 552). The immense detail and intrigue that permeates each page draws the reader in (or, at least, it draws me in) further and further. It's difficult to put this book down, and I highly recommend it, either in eBook or traditional paperback.

Third: Deadlifting 315lbs very rapidly for ten reps (two sets) hurts...but it hurts so good! FYI, the third set was a drop set: 315 for 8 reps, 225 for 10 reps, 135 for 12 reps. Add in some good bicep curls and pull ups, and you have a muscle carving workout (and a very sore Omaha Renegade).

Black Library Goes Digital, and My Discovery of Dropbox

Yesterday, the 8th of October, The Black Library opened its digital book doors: http://www.blacklibrary.com/Digital. The first free installment is "First and Only" by Dan Abnett. I suggest downloading your copy before they put a price tag on it.
I'm glad they're going digital. EBooks are the future, with the ability to have more books, but take up less physical space, people can purchase dozens, if not hundreds of books and read them digital comfort. Sure, a good paperback novel is nice, but waiting them to be shipped to me is a pain. Digital books allow me to read what I want in seconds once downloaded. It's been a lifesaver over here. So go and check it out, and look forward to more from the Black Library's new digital library.

Also, a friend of mine just introduced me to Dropbox (http://www.dropbox.com/). You sign up and download the applet, and then you can move folders into your Dropbox and either access your dropbox online, or, if you've downloaded the Dropbox applet to other computers/mobile devices, just draw the files from there. Your Dropbox syncs across multiple media and the website, but acts as a normal file on your computer. It's pretty darn cool, if you ask me. I've been sharing story ideas (and the writing continues!) with said friend as we collaborate on a project he is working on. The details of this project are classified Uber Top Secret...so no soup for you.
Perhaps I will post a link to my public Dropbox folder of some tentative fiction in the near future...who knows?

Vacancies at the Black Library, and Publishing

So, currently, there are two editor vacancies at The Black Library, headquartered in Nottingham, England. The call for applications can be seen here: http://www.blacklibrary.com/vacancies.html
Oh how I would love to work for that wonderful company. True, I would have less time for writing (I do write), but the learning experience in the publishing industry would be priceless! Unfortunately, the Omaha Renegade is stuck overseas, and the powers that be say "No!". Why does such an opportunity have to present itself and I'm not there to jump on it like fox pouncing on a mouse?

Also, Barnes and Noble (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/) has started it's PubIt service. There, once you sign up, you can submit your stories and sell them on the Barnes and Noble website. Great little thing, that. B&N take 40% of the sale as their share; the seller retains 60%. I had thought about doing this with the book I'm writing (80K words, and counting), but I'm worried that the science fiction/fantasy eBook market just isn't strong enough. I'd hate to put my book up as an ePub on B&N's site, only to not make a single cent. I've looked into self-publishing, and while I love the idea of marketing myself, I hate the prices on the books. A normal novel, 300-400 pages, that should sell for $7 or $8 (perhaps $9 at most) cost $15-$20 per copy to produce. I would have to charge $16-$21 a copy, and no one would buy that for a book obviously worth less.