For help, advice and discussion about stuff not related to aviation. Play nice: no religion, no politics and no axe grinding please.
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User avatar
By Keef
#1265725
If you've not read the book "The Martian" by Andy Weir, and if you like Sci-Fi as a genre, it's a "must".
I'd never heard of it, but my younger daughter does book reviews and reckons it's one of the best she's read this year so far. She lent me her review copy, and I agree with her.

So that is the situation. I’m stranded on Mars. I have no way to communicate with Hermes or Earth. Everyone thinks I’m dead. I’m in a Hab designed to last thirty-one days.

If the oxygenator breaks down, I’ll suffocate. If the water reclaimer breaks down, I’ll die of thirst. If the Hab breaches, I’ll just kind of explode. If none of those things happen, I’ll eventually run out of food and starve to death.


She tells me it was originally "self published" by the author, but was taken up by a publisher and printed.
tr7v8 liked this
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By Flintstone
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1265732
Ordered.

If it's rubbish I know where you live.













Actually, I don't :D
User avatar
By Propwash
#1265761
I'm not really a Sci-Fi fan, but I'll give this a go (on your head be it, Keef :wink: )

As another "self publisher" of fiction (albeit short stories), just for the hell of it rather than to make money, I do find it increasingly odd how many of those works rejected by multiple agents/publishers eventually get "discovered" - sometimes thanks to social media - and go on to be more commercially successful than the books snapped up by publishers at the first attempt. I'm not sure if that says something about them being out of touch with what the wider reading public enjoy or the difficulty in spotting quality. Garbage at one end like the "life stories" of reality TV stars and the limited appeal (in commercial terms) of high-brow literary super-stars offerings at the other seem to be all that publishing houses want until the sound of cash tills start ringing thanks to authors own efforts. I suspect it is the modern trend of risk-averse management. :( That is why I miss all the small publishing houses that have been snapped up by the big boys or put out of business.

PW
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By Dave W
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1265791
That looks my sort of thing, so also ordered. Thanks, Keef.

Flinty, I don't know where he lives either. But he's let slip that he's 2 miles from Monewden so if it does turn out to be ****, I say we lift off and nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.
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By Sharpie
#1265792
I read it some time ago, got it as an indie through Amazon / Kindle.

Well written and engaging, it has quite a lot of technical ideas in it which I'm sure forumites will find makes for an interesting read.
User avatar
By Flintstone
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1265824
I've often wondered about self (or as I once heard someone call it 'vanity') publishing. Someone I once worked with did it and I ordered a copy. Sadly it was rubbish, I assume the sequel was just as bad.

How much does it cost and what are the odds of making your money back out of Aunty Flo and everyone else in your address book?
User avatar
By Propwash
#1265834
It used to be a poor way to make money, which is why it was called vanity publishing because it was really only justifiable to see your name in print. I resisted. Kindle has changed all that. It is free to upload your work to Amazon and publish and I have been surprised at how many copies have been downloaded, even some by readers in Germany. :scratch: I won't ever retire to a Caribbean island on the proceeds but there is no such thing as a bad profit. Interestingly (at least to me) not one copy was sold in the USA, even at the bargain price of hardly anything at all, but as soon as I put it on a short promotion for free download they sped out the (virtual) door. Tight gits. :wink:

PW
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By Flintstone
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1266294
I hadn't thought of Kindle. Might sit down, set out the material I have and see if there's enough for a book. I'm somewhat averse to giving it away to tightfisted 'merkins though.
User avatar
By Propwash
#1266297
Have a look at the Amazon web site. At the bottom there is the self publishing link and that gives the details of how you do it and what your share of any sales might be. If I can do it then just about anybody can. :wink:

Good fun.

PW
User avatar
By Propwash
#1266303
:lol:

You've sort of got the right idea. :wink:

It's under "fiction" rather than fact. I am not sure that the erudite membership of this forum is the right target audience though. :D

PW
User avatar
By kanga
#1266321
Propwash wrote:.., I do find it increasingly odd how many of those works rejected by multiple agents/publishers eventually get "discovered" - sometimes thanks to social media - and go on to be more commercially successful than the books snapped up by publishers at the first attempt. I'm not sure if that says something about them being out of touch with what the wider reading public enjoy or the difficulty in spotting quality. ..


It was explained to me (within the past few years, so in the Amazon but maybe before the Kindle (etc) era which may have changed things) that commercial publishers of things to be printed have to factor in the number which they will be likely to sell at the outlets of the very few remaining chains of UK book retailers (including supermarkets). The latter will order and display any copies only if they can do so at a retail discount price which will have to be reflected in a wholesale discount price (ie price paid from retailer to publisher). By comparison, total volumes through the now few remaining independent retailers of new books (who will sell at undicounted cover price) will be tiny. Those retailers (especially the supermarkets) will make a central decision at their national HQs how many (if any) copies to order/display, then negotiate the discount wholesale price. Most such orders will be for books from established authors, or in established genres (eg Mills & Boon, some detecive and sci-fi), or blatant imitations (including in titles and author name similaritis) of things which have recently been selling well, or have a media tie-in (eg characters from TV fiction series or book-of-recently-released-film, both allowing by arrangement images of known actors on their covers).

All this is unrelated to quality of writing or likely enjoyment of the reader, which makes things very difficult for new independent author unless s/he has access either to a good social network or to the reviewer for a national newspaper (and the tabloid ones are also heavily influenced and feted by the major publishers who play the games outlined above)
By Twinnshock
#1266385
I was just finishing a book and looking for something new when I read this recomendation so thought would give it a try. Bought on Kindle.

Well I am 8% in and so far am bored with all the statistics and quite frankly hoping he does not survive. Please somebody tell me it improves, I am close to giving up on this.

Stuart
User avatar
By Flintstone
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1266502
Nooooooo.......

My old fashioned hardback copy arrived this morning. Please don't let me have bought (another) sci-fi dud.
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