Wednesday, May 11, 2005

The Spriggan Experiment: Book Writing On A Street Performer's Economic Model 

Now that he's hit the infolit pipeline (via BoingBoing, for one) for his experiment in alternative publishing, there's no need to remain sheepish about my love of Lawrence Watt-Evans' Ethshar series. Granhted, like many such series, the first few books are the best, but Watt-Evans at his mostly-best is still a damn sight better than most quick-read fantasy writers, and his continued focus on the lives of ordinary people transformed by extraordinary events holds true and strong throughout the eight books produced so far.

So what's the deal with the next book? Well, it's being held hostage in the author's mind. The premise is simple: send Watt-Evans cash, and he'll keep cranking out the chapters until the book is finished.

Watt-Evans turned to this unique experiment, partially inspired by the Street Performer's Protocol, when publishers weren't interested in advancing him the dough to keep working on the series; if the $100 per chapter method works and The Spriggan Mirror actually gets published, those who donate will get free book goodness in return. (Of course, if publishers still aren't interested, you still get to read the book, and you also get that warm fuzzy feeling.)

Check out the rough drafts of chapters 1-4 and get hooked yourself. And if anyone has an extra copy of The Spell of the Black Dagger, please consider lending it out -- it's out of print, and my copy went missing years ago.

posted by boyhowdy | 4:59 PM |

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