UPDATE: We have signed with Pan Macmillan's new and world first digital imprint, Momentum, for The Chimera Vector ebook and print-on-demand book. See the "Update" page for more info.

And everyone seems to love Android so much we are totally making the Android app now!

For those of you who are budgeting, please understand that NO pledge money will be deducted from your account until after Oct 8th - and only then if this project is fully funded at $140,000.

Choose how you want to experience the story: as an ebook, an audiobook or a graphic novel.

We're making an awesomely interactive app that features:

• The Chimera Vector ebook
• The Chimera Vector full-cast, scored audiobook
• The Chimera Vector graphic novel (with optional narration and soundtrack)
  
• The Chimera Vector soundtrack
• Unlockable content, achievements and inventory.
  

Imagine a novel where you're not just a reader, but an adventurer at the epicenter of a poly-narrative experience. Where you're not just a consumer but a participant who is closely involved in its creation and the creation of everything beyond. This project is forged around The Chimera Vector, a debut techno-thriller by Nathan Farrugia.

And as you might suspect, we have a lot more planned than just a book.

We welcome you to not only witness but actively participate in our vision of the future of storytelling. We invite you to make this exciting venture not just ours but also your own. This project is about people who not only want to read/listen/watch a story, but who want to step behind the scenes and engage with the story on a deeper level.

The book ends here. And the immersive poly-narrative experience begins.

What is The Chimera Vector novel?

The Chimera Vector novel is a conspiracy techno-thriller of unusual depth, snappy dialogue and edge-of-your-seat action. It is the dirty illegitimate lovechild of The Bourne Identity and Dark Angel, and it also happens to be the perfect prototype for the future of storytelling.

DOWNLOAD CHAPTER 1

We know we're onto something good here because in the short time it took us to plan our Kickstarter project, we have signed with Pan Macmillan's new (and world first) digital imprint, Momentum, for The Chimera Vector ebook and print-on-demand book. Momentum is a lean, mean, clever imprint that will take advantage of the global marketplace. But given the inherently risky nature of a new book project, especially one as innovative and potentially paradigm-changing as The Chimera Vector project, the publisher is willing to go only as far as traditional publishers go with funding, supporting and marketing a new author. This means that we still need the support of people like you to help us fulfill the true potential of this work and make this project a reality.

Before you go any further, here is a taste:

Like all deniable operatives, Sophia is the product of today’s black budget science. The pseudogenes in her DNA switched on to augment her senses, her mind splintered into programmed para-psyches.

Like all operative handlers, Denton is devoted to the Fifth Column, a hidden pathological command that presides over today’s military and intelligence services.

But what happens when renegade Fifth Column scientists start deprogramming operatives like Sophia and setting them against their handlers?

What is the Chimera vector?

And why will both sides kill to control it?

Ill-equipped and hopelessly outnumbered, Sophia is propelled towards a confrontation that will not only determine her fate but that of the human race.

Beyond the book

We’re living at the beginning of one of the most radical shifts in storytelling history. The digitization of media is having a huge effect on the way we tell stories and the way we consume them. Although, if you’re like us, you probably find the idea of consuming stories to be pretty insulting. I mean, you’re much more than a passive consumer.

It’s becoming increasingly obvious that storytellers can no longer define themselves simply as authors or screenwriters or game developers or cartoonists or whatever else they used to call themselves because the digital medium has eroded the boundaries between what’s written, what’s seen and what’s heard. The digital medium is also eroding the boundaries between reader, viewer and audience. So those of us who read or view or hear are doing so much more than that.

That’s also because new technologies are opening up possibilities of interaction and collaboration previously unthought-of.

We’ll be honest with you. It’s pretty easy to do something innovative in the publishing industry because traditional publishing is struggling to keep up. Publishers, booksellers and distributors the planet over are running around like headless chickens wondering how they are going to make money in a world where they think they’re losing millions to piracy because their products are easily reproduced and disseminated. Many creative artists are too. They don’t seem to understand that the future of storytelling isn’t about desperately trying to lock their products up (which dare we say is why piracy thrives in the first place) and keep things as they were. It’s about embracing things as they are – and are becoming.

We’re entering a world where some of us are beginning to realize that producers and consumers of entertainment are mixing together as equals in a environment of co-creative engagement.

We are, all of us, creating shared worlds.

What's in this project?

• Traditional printed book (print-on-demand)
  
• Ebook
• Full-cast scored audiobook
• Graphic novel
• Narrated & scored graphic novel
• Complete soundtrack.

We plan to combine all of the above elements into an innovative and socially centric iPhone, iPad, Android and Mac App Store app. You can choose how you want to experience the story. You can read the ebook, listen to the audiobook, read the graphic novel and switch between these modes at any time in the story. This project is something that, strangely, has never been done before. And certainly not to the level we plan to take it.

If this project is successful, it will make history. You will be contributing to and participating in the single most popular and most funded project not only in the entire Writing & Publishing category but also in Art, Comics, Dance, Fashion, Food, Games, Music, Photography and Theater.

If funded, it will be among the top 20 most funded Kickstarter projects in history (and certainly one of the most ambitious).

Release date: April 2012

The graphic novel (and narrated, scored graphic novel) will be released episodically. The first part is due for release along with everything else in April 2012. Further episodes will be available as 99c "fixed layout ebooks" and free app updates.

We want to create an experience within the app that rewards you for your participation. Story Progress achievements; Covert Ops achievements for discovering characters, weapons, gadgets and intelligence layered in the fabric of the plot or for participating in discussions threaded across the story timeline. And even a few elusive Black Ops achievements that unlock parallel chapters, secret research and other undisclosed content.

Imagine having real-time stats of your character's health and biology at your fingertips through every stage of the story. Or real-time countdowns that tick down with every page you turn. Or character profiles that dynamically update as you learn more about them.

We're also very focused on accessibility features such as adjustable text size and sub-titles. We plan to integrate the Dyslexia font into the app, which is designed especially for dyslexic readers.

These are just a few of many features we have planned for the project. The truth is, you won’t know what a rich storytelling experience is until you’ve experienced this. And we won’t either, because you’re going to help us create it. Now is the time to become active participants in the shaping of our future: storytelling.

That’s what you’ll get from backing the Chimera project -- an opportunity to build on the foundations that we’ve already spent 10 years creating.

As you can tell, we're very excited. No one has ever done anything like this before, so we invite you with us on our journey to discard the old paradigm and venture into unknown, impelling territory. The future of storytelling is in your hands.

What do you get for funding this project?

We’re not going to lie to you, the awards for this project are pretty awesome. We’ve stolen the best reward ideas from other Kickstarter projects and made them better, and we’ve added a few new ones of our own. Worldwide shipping is free! (For you, not us.)

Among our amazing rewards, you'll find limited edition prints, the complete narrated and scored audiobook, the graphic novel, the sequel, totally awesome fridge magnets (who DOESN'T want fridge magnets?), limited edition print copies, signed copies of the entire trilogy and even a plush Shocktrooper combat helmet!

Bonus rewards

• The highest pledge will have a main hero character in the second novel named after them. Nathan guarantees that the character will stay alive for inclusion in at least two books.
• The second highest pledge will have a supporting hero character named after them in the second novel. This hero may or may not die. Nathan is not making any promises. In the case of a tied second and third highest pledge, it's first in first served.
  
• We welcome high rollers to our world and will consider special rewards for your incredible generosity. We’ll even take you to our leader. We assume you come in peace.

If you’re a creator yourself, we’re even pimping out Nathan's literary agent, Xavier Waterkeyn, to personally help you with your manuscript / screenplay / script! The Master Class rewards have been discounted from standard consultation rates, so you're secretly getting these kick-ass services for a bargain. And all for a good cause too.

For the Diamond Master Class, we will actually fly Xavier out from Melbourne, Australia and he will spend ten days working one-on-one with you and your story. We have a limited number of these valuable Master Classes available so if you want one, you’d better move fast!

By pledging even just $1 on this project, you become a part of our super amazing Kickstarter team of co-creators. You can sit back and enjoy the ride or if you’re more on the engaging side, you can have fun helping us shape the project, playtest the app, and contribute your own ideas and criticism. You can join our fellow Kickstarters in voting for things such as choosing your favorite illustration style, voting on our audiobook narrator auditions and even voting on our appalling fashion sense.

How much you participate or be involved is entirely up to you. And how much you pledge is entirely up to you. Once you have pledged, if you're really enthusiastic about the Chimera project and decide to help make this happen even more, you can upgrade your pledge at any time.

In return, our commitment to you is to continue to share the entire experience from the beginning of the project right through to the production, the release of a finished commercial product, distribution, marketing and beyond.

In addition to the rewards, you also become privy to our regular videos, some of which will be public and some of which will be Kickstarter exclusive content, including a behind the scenes look at illustrations, graphic novel design, special interviews and app development. Our first interview is top secret and will only be available to our Kickstarter backers, but we'll be announcing it soon!

Disclaimer: The DIAMOND MASTER CLASS pledge is not available to those who live in a country considered a combat zone that will place poor Xavier in mortal danger. Or an extremely remote location that will require the use of an Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device to slingshot Xavier into your timezone.

What are the funds being used for?

• Illustrations: $9,400
• Graphic novel: $38,327
• Soundtrack: $7,000
• Audiobook: $3,800
• Audiobook (extra cast recording): $1,200
• Audiobook soundtrack: $2,500
  
• Feed Nathan for 7 months (web design, app dev, writing the sequel): $10,300 *
• 3D modelling and design: $9,000
• 3D character design: $1,500
• Animated portraits: $2,400
• Design of over 40 icons: $3,150
• Graphic design: $4,000
  

Sub-total: $92,577
---------------------------------
Kickstarter rewards for you! (24%): $33,600
Amazon fee (5%): $7,000
Kickstarter fee (5%): $7,000
Total: $140,677

* An app development company would charge $100,000+ to develop an app of this scope. Nathan only requires cups of tea and fleeting social interaction.

Kickstarter rewards will be distributed leading up to and just prior to the release date. That means you get to experience them before the general public.

What happens if this project is over-funded?

$15,000 over-funded

• App will be developed for Windows released on the same day as the Android, iPhone, iPad and Mac App Store apps!
  

150% funded

• We will throw in a secret bonus reward for everyone who pledges Gold ($100) or above!
• The app (all platforms) will include puzzles and tests that, depending on your success, unlock further secret content. The puzzles will test your spatial thinking, memory, concentration, multitasking, quick thinking and lateral thinking, analogous to how you might use your brain in combat and emergency situations. Also in keeping with the original release date.
  

300% funded

• We will make the first 4 of 12 chapters into an animated film (estimated running time: 30 minutes). The chapters will be released episodically, the first chapter in April 2012.
• We will turn to you, our Kickstarter co-creators, and ask what YOU would like to us to make! (Yeah, we totally agree that a movie or video/computer game would be awesome, but unfortunately we don't have $6+ million.)

By contributing, you not only make Nathan’s life-long dream come true, but you help define the trajectory of the future of storytelling. Thank you in advance for your support and participation!

Credits:

• Illustrations - Keerati Sarakun, Kaloian Tcherkezov
• Graphic novel - H Pop
• Graphic design - Ramotion
• Sound design & music - Harley Sedman