Dignity: A novel about foreclosure ghost towns and revolution
May 13, 2011 4:06 PM Subscribe
Dignity: A novel about foreclosure ghost towns and revolution
I've had only unhappy experiences with the publishing houses, so I'm putting out my new novel using a home-made publishing company. The book is called Dignity, and it tells the story of little communities rising up within abandoned tract houses and foreclosure ghost towns in the deserts and exurbs around California's sprawling cities. If you're interested in sustainable housing and terrorism and gnostic Christianity and organic farming and the origins of the Pauline epistles and the evils of social media, this might be for you.
The posting about the "Kindle Singles" book The Saint here on MetaFilter Projects a couple of months ago inspired me to release the novel through the Amazon Kindle store first. (A trade paperback version as well as iTunes and Nook versions are slowly coming through the pipe.)
The Awl excerpted a chapter today. And here's the page on Amazon. Thanks much to anyone who takes a look.
I've had only unhappy experiences with the publishing houses, so I'm putting out my new novel using a home-made publishing company. The book is called Dignity, and it tells the story of little communities rising up within abandoned tract houses and foreclosure ghost towns in the deserts and exurbs around California's sprawling cities. If you're interested in sustainable housing and terrorism and gnostic Christianity and organic farming and the origins of the Pauline epistles and the evils of social media, this might be for you.
The posting about the "Kindle Singles" book The Saint here on MetaFilter Projects a couple of months ago inspired me to release the novel through the Amazon Kindle store first. (A trade paperback version as well as iTunes and Nook versions are slowly coming through the pipe.)
The Awl excerpted a chapter today. And here's the page on Amazon. Thanks much to anyone who takes a look.
Role: Author
I was going to say the same thing as staggernation about the site.
Not having the text be text means that google or other search engines can't index it. That layout isn't complex. A simple graphic float and some css massaging and you could make it look exactly like that. I'd be willing to help if you like, but I'm no designer.
I've been looking into publishing on iTunes and Kindle. You set up your accounts with them or you going through someone else?
posted by cjorgensen at 6:52 PM on May 14, 2011
Not having the text be text means that google or other search engines can't index it. That layout isn't complex. A simple graphic float and some css massaging and you could make it look exactly like that. I'd be willing to help if you like, but I'm no designer.
I've been looking into publishing on iTunes and Kindle. You set up your accounts with them or you going through someone else?
posted by cjorgensen at 6:52 PM on May 14, 2011
Thanks!
The Elora Peak Press site is a tumblr, I imagine it could be changed fairly easily? As for publishing to the various online/ebook sellers, there are companies (CDBaby/BookBaby, Smashwords) that will do the setup and conversions for an author. I wanted to know how it all worked, so I spent two weeks learning the various formats and systems. It was a hassle this time, but it will be easy when the next book is finished.
It has been wonderful to publish this without having to fight a publishing house for years. This is the first time I've felt strongly about something I've written -- after 25 years of typing for a living! -- and I just couldn't bear to watch it vanish down the diseased throat of the publishing monster.
posted by kenlayne at 2:07 PM on May 15, 2011
The Elora Peak Press site is a tumblr, I imagine it could be changed fairly easily? As for publishing to the various online/ebook sellers, there are companies (CDBaby/BookBaby, Smashwords) that will do the setup and conversions for an author. I wanted to know how it all worked, so I spent two weeks learning the various formats and systems. It was a hassle this time, but it will be easy when the next book is finished.
It has been wonderful to publish this without having to fight a publishing house for years. This is the first time I've felt strongly about something I've written -- after 25 years of typing for a living! -- and I just couldn't bear to watch it vanish down the diseased throat of the publishing monster.
posted by kenlayne at 2:07 PM on May 15, 2011
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Feedback: the site could use some work--maybe Tumblr doesn't lend itself to this sort of thing? I would expect to click on "Ken Layne" and find some biographical information, for instance. And there's that big .gif image where you can't click on or select individual parts of it.
But as a fan since your warblogging days and Dot.con, I look forward to reading the book.
posted by staggernation at 5:58 PM on May 14, 2011