This is a continuation of an experiment in alternative publishing begun in April of 2005.
From April to October of 2005 I posted the first draft of The Spriggan Mirror, the ninth novel in the Legends of Ethshar series, chapter by chapter. The last two chapters, along with the epilogue and some endnotes, were posted on October 16, 2005. Each week, if I'd received enough in donations (as I always did), I posted another chapter.
The experiment was successful enough that I promised to do it again, and while I was busy with other projects for almost a year, I did finally make good on that promise.
I've written the first draft of The Vondish Ambassador, posting one chapter for each $250 readers donated. I finished posting this draft on March 2, 2007.
There are twenty-eight chapters and an epilogue, totalling about 82,000 words; the finished novel will probably be about 90,000.
I'm still accepting donations, even though the serial is complete -- at least for now. Anyone in the United States who donates a total of $25 or more will receive a copy of the eventual trade edition of the completed novel. That $25 includes shipping and handling, there won't be any additional charges tacked on.
Due to the higher shipping costs, foreign readers must donate $30 to reserve a copy.
I intend to close down these advance sales some time in April, exact date not yet determined.
With my first serial I also did an e-book edition for $5 donors; I didn't do that this time, but an e-book edition should eventually be available on Fictionwise.
Anyone who makes any donation will have his or her name added to the mailing list for e-mail updates on this and future projects. (You can also opt out of the e-mails, if you prefer.) Donors will also be given access to a private area on the web where I've posted a couple of maps I hope will be of interest, and I may add other extras eventually. Or I may not, but the maps are there.
As long as they keep working, yes, but I don't know, at this point, when I'll start the next, or which story it will be.
Yes -- at least for now; I won't leave it up once the book is published. It will stay up until at least April 2007, but I expect it'll be gone before the end of the year.
When I do more serials they'll be free while they're in progress, just as this one was -- but if the money stops coming in, I'll stop writing them.
I only found two convenient and reliable methods; if anyone has more to suggest, I'm still interested.
| First: You can send checks or money orders made out to: Lawrence W. Evans P.O. Box 3912 Gaithersburg MD 20885 |  | Second:  You can use your credit card to send money to my Paypal business account by clicking the button below: |
| If you have a PayPal account, you can save me the fees by using it (but not a credit card, despite what the form says!) to send money to this personal account instead of the business one: |
I certainly hope so; every book in the series is intended to stand on its own, though there are cross-references and interconnections. If you haven't read the others, I'd be interested in knowing what you think of this one -- does it work without any background?
This novel does give away some of the plot of The Unwilling Warlord.
It lets me write stuff that the big New York publishers aren't interested, and it's fun.
It's purely a sideline, though. My regular writing career is still perfectly healthy -- The Ninth Talisman will be out from Tor in May of 2007.
When I have time, it will be revised and professionally edited. While there's no signed contract yet, Wildside Press has expressed interest in publishing the ink-on-paper edition.
If you'd like to link to this page, or any part of the story, feel free. I've worked up a few little graphics for people to use, if they want.
This is first draft; I have no idea how much it may change before it's finished. The serial version is not the final text.
Please note that while I accurately call payments "donations," this is not a non-profit enterprise and they are not tax deductible.
If you have any suggestions, comments on page design or payment methods, or other things you think I should hear about, e-mail me.
I'm Lawrence Watt-Evans, author of some three dozen novels and hundreds of short stories, articles, etc. One of my best-known series has been the Legends of Ethshar, consisting (as of 2004) of eight novels originally published by Del Rey Books or Tor Books, and seven short stories that appeared in various anthologies.
Alas, I learned in 2004 that no major mainstream publisher was interested in continuing the Ethshar series. On the other hand, I had several readers saying they desperately want to see more. I decided to see whether enough of them were willing to put their money where their mouths are to finance more Ethshar stories -- and perhaps eventually continuations of other series that no longer have major publishers.
To my surprise, there were enough. My fans came through, and I have now written the ninth Ethshar novel, The Spriggan Mirror, financed entirely by reader contributions rather than an advance from a publisher, and am starting on this tenth. The finished novel will, I hope, be published in traditional form eventually by Wildside Press, but its writing is only made financially possible by contributions from readers during its serialization.
I've tried to answer all your questions about my experiment, but if I've missed anything, e-mail me and ask, or check out the blog I've created for discussing this project.
Although the serial is complete, donations are still gladly accepted. In the U.S., $25 will reserve a copy of the finished book for you; it's $30 outside the U.S. Any donation puts you on the mailing list for news of developments and future serials, and gets you access to any extras, such as maps.
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Created: Tuesday, September 12, 2006