And so it begins…

The first chapter of Realms of Light is now posted. An explanation of how the serial works is also up.

As always, this is first draft. If and when — emphasis on “if” — the novel is completed, it will be revised, edited, and eventually published in book form, by either FoxAcre Press or Misenchanted Press. Anyone in the U.S. who contributes $25 or more to the serial will get a copy of that book; for Canada it requires $30, and elsewhere the minimum is $35.

For every $300 I receive, I will post another chapter. Chapters will be posted at a minimum interval of one week.

I hope you’ll like it.

Chapters written: Six out of an estimated twenty-five to thirty.

Chapters posted: None.

Anticipated start date: November 26th. If there are unforeseen problems, December 3rd.

Okay, I think I’m ready to start, even though I still haven’t heard back from my editor at Tor about A Young Man Without Magic. I can’t wait forever.

The Serial Universe website isn’t ready, but I don’t know whether I want to wait for that, either, and I’m hoping we can get it into shape quickly.

I’m afraid I’m going to be charging $300 per chapter this time, for several reasons — Carlisle Hsing is harder to write than Ethshar, for one, and to match what Steve Miller and Sharon Lee charge for their serials, for another. Not to mention that The Vondish Ambassador did significantly worse on post-serial money than The Spriggan Mirror did, forcing some reevaluation.

I realize this may prove fatal, though I hope it won’t.

If it slows publication down a bit, I won’t be terribly upset; a chapter a week can be a pretty challenging pace to maintain, especially around holidays or when traveling.

I’ll be putting up the “How This Works” page tonight, though the first chapter won’t be posted until next week.