About this project
Note: Thanks to the cruddy mic on my inexpensive camera, it sounds like I have a speech impediment. I considered dubbing over a clean audio track, but the result would've looked like a kung-fu movie. Hmmm... that'd be pretty awesome, come to think of it.
Update: Sample chapters now available in the updates area!
Hi, and thanks for checking out my project!
My name's Chris, and I've written a science-fiction novel called Stars Rain Down. It's about a brutal alien invasion that reduces our civilization to cinders, and the bitter war waged by the few humans who survive. The story is sometimes grim, delving into themes like terrorism and moral pacifism, but it also has a sense of whimsy and adventure that prevents it from getting too dark.
I'm a little biased, but I think it's a pretty darned good book, and I bet you'll think so too.
Now, I'm sure this isn't the first self-published science-fiction novel you've seen around here, but this one is different in one very important respect... It's free. While I fully intend to sell copies through ebook and print-on-demand services, the book will also be available for free under a Creative Commons license, which means you're allowed to copy, share, and even alter the book to your heart's content.
Why on Earth would you do such a crazy, cuckoo bananas thing, Chris?
I'm glad you asked.
Thanks to advances in computer technology, the price of distributing a full-length novel is rapidly approaching zero. I believe that our challenge as authors isn't to fight the advance of technology, but rather to work with it and discover new ways to make a living through it.
My approach is simple: offer the best product possible. The natural strengths of this medium are duplication and modification, so I'm making it easy for my readers to exercise precisely those strengths.
If you're curious how this will work, you can take a look at my previous release, Vengar the Barbarian, which is available through my website. It was the prototype for what I'm doing right now, and the release of Stars Rain Down will look very similar.
Okee-dokee. Then why are you here asking for money?
Another sharp question.
To paraphrase Tim O'Reilly, a writer's greatest enemy isn't piracy, but obscurity. As far as that battle is concerned, I'm fighting uphill in a torrential downpour. In fact, I'm so darned obscure that even I don't recognize me sometimes. That's where Kickstarter and you come in. The money I'm asking you to pledge will go towards marketing and publicizing my novel, so that all those wonderful potential readers out there can find out the book exists.
And what do I get out of this deal as a supporter?
You mean other than a sense of inner peace and satisfaction? Well, I'm offering several rewards, but the centerpiece is at the $50 level. It's a real, wood-pulp copy of Stars Rain Down to hold and cherish, and possibly toss into a fire should you despise it. I was originally going to go purely digital and avoid printing altogether, but I wanted my supporters to have something solid to hold.
At the $75 level, you get a signed edition of the book with a variant cover that's just for you guys. There will never be another printing with this cover. On top of that, you'll receive a 1GB USB thumbdrive packed full of goodies, including the original digital source files used to produce the cover art, a number of variant covers that didn't make the cut, the background notes and diagrams I used while writing the novel, and some of the Free & Open Source Software that I used along the way.
Finally, the person with the single largest pledge will receive the highest reward they qualify for, and will also have their name immortalized as a character in my next release. That's just a special thank you for going above and beyond the call of duty.
The book will be released in late September, but everyone who chips in $5 or more will receive access to an ebook version on September 9th.
So, there ya have it. I really hope you'll consider joining me on this strange adventure. I think we have an opportunity to do something special here, and I'd really like you to be part of it.
Oh, and be sure to check the updates for a weekly chapter excerpt!
~Chris J. Randolph
FAQ
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
21
Backers
$975
pledged of $3,500 goal
0
seconds to go
Funding Unsuccessful
This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal on September 8, 2010.
Pledge $5 or more
Join the scattered Human Resistance and gain access to a pre-release copy of Stars Rain Down in Epub format before the official release.
Pledge $10 or more
Join Carbon Corporation to gain access to the pre-release ebook, and receive a high-quality 5”x8” print of the cover art.
Pledge $50 or more
Join the Global Aerospace Foundation and receive a print copy of Stars Rain Down, in addition to the pre-release ebook.
Pledge $75 or more
Enlist with the Emergency Response Corps and receive a limited edition print copy of Stars Rain Down, a special thanks inside the book, and a 1GB USB thumbdrive filled with source art goodies, story notes, and open source software. Of course, you'll also get access to the pre-release ebook.
Project By
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Chris J. Randolph (hey, that's me!) is a writer, futurist and possible killer robot originally from Redwood City, CA. When not talking about himself in the third person, he's usually writing about fictional people who pilot spaceships, fight dinosaurs and seduce green women... and somewhat less often about green women who pilot dinosaurs, fight people and seduce spaceships.
His other interests include linguistics, cooking, video games and digital publishing advocacy. He's the proud recipient of several literary awards he made up himself, and he currently resides in Rocklin, CA, with a family who somehow puts up with his shenanigans. He hopes to someday own his own tropical dictatorship.
