Two things drive me as a writer: the desire to get all these stories out of my head before my sinuses explode from the buildup of creative pressure … and the desire to entertain readers for a few hours with thrills, chills, adventure, laughs, and a few groan-inducing puns. I want to thank all the Loyal Readers who have picked up or downloaded one of my stories and given me the opportunity to do just that. Thanks again to those who have taken the time to send me a note to let me know you enjoyed the book. I truly appreciate your encouragement, comments, and even the constructive criticism.
Please join me in 2010 for more Jason Cosmo adventures. My plan is to publish Noble Cause in print and ebook, release an episodic audio bookcast of Hero Wanted (and maybe Noble Cause too), and I hope to offer a few more Jason Cosmo short stories and mini-novels along the way.
In the meantime, I wish you all the best of the season and a healthful, prosperous and happy new year!
Getting your hands on a print copy of Hero Wanted (assuming the free ebook on Smashwords doesn’t satisfy you) requires ordering a copy from Amazon or your other favorite online bookseller or placing a special order at your local bookshop. My publisher, Trove Books, takes a very 21st century — and, may I add, eco-conscious — approach to publishing books. Instead of killing a bunch of trees, printing a bunch of books, storing said books in a climate-controlled warehouse, then shipping the books out to bookstores in heavy trucks to sit on the shelves until someone strolls by and decide to buy a copy, Trove only prints a book when it is ordered ((Thus killing trees one at a time. The trees appreciate this.)) and ships it straight to you, via Amazon or whomever.
UPS was going to be in your neighborhood anyway.
But whether you order Hero Wanted online or at your local bookstore, you do have to wait at least a couple of days to start reading the book. Is there any way to get the book faster? If you happen to live in a few special communities around the world, then yes, there is: it is called the Espresso Book Machine.
No, it does not make coffee.
The Espresso is more of an “ATM for books.” Here is the official pitch from the makers of the Espresso, On Demand Books: What Gutenberg’s press did for Europe in the 15th century digitization and the Espresso Book Machine will do for the world tomorrow.
I assume that means they are hoping to set off decades of bloody religious warfare between Catholics and Protestants.
Or else provide “library quality paperbacks at low cost, identical to factory made books, printed direct from digital files for the reader in minutes, serving a radically decentralized world-wide multilingual marketplace.” Er, right. That’s more PR gobbledygook, but translation: it’s a machine that prints, collates, covers, and binds a single book in a few minutes.
Here is a video that eventually shows you how it works:
So. Nifty. So what? Well, Trove Books has arranged to make Hero Wanted available through the Espresso Book Machine. So if you live in or near a town where an Espresso Book Machine is located, you can — in theory — go there and purchase your very own copy of Hero Wanted and see it printed before your very eyes. ((Unless they keep the machine in a back room, but why would they do that?))
Here are the known locations of Espresso Book Machines around the world:
If there is an Espresso near you, go check it out! I’ve seen a demo in person and it is pretty cool to watch it make a book.
If you do happen to buy a copy of Hero Wanted printed on an Espresso, remember to take your digital camera and send me a picture of you, your new book, and the Espresso at Dan@JasonCosmo.com. Send me the picture and your thoughts on the experience and I’ll feature your story here on the Jason Cosmo Update. I dont’t think anyone has bought an Espresso-made copy yet, so you could be the first!
Mark and his team at Smashwords have created a great, easy-to-use ebook publishing platform for non-techies like me. Our interview was more about why I chose Smashwords than about the literary merits, if any, of Hero Wanted, but I got in a bit of shameless self-promotion. You see, he’s selling Smashwords while I’m selling my book. It’s comedy gold! Give it a read!
A quick update on the Trove Books print edition of Hero Wanted. I have received the first copy from the printer. It looks good. It looks real good. Right now it is the only copy in existence, so I take it with me everywhere!
However, copy #1 will soon be joined by many more. I’ve ordered a couple of cases of books to bring with me to Dragon*Con 2009 — where I will be a guest, appearing September 5-7 in Atlanta. If you haven’t got your copy of Hero Wanted by Labor Day weekend, come to Dragon*Con. I’ll have one with your name on it!
After you pay for it, of course.
As for regular sales channels, right now I’m waiting for data about Hero Wanted‘s availability to migrate out to booksellers. Until a book shows up in their computers, it doesn’t really exist, unfortunately. I hope Hero Wanted will be included in the data stream by the beginning of August — at which point it will be available for purchase from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and other online booksellers or through your local bricks-and-mortar bookstore.
Believe me — I’ll let you know as soon as that happens! Until then, keep watching the skies.
The ebooks on Smashwords can be read online using their online readers (though I think that would be fairly tedious), or they can be downloaded to other reading devices such as the iPhone, iPod Touch, Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader or IRex Iliad, ((Whatever that is.)) or to other e-reading devices. (I own none of the above, so you’ll have to let me know how the reading experience is.)
Smashwords ebooks are completely DRM-free. ((Because I despise DRM and I trust you not to sell bootleg copies in Bulgaria. Chances are someone beat you to that anyway.))
Thanks for the comments from Original Loyal Reader (OLR) Tim and others. You’re right, Tim–“gold pieces” is maybe a little too old-school D&D. Not that there is anything wrong with that! So here is the final draft of the back cover of the forthcoming Trove Books edition of Hero Wanted: Continue reading →
If you’re following me on Twitter (@JasonCosmo) I’ve already mentioned these items there, but for those who prefer to get their updates the old-fashioned way, on a blog, here is the latest:
You know those blurbs you find on books that are intended to make you think that this book is super-awesome because Famous Author X says so? Like —“This book scared me.” — Stephen King or “A real page turner.” — John Grisham.
I probably won’t have many of those on the new edition of Jason Cosmo: Hero Wanted. Continue reading →
Despite my recent silence in this space, I have not been idle. Work is proceeding on the forthcoming Trove Books edition of Jason Cosmo #1: Hero Wanted. You have already seen the new Jason Cosmo series logo.
I am also awaiting preliminary sketches from the cover artist, for what I am sure is going to be an amazing cover. Continue reading →
