Filed under: Amazon, Art, Artificial Intelligence, Connections, Expert systems, Feedback, Kindle, Marketing, Predictions, Promotion, Publishing, Science Fiction, tech, Writing stuff | Tags: Amazon, art, blogging, bookbinding, Communion of Dreams, direct publishing, jim downey, Kindle, literature, predictions, promotion, reviews, Science Fiction, Scrivener, St. Cybi's Well, technology, writing
Just a few quick notes to share…
First is a new review up on Amazon. Here’s an excerpt:
The author deftly crafts a tale of a group of humans who endeavor to understand more about this artifact and in the process make some profound discoveries. The characters, both real and virtual, are well crafted and the story is well written with very few (I think I noted one) flaw in the text.
It is a mind-boggling tale with some tie-backs to present time.
As always, I’d ask anyone who has read Communion of Dreams to please consider doing a review, or at least rating/liking the book on Amazon, Good Reads, or elsewhere — honest reviews really do help.
A quick follow-up to Friday’s post: in case you didn’t see the additional note, the printer realized that they’d made an error with the job, and are going to do a complete reprint. It means a bit of a delay, but nothing serious — and I really respect that they’re going to make things right. So many businesses might try to weasel their way out of that responsibility.
I’ve decided that I like the Scrivener software, so am going to be using it for the bulk of the initial writing of St. Cybi’s Well. I’ll probably post further thoughts on it as I get deeper into the actual writing, but I really like that I can use it for collecting research as well as jotting notes/scenes in a way which is fairly intuitive and seamless to use. Not exactly like having my own Seth around to help me, but …
Have a good Monday!
Jim Downey
Filed under: Augmented Reality, Bipolar, Brave New World, Connections, Feedback, Predictions, Psychic abilities, Science, Science Fiction, Society, tech, Wired, Writing stuff | Tags: bipolar, blogging, jim downey, Kevin Dutton, literature, predictions, science, Science Fiction, Scrivener, St. Cybi's Well, technology, writing
As I’ve noted before, writing a long work of fiction is a strange thing, at least for me. I spend a lot of time intensely chewing over ideas, doing research, starting to conceptualize a narrative theory for the book, outlining various relationships between images and characters, sorting out what it is I really want to say more than the actual words to use.
Betwixt & between all of this, some honest to goodness writing gets done, then reorganized and shuffled, with plans and outlines changing. More research, more thinking, more feeling my way through the darkness with the only illumination occasional flashes of lightning.
This morning, after a lot of consideration, I downloaded Scrivener. Over the next week or so I’ll play around with it a bit, see whether it will be a useful tool.
And over lunch, some research & reading. It might be interesting, or even telling, what it was that I found. Here’s an excerpt:
The effects aren’t entirely dissimilar. An easy, airy confidence. A transcendental loosening of inhibition. The inchoate stirrings of a subjective moral swagger: the encroaching, and somehow strangely spiritual, realization that hell, who gives a s—, anyway?
There is, however, one notable exception. One glaring, unmistakable difference between this and the effects of alcohol. That’s the lack of attendant sluggishness. The enhancement of attentional acuity and sharpness. An insuperable feeling of heightened, polished awareness. Sure, my conscience certainly feels like it’s on ice, and my anxieties drowned with a half-dozen shots of transcranial magnetic Jack Daniel’s. But, at the same time, my whole way of being feels as if it’s been sumptuously spring-cleaned with light. My soul, or whatever you want to call it, immersed in a spiritual dishwasher.
So this, I think to myself, is how it feels to be a psychopath. To cruise through life knowing that no matter what you say or do, guilt, remorse, shame, pity, fear—all those familiar, everyday warning signals that might normally light up on your psychological dashboard—no longer trouble you.
Interesting, indeed.
And not unlike the high which comes with creating. Or entering a manic phase in my mild bipolar cycle.
Yes, interesting. Quite.
Jim Downey
Filed under: Connections, Pandemic, Predictions, Psychic abilities, Science, Science Fiction, tech, Writing stuff | Tags: Communion of Dreams, jim downey, predictions, science, Science Fiction, technology
From page one of Communion of Dreams:
>click<
>click<
With a slight sigh, he lightly pressed the small wafer under the skin between his left ear and jaw. He spoke out loud, though his voice was just above a whisper. “What do you want, Seth?”
And then closing that scene on page two:
>click<
He paused there at the railing, right hand manipulating the thin-film controls under the skin on the back of his left hand. Looking out over the herd of slowly moving animals, a see-through display came up before him. Nothing new on the nets. So, whatever the emergency was, it wasn’t public knowledge yet. He turned, opened the door to the station, and stepped inside.
Remember, Communion of Dreams is set in 2052 (albeit after major societal disruptions would have messed with the pace of technological development). Looks like we might get to this point a lot sooner. From a Science News article titled “Beginnings of Bionic: Flexible, stretchable electronics could launch cyborg era“:
McAlpine belongs to a growing pack of tech-savvy scientists figuring out how to merge the rigid, brittle materials of conventional electronics with the soft, curving surfaces of human tissues. Their goal: To create products that have the high performance of silicon wafers — the crystalline material used in computer chips — while still moving with the body.
* * *
In the last two years, another team, led by Zhenan Bao of Stanford University, has been working toward making stretchy, artificial skins from rubber and carbon nanotubes. The skins will feel like the real thing to the touch — and they will have a sense of touch too, electronically detecting changes in strain and pressure from a stretch or a pinch.
* * *
“We went from a computer that fit in a room, to a computer that goes on your desk, to a computer that can go in your pocket,” McAlpine says. Joining computers to the body, he says, is “the next logical step.”
Indeed, I’m reasonably sure such technology will become widespread. All the trends are already in place indicating so.
Unless some … thing … happens to either prevent or reverse such a trend. Those who have read Communion of Dreams will know what I’m alluding to, and I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t yet read the book. Heh.
Jim Downey
Filed under: Civil Rights, Connections, Constitution, Failure, Government, Politics, Predictions, Preparedness, Society | Tags: Abraham Lincoln, election, jim downey, politics, predictions
This seems timely:
With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations.
I fear we have forgotten some hard-earned lessons.
Worse, I fear that an entire industry now exists which is premised on making us forget those lessons.
Jim Downey
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So, yesterday’s promotion was a moderate success. Nothing stunning, but certainly not disappointing. We had a total of right at 700 downloads, all told, including 49 from Britain and one each in France & Germany. I’m still waiting for the first download in Japan …
Anyway. Those downloads pushed Communion of Dreams to #3 in the “High Tech SF” subcategory, to #13 in overall Science Fiction, and to #327 on the entire free Kindle store rankings. It may have even done a bit better, since there were another 100 downloads after I crashed last night.
Not bad. Not bad, at all. Thanks everyone!
Last month also saw a decent uptick in overall visits to the Communion of Dreams site, to some 1,200. That’s about a 30% increase over what is typical.
This afternoon I’m mailing off the bulk of the signed paperback copies of CoD from the Kickstarter rewards, and we’re waiting to hear back from the printer about the final tally on the Limited Edition copies. I haven’t made too big a deal out of that special edition here yet, because right now we’ve just got generic examples of my book arts work on the page — but once we have the actual pages, I’ll make up some examples of what the finished book will look like, so people will have a better idea of what they’ll be getting. However, it is not too early if you want to reserve your copy — there are at present only 44 copies remaining available.
And yes, I am now shifting the bulk of my creative energy over to thinking about St. Cybi’s Well, to exactly how I want to lay out the plot and all the characters/scenes/themes. As I noted last week, this is all really exciting.
Cheers!
Jim Downey
Filed under: Amazon, Art, Book Conservation, Connections, Feedback, Marketing, Predictions, Promotion, Publishing, Science Fiction, Writing stuff | Tags: Amazon, art, blogging, Communion of Dreams, direct publishing, jim downey, Kickstarter, literature, Paypal, predictions, promotion, Science Fiction, St. Cybi's Well, writing
OK, the site updates are now live — you can now order a limited edition copy of Communion of Dreams, and place your advance order to reserve a limited edition copy of St. Cybi’s Well.
I’d like to make several notes about these pages …
First is that currently the images of the different bindings are just representative, to give you some idea of what the types of cover materials look like. We’ll soon be ordering the special print run of Communion of Dreams, and once those pages are done and back to me, I’ll make up some actual copies of the books to show what the finished products will actually look like.
Second is that these edition numbers are “hard”: once all the books are claimed, that’s it — there will be no more. The edition for Communion of Dreams is just 53 copies (plus two Author’s/Artist’s Proof copies). 8 of the copies have already been reserved. The edition for St. Cybi’s Well is just 101 copies (plus two Author’s/Artist’s Proof copies). 11 of those copies have already been reserved.
Lastly, because of logistics using Paypal, there are some limitations in how we set up payments. Downpayments can be taken directly through Paypal for each selection, but you can also just email me to arrange different amounts or payments on account. If you want to send a personal check to order a copy of either limited edition (or both of them), that’s perfectly fine. For help with any of this, just contact me via email: jim@communionofdreams.com
As I’ve noted before, I’m really jazzed about writing St. Cybi’s Well. But even beyond that, I’m excited about combining two of my creative skills: my writing and my bookbinding. Being an accomplished craftsman and artist doesn’t usually blend with also being a writer. This is probably the single best thing to come out of the Kickstarter project for me: thinking in these terms.
Thanks, everyone!
Jim Downey
Filed under: Amazon, Art, Connections, Feedback, Kindle, Marketing, Predictions, Promotion, Publishing, Science Fiction, Writing stuff | Tags: Amazon, art, blogging, Communion of Dreams, direct publishing, jim downey, Kickstarter, Kindle, literature, predictions, promotion, Science Fiction, St. Cybi's Well, writing
I’ve mentioned it in passing, but I just wanted to drop a brief note and make it explicit: I’m really jazzed about St. Cybi’s Well.
With the unexpected success of the Kickstarter, it took me most of last week to recover from the shock and start to work through all the details of what happened. I’m mostly past that stuff, and have been in contact with all the people who had claimed as a reward one of the hand-bound books in order to allow them to choose their edition # (and if you were one such backer, please check your messages on Kickstarter and get back to me soon). In the next day or two we’ll be ready to open up advance orders to the general public.
But while it is important to deal with all that administrative stuff, what is really cool is that soon I’ll be able to concentrate on getting the book written, edited, and published. Something which I have been thinking about, working through, and giving deep consideration for years. And frankly, that is really exciting!
Now, it will mean that I won’t be posting quite as much here. And I’ll apologize now for that. But concentrating on writing a full-length novel takes a huge amount of creative energy and focus. I’m not going to disappear completely, however, and I will try and keep a schedule of posting a couple of times a week — to let you know how the writing is going, if nothing else. If you’re not already subscribed to this blog, you might want to do so, to get notice of new posts when they’re up.
Thanks again, everyone. For your support of the Kickstarter. For your purchases and downloads of my books. For your feedback and reviews. For just reading this blog over the last five years. It all makes a difference, and I value each and every bit of it.
Jim Downey
Filed under: Amazon, Art, Book Conservation, Connections, Feedback, Kindle, Marketing, Predictions, Promotion, Publishing, Science Fiction, Writing stuff | Tags: Amazon, art, blogging, book art, bookbinding, Communion of Dreams, direct publishing, jim downey, Kickstarter, Kindle, literature, predictions, promotion, Science Fiction, St. Cybi's Well, writing
So, I’ve been fairly quiet for a few days, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy.
After recovering from the shock of the Kickstarter succeeding, I had to re-think some of the plans I had been putting into place in order to insure that I fully live up to the terms of the Kickstarter. Mostly this is no big deal, but I am still finalizing some of the details with the backers.
Still, I thought I would offer a heads-up on what is in store. As I noted the other day:
And ways you can reserve one of a very limited edition run of both Communion of Dreams and St. Cybi’s Well and have those books bound the way you want — even reserving your edition number on a first come, first served basis. With payment plan options. Some of the higher-end premium ‘rewards’ will still be available, as well.
When I say “very limited edition” I mean on the order of about 50 hand-bound copies of Communion of Dreams, and about 100 of St. Cybi’s Well (please note that both of these edition numbers are smaller than what was offered on the Kickstarter). These are going to be a special print-run of each book, printed traditionally on sheets of high-quality paper which will be gathered into sections, then trimmed and folded, then sewn into a strong, long-lasting binding. Then you will have a choice of cover material: premium bookcloth, calfskin leather, or goatskin leather. You can see images of such bindings on the Kickstarter page.
The basic cost is $100 for one of these books in cloth. For calfskin leather the cost is $250, and for goatskin $350. With a $100 downpayment you can reserve your copy (and select your edition number from those available), and pay the balance due in installments. Each book will be inscribed as you wish and signed by the author/bookbinder (that’s me!) The cloth bindings will all be in basic black, but those who opt for leather will be able to choose the color of the leather (from those available from my suppliers — a pretty wide range). These books will be more like individual works of art than anything else you may have seen in a book.
I’m hoping that as soon as next week I’ll be able to place the order for the Communion of Dreams run, so that I can work on getting orders for those done over the coming winter. The St. Cybi’s Well run will have to wait until that book is finished, edited, proofed, and ready to publish.
So, something to think about and look forward to. I certainly am!
Cheers!
Jim Downey
Filed under: Amazon, Art, Connections, Failure, Feedback, General Musings, Kindle, Marketing, Predictions, Preparedness, Promotion, Publishing, Science Fiction, Writing stuff | Tags: Amazon, art, blogging, Communion of Dreams, direct publishing, free, jim downey, Kickstarter, Kindle, literature, predictions, promotion, Science Fiction, St. Cybi's Well, writing
No shit. It really did. Had contributions throughout the day, then a strong rally at the very end with only seconds to spare.
I honestly did not expect this, as I think my earlier post today indicated. Frankly, I was completely gobsmacked when it happened. Still am, to a certain extent.
So now I need to (again) rethink my plans, and accommodate the promises I’ve made to those who supported the Kickstarter. Not a big deal, but there are a few things I’ll need to work out before we can revamp the websites along my previous plans, and that might take a few days to sort.
So — wow. Thanks, everyone.
Stunning.
Jim Downey
Filed under: Amazon, Art, Book Conservation, Connections, Failure, Feedback, Kindle, Marketing, movies, Music, Predictions, Preparedness, Promotion, Publishing, Science Fiction, Writing stuff, YouTube | Tags: Amazon, art, blogging, Communion of Dreams, direct publishing, failure, jim downey, Kickstarter, Kindle, literature, Mark Knopfler, movies, music, predictions, promotion, Science Fiction, St. Cybi's Well, The Princess Bride, video, writing, www youtube
We’re all adults here. Let’s be frank: unless something fairly remarkable and unlikely to the point of ridiculous happens, the Kickstarter isn’t going to succeed.
And that’s OK.
Seriously, it was a good effort, and I’ve learned a fair amount from the experience. I still think that Kickstarter is a worthwhile model, and I intend to continue to support other projects on it in the future. Who knows, at some point I may attempt to do another project myself.
But for now, it is time to draw some conclusions about the current project and move on.
First and foremost, as I’ve said all along I greatly appreciate all those who tangibly showed their support for my writing with backing the Kickstarter. Really, folks, that means a hell of a lot to me.
Next: because of the way Kickstarter is structured, I had some minor problems setting up my project the way I would have wanted. I accepted these limitations and have no regrets, but I think that it made for a weaker presentation that I initially planned. I may get more into the nuts & bolts of this in the future. I may not.
But if come 9:00 PM this evening the Kickstarter hasn’t been funded, then I am no longer bound by those limitations. And in the coming days you’ll see some big changes on the Communion of Dreams and St. Cybi’s Well websites. I’m not going to get into all the changes now, but you’ll see options to order an advance copy of the new novel at an attractive discount. And ways you can reserve one of a very limited edition run of both Communion of Dreams and St. Cybi’s Well and have those books bound the way you want — even reserving your edition number on a first come, first served basis. With payment plan options. Some of the higher-end premium ‘rewards’ will still be available, as well.
So, it’s been a fun experiment, and I again say thanks to all who came along for the ride. But there’s more than one way reach my goal, and I think this other path will offer some interesting advantages. I hope at least some of you will agree.
Cheers!
Jim Downey
*Of course. And since YouTube didn’t have a clip of the scene that quote comes from, have some appropriate music instead.
Communion Of Dreams 