Background: a great many libraries in North America and other places use a service called Overdrive to acquire ebooks for loaning out. As I understand it, they pay a one-time fee for the title, and can then loan the ebook out to as many people who want to borrow it.
TradPub being stupid and greedy, they usually set that amount to some high price, at a time when most library systems are hard up for cash and cutting everything to the bone just to keep the lights on.
This is at the front of my mind because I was down in Lincoln City, Oregon a couple weeks ago at the Fiction River Anthology Workshop. Fabulous Publisher Babe™ was one of the editors this year. Mark from Kobo was there. Mark who pretty much invented Kobo Writing Life and made it a very profitable and useful thing.
And he likes my wife.
Kobo recently bought Overdrive. The Babe asked Mark to check, and we found out that while her novels are available in Overdrive, mine were not.
Past tense.
Apparently, Mark logged right into the system, looked me up, and toggled the little switch that put all my novels into Overdrive’s computer. (Mark’s kinda awesome that way.)
What this means is that all of Jessica Keller is or will shortly be available on the list, when your library is making purchasing decisions. Fairchild, Imposters, and White Crane as well.
If you wanted to go into your local library, you could fill out the little wishlist card they have and tell them that you want them to acquire the Jessica Keller series for their ebooks. (hint hint)
Best part? We’re setting the price down at the same price as they could buy it from Amazon. ($5.99 US). Stupidly, some of TradPub’s books are as much as $70.
I understand that they charge that amount because then the book is then loaned out any number of times.
But seriously. Blood-sucking vampires.
I would rather people read my books. Hell, as we speak, the fourth Science Officer (The Pleasure Dome) is scheduled to come out in May. It’s a novella, just like all the rest. However, the Babe plans to roll the first four books up into an Omnibus Edition, specifically so that it qualifies as a novel for the purposes of being in bookstores and Overdrive.
And, while we’re on the topic, I’m three-quarters of the way through Book Five (The Doomsday Vault), and plotting Book Six (The Flying Dutchman), Book Seven (The Hammerfield Gamble), and Book Eight (The Hammerfield Payoff). Those four will make up the second Javier Omnibus, and, coincidentally, cover Season One. And yes, I have a title for Book Nine, but I’m not sharing anything about Season Two just yet.
So, do me a favor? Go to your library and ask them to order Auberon. Hell, if it’s a small enough library, offer to buy them a copy. $5.99. Did you really need that extra-grande, soy, caramel, double latte today?
Oh, and while we’re on the topic. Fabulous Publisher Babe tells me that Flight of the Blackbird has gone up for June pre-order on all the usual suspects. Thank you for putting up with some of the weird shit that I have been publishing from my back catalog and strange imagination. There should be a raft of big Science Fiction and some superhero stuff coming over the rest of the year that ought to keep you entertained.
If you really loved me, you could also add a review on something you have read. Amazon and other places generally count the number of reviews a book has, and not the average rating. The Science Officer has 54, last I checked. I’m pretty sure 100 puts me on some cool lists. Auberon had 26 this morning. Is there something else of mine you’ve read that really touched your soul (in good ways, you perverts)?
Every little bit helps.
But Overdrive is really kinda kewl. And not just for me. Have you considered asking your local library to get ebooks by indie authors? Discoverability is the greatest problem we face. I write good stuff, but I don’t have a million dollar advertising budget to get the word out. That’s where you can help me, and all the other awesome writer folks you know.
Thank you.