The author of the very popular The Martian started posting his book a chapter at a time online. Then he received requests to make it into an ebook, and then a paper book. It's now a bestseller. A new author is taking a similar tack, and I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes a similar success in time, too.
If you're a scifi fan, you need to take a look at Frontier by Raymond Alvarez. As of this writing, Alvarez has posted the first two chapters free online, inviting comment and corrections. The "Chapters" navigation link has spots for four chapters.
Here's a brief synopsis based on the introduction from Alvarez's home page.
Scientists find a mystery at the bottom of Europa’s hidden ocean, a spherical object that turns out to be an extraterrestrial spaceship with incredible technology asleep inside. A trillionaire on Earth insists on controlling the alien technology, but with the object’s powerful secrets within grasp something goes terribly wrong. It sets loose a chain of events as mankind struggles for its very survival.
Like The Martian, Frontier is a novel based on science. Alvarez has done his research. And while his core idea is at this time a fantasy - finding alien technology - everything about Europa and getting there is based on what science tells us today. And of course, there are those who would say there is evidence that alien civilizations have visited us in the past, so maybe finding alien technology isn't so much fantasy as science awaiting discovery.
Alvarez is working on finishing the book and hopes it will become popular enough that readers will want to buy it. Now is a good time to get a free look at the first chapters and decide for yourself. And enjoy the opportunity of interacting with an author by commenting on the novel and offering suggestions.
Alvarez is working on finishing the book and hopes it will become popular enough that readers will want to buy it. Now is a good time to get a free look at the first chapters and decide for yourself. And enjoy the opportunity of interacting with an author by commenting on the novel and offering suggestions.
As a former bookseller, I can attest that writing and publishing books has changed significantly over the past ten years. Today, authors are able to take more of publishing into their own hands, and Raymond Alvarez is taking a bold step in an ever-changing and uncertain profession. But he's living the dream of actually being published, and he's taking the opportunity to do it his way. I hope you'll see what it's about and give him a chance to prove himself by reading a couple of chapters.
(c) 2015. Alan Eggleston. All Rights Reserved.
2 comments:
Thanks for the recommendation, Alan. I look forward to reading Andy Weir's Martian. But what I read about it, I like. He must have a great book. I'm hoping to see comments from strangers as well as friends. I am enjoying this. It's great to have a story read.
Best regards!
Congratulations on getting through the process of writing a novel, Raymond. It's the one kind of writing I've never managed to tackle. It takes a real talent, and you have it.
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