Digital Gonzo 157: Alex’s First Book
This is going to be a short and sweet episode with one firm remit. To get the word out about my first novel, newly released on Kindle this week. It’s entitled; The Cartographer’s Handbook, and I’m hoping, with this podcast to drum up a fever of interest in both the book itself and the upcoming audio drama, which will be available through the Gonzo Planet website on December 9th 2013.
If you don’t want to know anything about the plot and themes yet and just want to go straight to Amazon and snap it up, you can do so by going here. This show is a spoiler-free monologue about my influences, my aims and my inspiration when it came to writing this as well as why I’m putting out the audio drama on a suggested donation basis rather than for a set fee. It also contains a stirring presentation from Amanda Palmer at the TED Talks on new distribution methods and some tantalizing segments of the audio drama to whet your appetite.
You guys are my ambassadors, my marketing, my word of mouth. You are the key to me getting the book into people’s hands. You’re my Browncoats. What I’m going to ask for is fifty, honest Amazon reviews. With those up, many more people from outside our community will start finding the book when they search for similarly themed titles and so it will accrue a fanbase beyond the segment of the Gonzo community that are already getting into it. This is the single project I’ve worked the hardest on in my entire life. It started in 2001 and has taken twelve long years to get to this stage. Without your help it will wallow in obscurity forever, with it, this could really be something special.
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November 28, 2013
So, just to clear something up. New Century; does it A) Exist already. B) You plan to make more of them, but this is the first. C) this is the first and only part of it.
November 28, 2013
Whoops, should have listened first and posted later.
November 28, 2013
Yup, it’s B.
December 1, 2013
Sweet. Just downloaded the book and am about to get started. Quick question, what is the name of the song that comes in at about 6:40 in the cast? It seems familiar to me but I just can’t place it.
December 3, 2013
Does this have anything to do with blue sun?
December 3, 2013
Lee, I’m not sure if you ever listened to my old podcast; Digital Cowboys, but this was the theme tune. It’s ‘Love Song’ by Mark Tschanz from his album ‘Blue Dog’. I’m incredibly lucky to be able to use his music in official capacity with this audio drama.
Kyle, it’s the final version of a book I’ve been writing since 2001. Blue Sun was its code name/working title around 2010 and as you may notice, pretty much everything seems to have changed. However, if you were able to see the complete plot I had planned out for it at the beginning, along with all the characters you would see a chain of similarity. So it’s the beginning of the same story from a different angle, with different narrative priorities. (Well remembered, by the way. I figured everyone else had forgotten that).
December 3, 2013
I don’t see why you’d have thought I’d forgotten, I really liked it(granted I only heard it a few months ago).
Now I don’t mean to be critical, but does this mean you’ve axed the characters from that draft(the loner boy with shield powers, the mercenary/bounty hunter girl, etc.)?
December 3, 2013
That doesn’t sound critical. just curious about things you liked. Both boy and girl are still my central protagonists, though their jobs and personalities are somewhat different. Not saying anything about powers though. You’ll have to wait.
They ARE in this first book, but you’ll have to find them. Season 1 is all about them and their new team.
December 3, 2013
Awesome. I wound up listening the draft alongside batman breakdown, a graphic novel history of batman, several sound of gonzo episodes as well as the entire run of the marvel movie podcasts(iron man 3 ‘cast wasn’t out yet but holy shit good job on that one) on a long trip to visit my parents a few months ago. At 12 hours both ways, it made the trip quite enjoyable.