|
Who says nothing in life is free? Well whoever it is, it certainly isn’t me. Welcome to a whole new type of book for kids, young adults and just about anyone with an imagination: the free kind. If you like light-hearted, sword-swinging, magic-casting fun and adventure, just click the “Download” button above and start reading the first book in The Chronicles of Alexander absolutely free. If you like it, or if you don’t like reading on the computer screen, you can click the “Buy Now” button to order it from Amazon.com or head to your local bookstore (currently available for order in Borders stores) and place an order for a real life copy that will be printed and shipped out just for you. If you want to learn more about the book, or me, the author, illustrator, publisher and anything else you can think of, read on!
What is this?
The Chronicles of Alexander: Land of Eternal Darkness is a fantasy book aimed at children and young adults, or anyone who enjoys light-hearted, engaging adventure stories filled with magic and mystical creatures. The synopsis, from the back of the book, should give you an idea about what’s inside. Otherwise, if you really want to know more, just click the download link and start reading!
|
The Chronicles of Alexander: Land of Eternal Darkness tells the tale of a young boy whose dreams of high adventure come true, much to his own chagrin. Trapped in a cursed world where the sun has not risen in a thousand years, Alex must find a way home, all the while helping the enchanted denizens of this new land break free from the iron grip of Marduke, the evil wizard who has taken their home and with it their hope.
Along the way Alex meets a variety of enchanted creatures, some friendly, some decidedly not. There’s Pungee, Alex’s slowwitted but loyal goblin companion, Gwen, a mysterious girl with magical powers and a mountainous ego, and Cornelius, a grumpy old faerie charged with keeping the other companions out of trouble. Add in an ancient talking sword, a ferocious bear king, a few bumbling satyrs, the reclusive, vicious spider-people, an army of lumbering trolls and Marduke’s terrible Shades, great wizards turned by Marduke’s magic into shape-shifting shadows, and Alex’s adventure is sure to be one to remember.
The first of a trilogy, Land of Eternal Darkness is just the beginning. Fun and excitement, along with a fair share of danger, wait around every turn. Only time will tell if Alex can find a way home, and if the citizens of the Magic Realm will ever see the sun again. |
|
Who are you?
My name is Sean Burgoon and everything you see here was done by me. I’m the author, illustrator, typesetter, web-designer and publisher. Aside from some much appreciated editing help from some friends (special thanks to Krissie for a ton of great feedback and fixes, as well as Collin, Jacob and Patty Miller's 2nd grade class for giving it a read and for sending me a bunch of great drawings of Pungee) this has been a one-man operation. Aside from all that, I’m an Animator at a game studio in California by day. Combine all that with my wonderful, and thankfully understanding, girlfriend, Julie, and I’m a very happy, but very busy guy. Then again, who isn’t these days. If you want to learn more about me, feel free to check out my website at www.seanburgoon.com.
What do I need to view the free version?
You need Adobe Reader 5 or higher. Just go to www.adobe.com and grab it. Like my book, it is also free.
Why are you giving away the electronic version?
The traditional method of finding a publisher, handing over all the rights and control, and getting a tiny advance only to then get (maybe) an even tinier royalty never made any sense to me. I had a blast writing this book, but the second I was done it became a huge chore. Just getting someone “in the industry” to read it proved impossible. The more I thought about it I decided the much smarter thing was to just get people to read it from my target audience, and the best way to do that was make it free.
Why does the cover look different at Amazon or in my bookstore's computer, who is S.M. Bradley?
A few years ago I printed up a few copies under a pseudonym for a variety of reasons, all equally silly. It also had a really lame cover. Anyway, that's the version that seems to have stuck in a lot of distributor's computers, even though the book has since been updated. Either way, don't worry, if you order it you'll get the real version since it's the only one that exists now. Hopefully the distributor's computers will update soon.
Do you ship internationally?
Not right now. However, I do plan on making the book available to international distributers (UK/Germany), specifically through Amazon.co.uk, so stay tuned.
How do you make any money?
I might not. It’s a combination of a gamble and an experiment. I figure, the cost of the printed version is relatively low, and reading an entire book on a computer screen is pretty annoying, so if someone starts to read on the computer they may decide they want to finish it with a physical copy, which can be ordered for about half the cost of having it printed at Kinko’s and will end up being a whole lot nicer. Others may decide they like reading it on a computer screen just fine, but want to donate a few dollars to support me as a writer. Others might just read the book and decide they don’t have the money to pay for a printed version or donate, and that’s fine too. My main goal is to get people to read my book and hopefully enjoy it. If I can do that and earn some money to support my writing at the same time, even better.
Where’s the rest of the series?
They’re coming! I’ve outlined the entire series in relative detail, and the second book is actually under-way right now. Don’t be freaked out by the 2005 publication date of the first book. That was the date of the first printing, and it wasn’t really finished at that time. I also had to take a break from writing for a few years to get my animation career going, but now I’m back and ready to focus on writing again. I definitely feel like I owe it to my characters, in addition to anyone who reads the first installment.
Why is the book only available in paperback?
There are a few reasons for this, but the main one is cost. Logic would dictate that a more expensive hardcover book would generate more profit, but in the case of Print on Demand that doesn’t seem to be the case. Since I’m a one-man company I can’t afford to have 50,000 books printed ahead of time on the off chance people want to buy them. To get around this I have the books printed automatically when someone orders them and immediately ship them off. The whole process is pretty impressive. The upside is that I can give away the book for free online and sell nice paperback copies for a reasonable price without a ton of personal risk upfront. The downside is that hardcover books are very expensive to print on demand, and unless I was charging over $25 I would actually make less on the hardcover books than on the paperback. Also, in my experience, most people tend to prefer paperbacks anyway, and the paperbacks produced by my printer are very durable and high quality. They are several steps above the standard “trade” paperbacks you’ll see at the grocery store. If you really want a hardcover version go ahead and send me an e-mail though. No guarantees, but if a lot of people are interested I might make one available.
I don’t like your writing or your book. Learn to spell.
That’s not really a question, but I guess that’s okay. I’m not claiming to be a brilliant writer, and this is my first book. If you don’t like it, or you find typos or grammatical errors (I’m sure there are still plenty) then I certainly apologize, but that’s the beauty of free. You can decide if you like it before you buy it, and that way everyone’s happy. Even so I’d definitely be happier if you liked it. I’m sensitive like that. |
