A Long November: A Tale of Christmas Come Too Early-From Podiobooks.com
Hey, everyone. Here we are, Christmas Eve, and time for the big announcement I've been working on for nearly two months now. As of today, my next book is available! And not only is it available -- it's free. Today marks the premiere of my first Podcast novel, A Long November, available at Podiobooks.com!
"But Blake," you're asking, "What is a Podiobook?" I'm glad you asked that, anonymous person who always asks me highly pertinent questions when I want to explain something to my readers! You guys have all heard of books on tape, right? Rather than reading the book, you listen as someone -- often the author -- reads it to you. Well, a Podiobook is, in essense, an audiobook released in podcast form, with each chapter released as a separate episode.
"How much does it cost, Blake?" you want to know. Well, like I said in that first paragraph you evidently skimmed over, it's totally free! Just go to Podiobooks.com and sign up for a free account. Then, search for A Long November and sign up! The first five episodes are online now, with more to come in the coming weeks. And while you're there, check out some of the other books -- my personal favorites include Mur Lafferty's Heaven and Playing For Keeps and J.C. Hutchins's Seventh Son. Also, if you really feel like you should pay something, you're in luck! Although the books are totally free, you DO have the option of making a donation to a book if you want to. Your donation -- of any amount you want -- is divided up with 75 percent going to the author and the remaining 25 percent going to Podiobooks.com, which is a pretty good deal.
"Do I need an iPod to listen to your novel, Blake?" Another good question, and the answer is "No." You can listen to a Podiobook on any MP3 player or similar device. You can listen to it from your computer, if you want. You can even burn it to a CD and take it with you. In fact, I encourage you to spread it around as much as possible -- all Podiobooks asks is that you don't alter the file or sell it. Otherwise, please, proliferate!
"So how does it work?" Well, you an either download the episodes one at a time directly, or you can subscribe to a feed specific to that novel. If you subscribe, it'll work like a subscription to any other podcast -- episodes will download to your computer automatically. And with Podiobooks, you an decide the frequency of the updates yourself. Every day? Every third day? Once a week? All at once? It's all up to you!
"What's the book about, Blake?" Well, some of you may have read it already. This is the edited and cleaned-up version of A Long November, my Christmas novella that I put online in 2005. Here's the description as you'll read it at Podiobooks.com:
"Duncan Marks is just like you -- sick and tired of Christmas before the Thanksgiving turkey even comes out of the oven. But this year, a Spirit of the Season takes him on a journey that tests his resolve... and upon which Christmas itself may rise or fall."
Sounds nifty, eh?
Well, that's really all I can think of as far as pimping this, except to mention that the cover art was done -- like the art for my second novel, The Beginner, by my talented little sister, Heather Petit Keller. So now that you've learned everything you need, what are you waiting for? Go! Subscribe! Here's the direct link to A Long November: http://www.podiobooks.com/title/long-november/