Mark Coker over at the Huffington Post wrote an interesting post calling for Publishers and Authors to move to a $4.00 eBook.

Here in the U.S., most consumers already think twice before shelling out $7.50, $15.00 or $30.00 for a good read. If a book at the current prices represents a big purchase for citizens of the world's most affluent economy, imagine the cost burden for the vast majority of the world's literate people (Mark Coker).

It is not hard to agree with the idea that books cost too much.  $5-$10 seems to be the sweet spot for books.  When Liquid Sky first came out, the book cost $20, and it was not easy to sell.

Imagine how hard it is to walk up to people and say, "Hi, you don't know me, but could you give me $20 to know me better?"  Try it some time and be prepared for rejection.

After we split the book up, each volume is now around $8, and they sold well.  The lower price point really helped sell the book.  I am curious about the idea of $4 books, but I think that price point is more of a macguffin than a real price.

Affordable Access = Smaller Books

By offering customers a cheaper, smaller and less expensive format, publishers expanded the available market for their books and enabled a larger number of readers to gain access to affordable reads (Mark Coker).

That is the key.  Smaller and cheaper formats.  Lower the cost of a book would require shrinking the size of the book.

The industry started looking for smaller books a little while ago.  Personally, I have focused on serializing my work so I can still tell the complex stories I love and still keep the word count down.  I am not sure there is another way to lower costs.

eBooks require readers

Ebooks also hold the promise to expand the worldwide market for books. Hundreds of millions of new middle class and literate consumers have come online outside the US, especially in developing countries.

...

Since it costs the author or publisher next to nil to "print" each copy of an ebook, ebooks are extremely profitable on a per-unit basis, even at a low selling price (Mark Coker).

I agree that ebooks are cheaper to make, but the cost to the average reader is just too high for now.

Most people do not like read books on their laptop or desktop computer, so to sell to they need to get an ebook reader.  The Kindle costs between $300 and $490, while the Sony ebook reader costs $300.  For $300, you get the reader... that's it... books are extra

Books are not music

The industry needs to realize that books are not music.  We were used to spending money for a discman to listen to our cds, so when Apple introduced the iPod and iTunes, it was natural for us to buy an iPod instead of a discman.  It was easier to use, and so we bought it.

We are use to just buying books and using them.  The psychological barrier to purchasing an ebook reader is much harder to get over.

For $300 ebook reader, we could buy:

• 40 books for $7.50


• 20 books for $15.00


• 10 books for $30.00

Lets just take the average of 23 books.  The reader asks themselves: "Should I buy 1 ebook reader or 23 books?"  Which would you do as a reader?

For ebooks to catch on, Amazon and Sony need to offer book credits with the purchase of their readers.  It is easier to spend $300 on an ebook reader if you get 20 free books.  The reader would be a loss leader, and they would make up the difference on the sales of books through the device.  If they implemented this solution, readers would go mainstream.

Until something like that happens, the iPhone, Courier Pad, and Android devices are the only hope for ebooks long term survival.

Range of Formats

Not all books should be priced at $4.00. Publishers should segment their markets to ensure they're delivering a range of products and formats that offer the target customer value that exceeds each price point (Mark Coker).

Agreed.  For now, the best model appears to be:

• $ free ebook to promote the book. (American Gods sales increased 300% because of the free copy, Paul Krugman agrees)


• $ low ebook (so readers can show support, $0.10 per 1,000 words sounds fair)


• $ middle paperback


• $ premium hardcover

State of the industry

Some might argue book publishing isn't in trouble, as evidenced by the industry's continued growth. True, the industry has grown in recent years at 1.6 percent annually between 2002 and 2008, according the Association of American Publishers. Yet this growth is a mirage. Publishers are maintaining the illusion of growth by increasing prices. If we adjust for inflation, unit book sales have been in decline for many years (Mark Coker).

Writers, like myself, need to look to the future, and find a way to keep our industry alive.

(via Personanondata)

I have a lot in common with David Halpert over at Scifi Watch.

I have always been a writer too.  For me, It started when I was a kid watching He-man and the Transformers.  I started writing and drawing my own comics.

I fell in love with books when my sister bought me the works of Edgar Allen Poe and Mark Twain.  I started telling stories for my AD&D club, and my preferences were always Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance.

I never thought about writing a book before I read Dragon Singer by Anne McCaffrey.  That book changed the way I saw novels.

The Internet changed my writing

Before I wrote Liquid Sky, I agreed with David:

Realistically I’m all alone when it comes to achieving my goals of getting published (and hopefully to one day write full-time) [SciFi Watch].

Now, I see the error in that way of thinking.  I am not alone in my writing goals.  I have my readers, friends, and fans to help me get where I want to go.

It depends on your goals

If your goal is to garner the approval of publisher so a corporation will pat you on the head and say, "Good job." at least once, then this system might not work for you.  But if your like me, with a compulsion to write and a desire to get your stories out for others to read in the hopes that it will become a full time career, then give it a try.

Writing and fandom...

are forever connected one with the other.

If you have a story to tell:

• write it


• edit it


• polish it


• share it for the world to read


• connect with your readers


• grow your readership


• hone your writing


• repeat

You are not alone in your writing.  Today, there is a cloud of readers who can and will help you build and audience and support your work.

Never believe that you are alone.

In Reply to my post "Dream of a Fandom Economy," Clive from Fan Cinema Today wrote:

It's an interesting idea, but it takes such efforts out of the realm of fan production, making them more akin to independent contractors. Would a studio license out its intellectual property if the money was right? Could a franchise survive an avalanche of sub-direct-to-DVD product if people were asked to pay for it? Perhaps, but if money is involved, then they’re pro productions, regardless of how qualified the cast and crew may or may not be. Professional work is measured on a very different scale by studios and viewers (not to mention unions), so if someone holding the purse strings is saying ‘no,’ they likely have their reasons, whether it’s that the franchise is too valuable, or that even high-end amateur work just isn’t pro enough.

Not that many studios threaten to sue anymore, although it does happen from time to time. Lucasfilm fired off a Cease and Desist order to The Dark Redemption in 1999, so you won't see them buying that one any time soon! Meanwhile, Shane Felux, who made Revelations in 2005, won the Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge the following year when he made Pitching Lucas; the result of that is that Lucasfilm owns the rights to it for the next 10 years--it's part of the contract that all nominees in the contest have to sign.

You can read about both these stories in-depth in my upcoming fan film book, Homemade Hollywood, which incidentally, goes into the topic of whether studios should buy or license fan works as well (to be honest, that first paragraph at the top of my reply was cut-and-pasted direct from my manuscript!)

Originally posted as a comment by fanfilmbook on dashPunk using Disqus.

I am not sure that it would move these productions from the realm of Fan Works to the realm of professional work. What I am proposing is a reinvention of both the models of Production and the relationship of copyright to fandom.

Toward A Creative Commons Franchise

If a writer or company truly wanted to leverage their fanbase, they would license their content under a Creavite Commons or similar license.  Such a license would spell out in simple, human readable terms what the fans are allowed to do with the copyrighted work(s) in question.  For my books, I use a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.  This means others may modify my works so long as they give me attribution, share the work under the same license, and do so in a noncommercial way.

Licenses like this are important for both the copyright holders and the fans.  What would this offer the copyright holder?

• They empower their fans to give them free promotion through derivative fan works.


• They allow their fanbase to become more involved with their property which will allow they to become more involved and deeper connected to the original work.


• By allowing their fans to produce derivative works, they are able to fill in the gaps between releases at no cost to them.


• They increase their footprint which will help them to convert more casual readers/viewers into fans.  An increased fanbase will increase sales.


• With fans providing them free advertising, they will be able to focus their efforts more on content than marketing.

Fans would benefit from this approach nearly as much as the copyright holder.

Star Trek and Fandom

After Star Trek was canceled in 1969, Gene Roddenberry allowed fanfiction to thrive.  In reality, he probably saw no future for the series, and saw no reason to enforce his copyright, but whatever his reasons, the flowering of fanfiction reinforced the love fans felt for the series.  It also kept these fans activated until the animated series premiered in 1973, and again from the end of the animated series in 1974 until the first movie in 1979.

Fanfiction filled the gaps between releases of official content, and played a large roll in growing the fanbase of the series so the movies and subsequent series were even possible.  Fanfiction continued to serve this function until the death of Gene Roddenberry in 1991.  In the years following his death, the studio reminded fans what precarious footing they had as Paramount began sueing fan publications and fan sites for copyright infringement.  I know many people who were sued for simply continuing activities they had been allowed under the gentleman's agreement.

As a result of these prosecutions, and the decreasing quality of the show as it suffered from a lack of vision and leadership in the absence of Roddenberry, the fanbase began to dissolve.  Ratings fell, and attendance in the theaters fell with it.

The Status Quo

Now, all fanfilm and fanfiction exist with this same legal sword of Damoclese hanging over them.  New gentleman's agreements have been brokered, or studios have simply stopped suing over fans' infringement of copyright, but there is nothing ensuring that they will not begin again.

As Clive pointed out, "Lucasfilm fired off a Cease and Desist order to The Dark Redemption in 1999, so you won't see them buying that one any time soon! Meanwhile, Shane Felux, who made Revelations in 2005..."  What is stopping them from sending out the Cease and Desist orders again?  Nothing but the feeling that it is presently not in their best interests.

The Moral Argument

The financial argument for adopting Creative Commons or similar licenses are clear, but I think there is also a moral argument as well.  In my post, Fanfiction and Culture, I take the creative commons argument to its extreme:

Most of what we consider classics today were written by people who wrote in a setting they did not create with characters created by others, in other words, FANFICTION! All primal storytelling is fanfiction, telling retelling, embellishing and adding to that characters and setting that the storyteller enjoyed. This is the art of a story teller. Virtually every folktale and myth falls into this category (read the rest here).

This is the cultural cycle stories used to flow through.  What enrages me most about popular media is how often they use terms like myth, mythology, mythos, legend, and saga to describe their works, while simultaneously keeping them from entering the cultural cycle real myths do.

Copyright holder have a responsibility to culture to allow their ideas to follow the natural flow tales historically took and Creative Commons is a way for them to do this while maintaining their right to be the sole content creator allowed to make money off their ideas.

Creative Commons and the Fan Economy

What I proposed in "Dream of a Fan Economy" was that copyright holders should either purchase or license the best fanfilms and fanfiction and release it in a way so that both the original copyright holder and the producer of the fan work can both profit.

It is too easy for any franchise to become bogged down by group think, and if they infused fresh ideas from the fan community into their official releases they could discover new avenues they had never realized were their before.  Many franchises utilize rooms full of writers to crank out content for them.  It is strange to me that any company would turn down any possible source of revenue.

Dream vs Reality

I am not as naive as I might sound right now.  I do not expect any established franchise to adopt the model I am proposing, but that does not mean that I do not see it as something future franchises might use.

I put my money where my mouth is.  My books, Liquid Sky and Shine Like Thunder are both released under just such a license, and I know if I saw a fan work I loved I would try to bring it into the fold to reward its producer for their great work.

As media becomes increasingly fractured, new business models have to rise up to fill the void left behind by the failing studios and publishers of today.  I am not sure this is exactly the right model, but it is a proposal in the right direction.

I am curious what you think.  How could a copyright holder set up a viable, symbiotic relationship with their fans?  We need to find a path ourselves, because the big boys are not even looking.  Before you comment, read Clive's brilliant piece at Fan Cinema Today in response to my previous post

Hey everyone!

Project:Shadow HQ is now up to 41 members! Thanks to everyone who is spreading the word, great job! If you haven't already invited your friends to join the party send them an e-vite AT http://rurl.org/bol or put a Project:Shadow HQ badge http://rurl.org/bom on your web site, blog or MySpace profile!

Shore Leave

Shore Leave was Wonderful this year.  we had a great time and really enjoyed getting to visit with HQ Members there.  Eric has a full write up over at dashPunk.com

Shine Like Thunder

Shine Like Thunder the book is out!  By C. E. Dorsett, Shine Like Thunder is the first book in the Tales of the Silver fox series in the rich and deep setting the Barrens End.  For more info http://TalesOfTheSilverFox.com

Get your shopping done with us at ProjectShadow.com/shop. We set up a store so that you can get your shopping done in one stop, stores include Amazon, Hot Topic, and Sharper Image. Not only is it convent but it also helps to support our work here at Project: Shadow. We also have cool t-shirts, posters, and other merchandise available.

The Blog Has a New Look!

We did a full overhaul of the Project: Shadow Blog.  "we can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability..." and so we did.  the Project: Shadow Blog is now called dashPunk.com.

Project: Shadow Podcast

Covering SF news and opionions, for fans by fans. Listen Live, daily, on TalkShoe http://rurl.org/a8j. Subscribe to the podcast and get the show notes at ProjectShadowInformant.com.

Project: Shadow Informant

Liquid Sky Chapbooks are Out!

The four chapbooks are out for Liquid Sky.  For More Legendsofthejademoon.com.  The Book titles are The Child Of Centuries, Dividing Souls, Back from the Dawn, Nemesis

What is on YOUR mind

Thanks to all of the members who have shared with us your latest comments?  Thanks to Ryan who started the discussion asking about "The other side of history..."  The full discussion is at http://snurl.com/3bsb7.  If you have a topic that you would love to discuss with the group the Forum is your place.

Supporting Project:Shadow helps us to bring you more and better content projectshadow.com/supportus/index.htm!

Eric

http://hq.projectshadow.com/

ProjectShadow.com

BarrensEnd.com

dashpunk.com

legendsofthejademoon.com

talesofthesilverfox.com

fatesharrow.com

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Hey everyone!

Are you concerned about keeping up to date on the latest Speculative Fiction, Culture, and Tech news? Would you like to talk with other like minded fans of sci-fi fantasy and horror? Then join us at the Project Shadow HQ at  http://hq.projectshadow.com/where you can share with us your favorite finds or talk about your latest fascination. The conversation is here!

Shine Like Thunder

Shine Like Thunder the book is out!  By C. E. Dorsett, Shine Like Thunder is the first book in the Tales of the Silver fox series which like Fates Harrow and Legends of the Jade Moon are all set in the Barrens End.  To get a copy or to read it free online go to lulu.com/content/2690234.

Like to shop? Need to shop? Get your shopping done with us at ProjectShadow.com/shop. We set up a store so that you can get your shopping done in one stop, stores include Amazon, Hot Topic, and Sharper Image. Not only is it convent but it also helps to support our work here at Project: Shadow. We also have cool t-shirts, posters, and other merchandise available.

Theater or Renter?

Thanks to the members who are sharing their position on Theater or Renter.  Each month Brian is posting the list of up and coming movies with information about them and links to the trailers in the HQ.  Members are watching the trailers and then giving their opinion as to wether they will rent or watch the film in the theater.

Project: Shadow Informant

Listen Live, daily, to our podcast Project:Shadow Informant: Monday through Friday at 1:30 est on TalkShoe http://rurl.org/a8j. You can also subscribe to the podcast and get the show notes at ProjectShadowInformant.com. On the Project:Shadow Informant we cover news and topics related to the speculative fiction culture. Its great fun, join us!

Liquid Sky Chapbooks are Out!

C. E. Dorsett has finished the rewrite process and the four chapbooks are out for Liquid Sky.  More Information is available at Legendsofthejademoon.com and you can get your copy at stores.lulu.com/dashPunkBooks.  The Book titles are The Child Of Centuries, Dividing Souls, Back from the Dawn, Nemesis

What is on YOUR mind

Thanks to all of the members who have shared with us your latest comments?  Thanks to Bill who started the discussion asking Does Steampunk/Clockpunk have to follow the rules of physics?  The full discussion is at http://tinyurl.com/63toco.  If you have a forum topic that you would love to share with the group go to the HQ and share!

Thank you for your interest! Supporting Project:Shadow helps us to bring you more and better content! Your support can take a variety of forms like doing your Amazon shopping projectshadow.com/shop/index.htm through us or making a donation projectshadow.com/supportus/index.htm!

Eric

http://hq.projectshadow.com/

ProjectShadow.com

BarrensEnd.com

dashpunk.com

legendsofthejademoon.com

talesofthesilverfox.com

fatesharrow.com

---

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Tribe Photos | Cylons & DRM | Evernote | Futurama | Spiderwick Chronicles
| Theater or Renter: Wanted & Wall * E | Rob Zombie | Angel | eMusic | Lost & Veoh | Match Game | Police Sale | and Wii Updates Today on the Project: Shadow Informant.

Culture

• Controversy around "uncontacted" tribe photos (via Boing Boing)


• Video Cylons explain DRM (P:S HQ)


• Evernote’s Launches Publicly, Announces Upcoming API (via Mashable)

Movie

• Futurama’s Billion Backed Beast (dashPunk)


• The Spiderwick Chronicles are out (get your copy here)


• Theater or Renter: Wanted (dashPunk)


• Theater or Renter WALL·E (dashPunk)


• ROB ZOMBIE" 'Tyrannosaurus Rex' Teaser Poster Released (via Blabbermouth)

TV / Series

• Angel on Hulu (via Hulu)


• eMusic CEO Contemplating TV Downloads (via Mashable)


• “Lost” and Other ABC Shows Coming to Veoh (via Mashable)


• Scott Thompson and Sarah Silverman to bring their comedic styling's to the new "Match Game" (via After Elton)

Music

• Download DRM-free Police album 'Synchronicity' for $1.99 (today only) (via Crave)

Book

• Liquid Sky Chapbooks are out (get your copy here)

Game

• WiiWare and Virtual Console releases for this week (via Crave)
  
  
  
  • Alex Kidd in Miracle World (1986, Sega Master System, 500 Wii points)
  
  
  • Burning Fight (1991, NeoGeo, 600 Wii points)
  
  
  • Gyrostarr (High Voltage Software, 700 Wii points)
  
  
  
  

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Hey everyone!

Are you concerned about keeping up to date on the latest Speculative Fiction, Culture, and Tech news? Would you like to talk with other like minded fans of sci-fi fantasy and horror? Then join us at the Project Shadow HQ at  http://hq.projectshadow.com/where you can share with us your favorite finds or talk about your latest fascination. The conversation is here!

 

KILLER REVIEW  

***Eric received a great write up for his novel Legends of the Jade Moon Book One: Liquid Sky here is an excerpt for your enjoyment.

Downwarden com Review by Nick Crabowsky

...What we have here is indeed science fiction ala Dune, though less detailed but just as vividly portrayed. Dorsett deserves praise for the execution of a story less intimidating for one more inclined to read other genres which require far less brain power to understand, breaks through those barriers and develops a narrative which renders a glossary needless and pretty much explains itself as is without asserting its vast mythology in explanatory rhetoric.

I enjoyed the damn thing. I think C.E. Dorsett is one powerhouse of imagination, inspired obviously by the greats of his craft. Liquid Sky is full of mysticism and spirituality, of themes centered on the search for one’s inner self and the meaning of the universe around him, where a youthful monk with adopted parents finds himself catapulted into an interstellar journey fueled by the death of the one he called Father and driven at odds by the results of saving him, by mysterious truth-sayers who aren’t what they seem and personal intuition telling him he’s destined to amount to something greater than himself and the savior of worlds. Ianus’ adventures and intrigue are entertaining and don’t smother us in the sort of over-explanation I’d read in other novels like this one. Liquid Sky is an extremely intelligent, very readable and delightful piece of work, and I’m glad to recommend it...

 

A TEASER

***  We at Project:Shadow have been working hard on completing PROJECT X.  We hope to have an announcement later in the month with a date when project X will go live.  For now all I can advise is to check back regularly for updates.  All that I am allowed to tell you is that Project X is an entire site rework that will bring some really cool things to the community.

 

# 1

***Black Moon Rising is out and is a top seller at amazon.  We want to thank all of the members who have already got their copy of the latest installment in C. E. Dorsett's series Fates Harrow.  If you haven't already got your copy then visit www.ProjectShadow.com/shopping.  

Get your one stop holiday shopping with us at Project:Shadow.  We set up a store so that you can get your holiday shopping done in one stop, stores include Amazon, Hot Topic, and Sharper Image.  We also have cool t-shirts, posters, and other merchandise available.

 

WACHA WATCHING

***Share your favorite video clip with the group:  We now have 112 videos available to members at the ProjectShadow HQ at http://hq.projectshadow.com/.  Its a great way to share your great finds with everyone and also a great way to catch the coolest, neatest new videos that are out.

 

MOON SPOTTING

***Brian posted a review of the Story Black Moon Rising here is a copy of it.

Wow! This is a great story!   5 stars (must own)

The story picks up from where we left off with Adir Radd in the hospital tortured by his visions of the future. I was caught up in Adir’s haunting vision.  It is written so viscerally I could almost hear the screams and smell the stink coming off of the battle field. This heart felt tale took me through the events and choices that led Dov Lavan to become the famed villain I knew him to be from reading Liquid Sky: Legends of the Jade Moon http://astore.amazon.com/projectshadow/detail/0595369162/.  The choices and motivations of Dov were very compelling. Reading his tale turned him into a compassionate and sad character. I could empathize with his frustrations and found myself thinking that if I were caught up in the same situation I would probably make the same choices. The conclusion was extremely rewarding even though I knew how the story would end I still found myself shocked, surprised and brought to tears with a beautiful, rewarding ending. To be cliché for a minute I literally laughed, cringed and cried while reading this.

Dark Moon Rising is the second installment of C. E. Dorsett’s Fates Harrow series which covers three historical characters in the Barren’s End setting. Their tale was first told in the book Liquid Sky: Legends of the Jade Moon but from the Jade Moon’s perspective.

In this episode Dov Lavan fears loosing his friends and culture, longing to save the ones he cares about he takes on a new master who promises to help him lead his people into a safer future. Dov rises to power, forming a new group, encouraging others to join him and stand for freedom. But, his childhood friends Tien Shaa and Adir Radd are concerned with the fire in Dov’s rhetoric, so they set out to try and stop the coming war.

We Love Net Flix!  We have been a member of Netflix for more than five years now and it is great!  Before that we would spend one to three hours in the video store every Friday looking and trying to decide what video we wanted to rent (a large chunk of this time was spent trying to remember what videos were out that we wanted to see), spend all that money on the rentals, and then have to go through the hassle of trying to watch and return the video so that we would not get charged a late fee.  This terrible experience was flipped with Netflix.  Now we have a list of videos that we want to see set up.  Whenever we see a trailer for a movie or show that we want to rent we just add it to our list and when it gets released to dvd about a year latter the video just arrives!  Now every week we get excited waiting for the mail to arrive so that we can see what new videos arrive.  We watch them when we get time to watch them.  Then when we are done watching it (in some cases this can take several weeks to accomplish partially due to some hectic event that takes up all of our time and in some situations it's because we end up watching it over and over again) we just drop it in the mail.  If you don't already use Netflix then go to www.ProjectShadow.com and get your videos today!  

 

PS INFORMANT

***Listen Live, daily, to our new podcast Project:Shadow Informant:  We are doing a live podcast Monday through Friday at 1:30 est on talk shue http://rurl.org/a8j.  You can also subscribe to the podcast by going to www.ProjectShadowInformant.com.  On the Project:Shadow Informant we cover news and topics related to the speculative fiction culture.  Its great fun and a nice way to keep up as per what is going on, join us!

Help support Project:Shadow and get your holiday shopping done at the same time!  Visit our store at www.projectshadow.com/shop/.  From there you can get anything from am

azon, Lucas arts, Star Trek, Sharper Image, Hot Topic, Emusic, and your very own Project Shadow Merchandise.

 

What is on YOUR mind

***Have you shared with us your latest comments?  We now have over 60 forum topics up on the HQ.  If you have a forum topic that you would love to share with the group then go to the HQ and add them!  Comments are also back up in the Project Shadow Symposium.  Members may now put comments on any blog post that we post in the symposium.  You will need to use your Project Shadow HQ log in id to have access to the comment ability.  To read the blog posts go to www.ProjectShadow.com/symposium

Thank you for your interest! Supporting Project:Shadow helps us to bring you more and better content! Your support can take a variety of forms like doing your Amazon shopping http://www.projectshadow.com/shop/index.htm through us or making a donation http://www.projectshadow.com/supportus/index.htm! Read our support us page http://www.projectshadow.com/supportus/index.htm for more information and programs.

 

Eric

Project:Shadow

http://hq.projectshadow.com/

www.ProjectShadow.com

www.BarrensEnd.com

We were both so stoked to read last night Mr. Crabowsky's review of Liquid Sky on Downwarden.com (click here) to read the whole review. Mr. Crabowsky starts out with his initial impressions of the book and then gives the best compliment for Eric "What we have here is indeed science fiction ala Dune, though less detailed but just as vividly portrayed." Eric Is a huge fan of Dune and used to dream of one day being compared to Frank Herberts masterpiece. The review continues but I wanted to also highlight the other line that left both of us just beaming "I enjoyed the damn thing. I think C.E. Dorsett is one powerhouse of imagination, inspired obviously by the greats of his craft. Liquid Sky is full of mysticism and spirituality, of themes centered on the search for one’s inner self and the meaning of the universe around him,"

I'm very excited to see that Eric is currently writing book two in the series "Sacred Ground." This is just the fire we needed lit under our butts to get us moving on the errata project for the first book. Just wanted to share the review with all of you out there!

Thanks

Hey everyone!

Are you concerned about keeping up to date as to the latest sci-fi / fantasy / horror news? Are you just boiling with rage over the casting for the new Star Trek film? Would you like to talk with other like minded fans of sci-fi / fantasy / horror? Then join us at the Project:Shadow HQ where you can share with us your favorite finds or talk about your latest fascination. The conversation is here!

What’s New

Matt gets a great write up in on the pod.net (http://rurl.org/box): Community member Matthew Wayne Selznick received a great write up that talked about all of his current projects. The article highlighted Matthew's DIY ethic and podcast Writers Talking. This is a great article, if you haven't read it yet check it out at (http://rurl.org/box). If you have some news you would like to share with us then log into the HQ and share it we would love to hear about it.

Release information for next episode of Fates Harrow, Black Moon Rising: The next episode of Fates Harrow, Black Moon Rising is finished and shall be published through the amazon shorts program any day now. Sorry we can't give you any more information as to a specific date. You can get your copy through the Project:Shadow store and if you haven't already you can get the other episodes Deus Ex Machina, and Night Terror.

Get your one stop holiday shopping with us at Project:Shadow. We set up a store so that you can get your holiday shopping done in one stop, stores include Amazon, Hot Topic, and Sharper Image. We also have cool t-shirts, posters, and other merchandise available.

Spotlight

Share your opinion on the newest forum discussion: Who's at fault for all of the remakes we see today. In the discussion we want to take a look at why or what cause has lead us to seeing so many remakes and rehashing and why there isn't a lot of new projects being produced? Is it the producers fault. It is easier to invest money into a known project that has an established audience. It is easier to market and sell something that already has a known franchise behind it because for the most part if it is already established all you need to do is mention the franchise and the audience will try it and buy it. Is it the consumers fault. As consumers how do we find out what is new? How do we find out what is good? Are we lazy or do not have enough time to seek out and or try new things. Do we not have enough money to buy into new things only to have them turn out bad and are not willing to risk our money on something that is not established Is it the fault of too much stuff because there is too much new stuff coming out so the only way to be heard and discovered is to ride in on the franchise of something already established.

National Novel Writing Month: This is National Novel Writing Month! Throughout the month of November writers sign up to try and write 50,000 words in 30 days. It's a great exercise and a lot of fun. If you are signed up and are feverishly writing away stop in the HQ and share your experience with us.

C.E. Dorsett is doing a video blog for National Novel Writing Month in November: Eric is working on writing a novel this month for National Novel Writing Month. If you would like to follow along and see how he is doing then catch his video blog at ProjectShadow.com

We Love Net Flix! We have been a member of Netflix for more than five years now and it is great! Before that we would spend one to three hours in the video store every Friday looking and trying to decide what video we wanted to rent (a large chunk of this time was spent trying to remember what videos were out that we wanted to see), spend all that money on the rentals, and then have to go through the hassle of trying to watch and return the video so that we would not get charged a late fee. This terrible experience was flipped with Netflix. Now we have a list of videos that we want to see set up. Whenever we see a trailer for a movie or show that we want to rent we just add it to our list and when it gets released to dvd about a year latter the video just arrives! Now every week we get excited waiting for the mail to arrive so that we can see what new videos arrive. We watch them when we get time to watch them. Then when we are done watching it (in some cases this can take several weeks to accomplish partially due to some hectic event that takes up all of our time and in some situations it's because we end up watching it over and over again) we just drop it in the mail. If you don't already use Netflix then go to the ProjectShadow store get signed up!

Listen Live, daily, to our new podcast Project:Shadow Informant: We are doing a live podcast Monday through Friday at 1:30 est on talk shue (http://rurl.org/a8j). You can also stream the podcast or download it. On the Project:Shadow Informant we cover news and topics related to the speculative fiction culture. Its great fun and a nice way to keep up as per what is going on, join us!

Share your favorite video clip with the group: We now have 76 videos available to members at the ProjectShadow HQ that have been shared to us by members of the groups. Its a great way to share your great finds with everyone and also a great way to catch the coolest, neatest new videos that are out.

Chapters 2 & 3 are up on the liquid sky erratta! Yes the next two chapters are done and available for members to read and share their input. The new fixes are really looking great and takes the reading experience of Liquid Sky to a whole new level.

Have you uploaded your fun photos yet? We now have 98 photos available for the members to enjoy on the HQ. If you have some fun photos that you would love to share with the group then go to the HQ and add them.

Thank you for your interest! Supporting Project:Shadow helps us to bring you more and better content! Your support can take a variety of forms like doing your Amazon shopping (here) through us or making a donation (here)! Read our support us page (here) for more information and programs.

Eric

Project:Shadow

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Chapters 2 and 3 have been uploaded to the work group at HQ.ProjectShadow.com. Chapter 4 will be up soon.

• Chapter 2: The Guardian


• Chapter 3: The War Maiden

I really like the way the Fix-up is coming along. I hope you all are enjoying it too.

(from my HQ Blog)