Download my novel, Déjà Vu, for free
Download this podcast (6.18MB mp3)
In the pioneering spirit of, well, pioneers, I've decided to podcast my novel, Déjà Vu. It was released in paperback form by the UKA Press in January of this year. Ken MacLeod described it as 'A crisply-written, fast-paced thriller that makes assured use of cutting-edge science fiction ideas'. Jon Courtenay Grimwood, writing in The Guardian, said, '[It] shows quiet skill...Larger publishers take note'. Other reviews have used words like, 'gripping', 'fascinating', 'powerful', 'impressive', 'absorbing' and 'thought-provoking'.
If you're interested, read on. I've arrange this post as a pre-emptive FAQ.
Q: What is a podcast?
A podcast is any audio released regularly that users can download by subscribing to it.
Q: You fool! Why should anybody buy your book if it's available for free?
My book has been available since January of 2005 and has sold steadily. But, as an author published by a small press, there is a limit to the marketing blaze I can kindle, and a year is about long enough for a subversive, guerilla marketing drive. Whatever sales heights my book has reached, we're probably now on the downward slope. Because my book is published using a technology known as POD, this 'tail' should last much longer than a traditional book and podcasting it is one way to keep the book 'out there'. This, if truth be told, is why I wrote it to start with. I want to tell a story. And, who knows, perhaps one or two listeners will be kind enough to buy a copy of Déjà Vu for their friends.
Q: Nothing given away is any good. You get what you pay for, don't you?
I honestly believe that there is some great free stuff out there. Remember that wikipedia is free. Open Office is free. Firefox is free. Tim Berners-Lee deliberately failed to patent HTML, a technology that would have made him richer than Croesus, and let the world have it for free. The result: The World Wide Web. So just because something is free doesn't mean it's crap.
If you're interested in finding out how good or bad Déjà Vu is, you can download the first chapter and listen to it (soon!). Remember that it already exists as a book published by a small press. In other words, my publisher thought the manuscript was publishable, had me sign a contract, and hooked me up with an editor to hammer it into publishable shape. This is the shape you see today (and, hopefully, will hear).
The reviews ticker to the right of this post (just above the cover graphic) will tell you what the reviewers thought. I've also collected together all my reviews here.
Q: Do you have any vocal training? Are you an actor?
Er, no. I'm just some British bloke with standard vocal chords, though my friend Bea gave me some tips on public speaking. This means: (a) I'll be reading Déjà Vu, not re-enacting it. Oh, sure, I'll try to be entertaining. I'll modulate my voice etc. But don't expect any Dickensian stage antics followed by a brain haemorrhage. (b) The characters in Déjà Vu have a variety of accents, but I don't. All the characters will sound like me: non-geographic, middle-class English popular with news readers and academics.
Q: Ooh, nice book. Can I publish it under my own name and reap the rewards?
I'm releasing the podcast Déjà Vu under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs licence 2.5. Why? Partly because of the snappy name. Partly because it's straightforward.
Here is what you can do with this podcast:
(1) You may copy, distribute, display, and perform this work. So, if you want to change the bit-rate, burn it to a CD, or whatever, be my guest.
Here is what you cannot do:
(1) You cannot attribute the work in any way other than that specified by me:
- The work is copyright 2005 Ian Hocking (http://www.ianhocking.com)
- The work was first published by the UKA Press (http://www.ukapress.com)
(2) You cannot use the work commercially.
(3) You cannot alter, transform, or build upon this work.
If you're into legalese, then you can read the full licence here.
Q: Can I pay you if I like the book?
Nope. Thanks, but I live on the little bits of love I get in the form of nice comments, which you can submit to this blog as a comment (see the bottom of each post) or email me directly. If you're really keen, you can buy the paperback.
Q: What happens now?
Well, I'll release this entry as a podcast in order to test my equipment, and then submit it to various podcast feeds. Next, towards the end of the week, I should have the first part ready for upload! The book should make about fifteen episodes, but that's a guess. Each will be short enough to listen to on the way to work, in the gym, or wherever you like to show your little white earbuds.
Stay tuned!
In the pioneering spirit of, well, pioneers, I've decided to podcast my novel, Déjà Vu. It was released in paperback form by the UKA Press in January of this year. Ken MacLeod described it as 'A crisply-written, fast-paced thriller that makes assured use of cutting-edge science fiction ideas'. Jon Courtenay Grimwood, writing in The Guardian, said, '[It] shows quiet skill...Larger publishers take note'. Other reviews have used words like, 'gripping', 'fascinating', 'powerful', 'impressive', 'absorbing' and 'thought-provoking'.
If you're interested, read on. I've arrange this post as a pre-emptive FAQ.
Q: What is a podcast?
A podcast is any audio released regularly that users can download by subscribing to it.
Q: You fool! Why should anybody buy your book if it's available for free?
My book has been available since January of 2005 and has sold steadily. But, as an author published by a small press, there is a limit to the marketing blaze I can kindle, and a year is about long enough for a subversive, guerilla marketing drive. Whatever sales heights my book has reached, we're probably now on the downward slope. Because my book is published using a technology known as POD, this 'tail' should last much longer than a traditional book and podcasting it is one way to keep the book 'out there'. This, if truth be told, is why I wrote it to start with. I want to tell a story. And, who knows, perhaps one or two listeners will be kind enough to buy a copy of Déjà Vu for their friends.
Q: Nothing given away is any good. You get what you pay for, don't you?
I honestly believe that there is some great free stuff out there. Remember that wikipedia is free. Open Office is free. Firefox is free. Tim Berners-Lee deliberately failed to patent HTML, a technology that would have made him richer than Croesus, and let the world have it for free. The result: The World Wide Web. So just because something is free doesn't mean it's crap.
If you're interested in finding out how good or bad Déjà Vu is, you can download the first chapter and listen to it (soon!). Remember that it already exists as a book published by a small press. In other words, my publisher thought the manuscript was publishable, had me sign a contract, and hooked me up with an editor to hammer it into publishable shape. This is the shape you see today (and, hopefully, will hear).
The reviews ticker to the right of this post (just above the cover graphic) will tell you what the reviewers thought. I've also collected together all my reviews here.
Q: Do you have any vocal training? Are you an actor?
Er, no. I'm just some British bloke with standard vocal chords, though my friend Bea gave me some tips on public speaking. This means: (a) I'll be reading Déjà Vu, not re-enacting it. Oh, sure, I'll try to be entertaining. I'll modulate my voice etc. But don't expect any Dickensian stage antics followed by a brain haemorrhage. (b) The characters in Déjà Vu have a variety of accents, but I don't. All the characters will sound like me: non-geographic, middle-class English popular with news readers and academics.
Q: Ooh, nice book. Can I publish it under my own name and reap the rewards?
I'm releasing the podcast Déjà Vu under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs licence 2.5. Why? Partly because of the snappy name. Partly because it's straightforward.
Here is what you can do with this podcast:
(1) You may copy, distribute, display, and perform this work. So, if you want to change the bit-rate, burn it to a CD, or whatever, be my guest.
Here is what you cannot do:
(1) You cannot attribute the work in any way other than that specified by me:
- The work is copyright 2005 Ian Hocking (http://www.ianhocking.com)
- The work was first published by the UKA Press (http://www.ukapress.com)
(2) You cannot use the work commercially.
(3) You cannot alter, transform, or build upon this work.
If you're into legalese, then you can read the full licence here.
Q: Can I pay you if I like the book?
Nope. Thanks, but I live on the little bits of love I get in the form of nice comments, which you can submit to this blog as a comment (see the bottom of each post) or email me directly. If you're really keen, you can buy the paperback.
Q: What happens now?
Well, I'll release this entry as a podcast in order to test my equipment, and then submit it to various podcast feeds. Next, towards the end of the week, I should have the first part ready for upload! The book should make about fifteen episodes, but that's a guess. Each will be short enough to listen to on the way to work, in the gym, or wherever you like to show your little white earbuds.
Stay tuned!
2 Comments:
At 6:35 PM, Darren Wheatley said…
Hi,
That worked fine.
I look forward to listening to the book.
Cheers
D.
At 3:04 PM, Dr Ian Hocking said…
Thanks, Darren. Keep me posted!
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