Tribebuilding Contest: Quest #1--Stoke the Amazon Blitz Fires!

Yo Tribes! Here's the first time sensitive Venture Quest!

As you know, we're getting ready for the Venom and Song, Amazon Blitz. Just less than a week away now. Christopher Hopper and I want the Internet to be flooded with word of our hostile takeover of Amazon's Bestseller List. So here's your mission, should you choose to accept it:

Every member of your tribe can post about the Amazon Blitz once a day (including but not beyond June 22nd) on as many social websites, blogs, etc. as possible. Each member should keep track of exactly where he/she posted--a running list would be best--and send that list to your Tribe Leader on the 23rd of June, along with a total of points earned.

How many points? 100 points per person, per post, per site, per day. Only exceptions to the one post per site, per day rule: Facebook and Twitter (up to 5 posts per day)


Suggested post: don't use this exact wording but something similar. Be sure to use the date and time and a link. Be creative!

Like to read fantasy? Join us for the Amazon Blitz on June 22nd, 7pm EST. For details: http://is.gd/cQG7Y

If you choose to accept this mission, God's speed. This message will self destruct in six days.

Bestseller List Bonanza!

Thanks to my incredible readers, I just got the news that FOUR of my books made Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) Bestseller List for June 2010:

The Door Within is #6! 

The Final Storm is #16!

The Rise of the Wyrm Lord is #18! 

Isle of Swords is #19!

I think a FanFest is definitely coming soon!

TRIBE BUILDING CONTEST BEGINS: NOW!!

Build Your Tribe

Begin Your Quest

Last year's Tribebuilding Contest for Curse of the Spider King was a HUGE success! We had six active tribes who worked together to do some absolutely amazing things! Venom & Song, book 2 of The Berinfell Chronicles will ship to stores beginning June 9th, so in honor of Book 2's release Christopher Hopper and I are launching:
Tribebuilding Contest 2


This year's contest will use the same general rules as last year's contest,  so if you know the basics, skip the next part (in purple text). If you are new to Tribebuilding, make sure you read.

The BASICS:

1. You will gather 14 people (friends, family, etc) to join your Tribe. As the gatherer of this tribe, you become the Tribe Leader.

2. Your goal is to have each member of the tribe do as many of the Tribe Tasks as possible, earning Vanadil Points for your Tribe.

3. Tribe Tasks are things like reviewing Batson or Hopper books on Amazon, Borders, CBD, B&N, etc. or making posters or videos, or blogging, etc.

4. The Tribe leaders send me a Tribe Report on the 7th of every month. The report lists what each tribe member did and how many points total were earned.

5. That's it. That's the basic contest.


Major Changes for this year's version:

1. Tribe can earn GINORMOUS points for Creative Open Category Projects! It will vary by concept. Just propose an idea, and I'll tell you how many points will be offered.  

2. Last year, we had six of the seven tribe names taken. If those tribes want to participate again, please let me know immediately so we can secure the Tribe Name for you. Additional tribes can create their own tribe name.

3. Tribe must be at least 14 people, not 21 like last year.

4. Tribes need not be geographically close in location to each other, but it helps when we plan the private book party.

5. Amazon Blitz, coming soon, so do NOT order Venom and Song just yet. If you order ON THE BLITZ DAY, it will mean ridiculous points for your Tribe! I mean OUTRAGEOUS, IMPOSSIBLY LARGE Numbers! WOOT.

Be on the lookout for RULE CHANGES coming soon.

I've outlined the entire contest and uploaded it page-by-page as you see below. You can click all the images and read right from the Web.

OR

You can click HERE and download the pdf file.

Also, Tribe Leaders from last year, please email me about Rules/etc. that didn't work too well last year or were confusing. I'd like to make this year's even better than before.

 Let the games BEGIN!

Tribe Names Claimed Last Year:
*Note: email me right away if you want to reclaim your Tribe's Name, or I will open them for new Tribes!


Valorbrand: taken by Kiada/Starfast/Robby  

Silvertree: Taken by Keeneye 

Ashheart: Taken by AmyA

Nightwing: Taken by Jacob Parker  

Swiftstorm: Taken by Seth 

Shadowtear: Taken by TimV 

Oakenflower: Unclaimed


Flaming Arrow:Created by Sir Andrew

----------------------------------------------- 

Did you think I forgot to mention prizes?


In addition to the prizes from last year (Private Book Party, Swords, Signed ARCs, etc), how about having EVERY member of your tribe mentioned in the Acknowledgement section of Berinfell Book 3*???


How about access to a special "Member's Only" Website full of Berinfell Lore, original Desktop art, games, and more!


CH and I are still thinking about additional prizes, so check back often for updates!


PS: Last year's Prize Winners will begin receiving prize packs in June! Thank you for your patience!

Will the Real Prodigal Please Stand Up?

This past Sunday, we had a guest speaker preach on The Prodigal Son. It was a captivating talk, and I learned a ton. Strangely enough, though, as much as I learned from the speaker, I found myself thinking about another aspect of the parable. It stemmed from the actual meaning of the word "prodigal"--one of the points the speaker made about the word's real meaning struck a chord and made the parable more meaningful to me than perhaps ever before. So, buckle your seatbelts, Dorthy, because Kansas is going bye bye!

In common use, the word "prodigal" has come to mean "wayward" or "errant," "lost" even. But the original meaning is quite a bit different. Prodigal actually means "recklessly extravagant, wasteful, or lavish." Wasteful and reckless, we get. It makes sense. After all, the son, took his portion of his father's estate and wasted it on carnal pleasures: food, drink, fair-weather friends, and female companionship. But "extravagant" and "lavish" bring to mind the provision of absurd luxury or giving in abundance. Maybe we can apply that to the son and therefore call him prodigal. But I got to thinking someone else in the story might actually be more prodigal. I was thinking that someone might be the father…who is symbolic of God. Before you cry "Blasphemy!" or start gathering flaming brands and pitchforks, hear me out. 

First, let's look at the actual text from Luke:

¹¹Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. ¹²The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
 ¹³"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ¹⁴After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
 ¹⁷"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' ²⁰So he got up and went to his father.
      "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
 ²¹"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.^[a]'
 ²²"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.
 ²⁵"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'
 ²⁸"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
 ³¹" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³²But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "

Mannn, is Jesus a great storyteller or what! I love this story. It is SO rich and SO full of hope. And I think for too long, the focus has been on the son who left and came back home. We often call it the prodigal son or the "lost son." Maybe the son is one of the main characters, the protagonist even? But he's not the hero of the story. The father is.

In the narrative of the story, the father allows his son to take his portion of the estate--early. This was to be the son's inheritance. However, the father lets the son take it and leave. In essence, saying, I will not force you to stay. I will not withhold this from you. I won't force my will upon you. The father represents God, and isn't this just like God? He won't force us to love Him. If we choose to run off and spend our time and talents on stupid stuff, God will let us. He doesn't force us to love him. He will allow the consequences of our sin to wise us up, though. And that's just what happened to the son. The son comes to his senses and returns. Do you see the point I'm building here? The father sets aside a certain portion of the estate. Think of this as riches, wealth, material, etc. The father sets this all aside for the son. It's a substantial sum too. The son was able to PARTY it up in the most lavish ways. And the father gives this to the son WILLINGLY. There's no fight. Even though it likely hurt the father's feelings, the father still let the son go. That is reckless, lavish love. 

But even more so is the son's return...or rather, the father's welcome. When the son comes home, thinking he's blown the possibility of sonship, hoping just to be a hired hand, a servant…the father runs to him. RUNS TO HIM. Have you heard that song? The father runs to the son. That's ridiculous, reckless love. And not just that, but the father throws a new robe on the lad, slaps a suh-weet ring on his finger, and calls the entire estate to a halt for a HUGE "welcome home" party. Talk about wasteful. Even the older son recognizes the excess. Anyone else hear the ring of Judas' voice in the older son? But if the word prodigal originally meant excessive, lavish, extremely extravagant, who in this story was more lavish than the father? No one. First he sets aside a portion of the estate, then he gives up the portion to the son, then after the son has wasted it and comes home, the father uses up even MORE resources to welcome the son home in GRAND fashion. Holy cow! What a wasteful father. What a wasteful God. And aren't we glad that He is. 

See, in our eyes, the son was a screw up. He blew it...BIG TIME. He wasn't worth the time of day, wasn't worth even a servant's position. But to the father, the son was more precious than ALL of the estate put together. To the father, the son was so precious...the only thing that mattered was having the son back home with him.

Jesus told this parable. There is no authority greater.  The kingdom of Heaven is like this. God is like this. God is good. He is a better kind of good than we can imagine or identify with. If we think we love our own children, God loves His more.

Now, I know some have interpreted this parable and have identified the "lost son" as a nonChristian who comes back to the father and is "saved." Some say the indignant older brother represents "Pharisee-like self righteous folk." After all, Jesus had a slew of Pharisees listening to Him tell this parable. Maybe the lost son represents the Gentiles and the older brother, the Jews. It might be. But regardless of the other characters, I think we need to focus on the Father. He is the One we should draw near to. He is the one willing to waste everything just to bring us home and welcome us to the place we MOST belong. He is the One who is so generously good that we very well can call Him prodigal.

So what's the take home on this? First, if you're a believer, stop and thank God right now for His goodness. For He gave us this life; He gave us all the good things in this world; He gave us a portion of everything. Praise Him. If you're not a believer, remember how much this Father loves you. He is waiting, not with blame, not with guilt, not asking for an explanation. God wants you to come home. He wants to embrace you and robe you. He wants to give you the family ring and throw a big party for you. And who says Christians don't party? Turns out, no one, but NO ONE throws a party like God's parties! See the invite below:

Who: You (whoever you are, no matter where you've been or what you've done)

What: Welcome Home Party!  (Abundant life on earth and eternity to boot)

Where: Your real home  (Heaven)

When: Right NOW (and much more after this life)

Why: Once was lost, but now are found (God is good. He loves you forever)

You've got to hear it to believe it!

Like expectant parents, Christopher Hopper and I waited to hear the audio version of our first book together: Curse of the Spider King. OK, maybe not quite like parents, but still…you get the idea. We were very curious and a little worried. Would Oasis Audio hire serious voice talent? Would the voice actor/actress get it right? Would it be overly dramatic or too plain? Just as an actor or actress can absolutely make (see Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men) or break (see Natalie Portman* in Star Wars Prequels) a movie, the voice actor is everything to an audio book. But then, it arrived:

Order Curse of the Spider King Audio CDs!

Christopher and I were thrilled. No, that's understatement. The narrator, Greg Whalen did a terrific job with all 104 speaking characters. How does he come up with so many voices? I have no idea. The thing is, he got it right. The voices in my head somehow turned out to be the voices he spoke. Looking for something new to listen to? Click the link above or the link in my sidebar. If you'd like to hear a sample, click below:

Chapter 1 of Curse of the Spider King as read by Greg Whalen

* To be fair to Ms. Portman, Hayden Christensen shared the worst dialog in cinematic history! "I love you." "No, I love you more." Blech! Eaccchh! Hack! Cough! Of course, it was Lucas who presumably wrote the dialogue. And to be fair, Revenge of the Sith was actually the best of the Star Wars prequels. At least Jar Jar Binks didn't have a staring role. 'Nuff said.

Sword in the Stars now available for PreOrder!

Hi, all! Well, this is a first for me. I actually have two new books about to come out within a few months of each other! Venom and Song, coauthored with the multitalented Christopher Hopper, comes out in late June. Then in August, my first book with AMG publishing, Sword in the Stars, will be released. Check out the preliminary cover art and the teaser below:

 

 Click HERE to PreOrder Sword in the Stars!

Haunted by memories of a violent past, Alastair Coldhollow wagers his life on the hope that a sword will appear in the stars and the foretold Halfainin, the Pathwalker, would come. Meanwhile, tensions simmer between Anglinore and the murderous Gorrack Nation, threatening war on a cataclysmic scale. The fate of all could rest on an abandoned child and the decisions of those who desperately seek to identify him. Sword in the Stars is the first release in The Dark Sea Annals series.

Take a lesson on Character from the NFL; Who'd have thunk it?

If the title of this post made you gag, get a quick drink of water and bear with me. Just a single day after posting an article insisting that ex Florida Uber Quarterback Tim Tebow's faith would get in the way of his being picked by certain teams in the NFL Draft, Yahoo Sports turned around and published an article about how important a role Tim Tebow's character played in him being drafted so highly.

Just to be clear, I'm not knocking Yahoo for hypocrisy. Two different authors with two very different takes on the state of the NFL. In fact I laud Yahoo for publishing today's article because it was all about the NFL reevaluating what's important when it comes to draft day. At least with Round 1 of the NFL draft, there were several surprising developments, and they all involved teams choosing character over better talent.

In the first round, Tim Tebow (above) was chosen by the Broncos over several quarterback choices, even though many "experts" don't believe Tebow has the form/tools to be a star NFL QB. But in the wake of Steelers QB Ben Rothleisberger's recent troubles with morality, it seems the Denver Broncos wanted a "good guy" to captain their team. Bravo for them. The Broncos also selected wide receiver Demaryius Thomas over ultra talented Dez Bryant. Why? Character. Bryant's had troubles, lots of questions about his work ethic, etc. Not so with Thomas. Thomas (below) is a "good guy."

The San Diego Chargers went out of their way, trading up to select running back Ryan Matthews, stressing that he is the kind of guy they want as a leader in their locker room. Ryan, we learn, keeps his commitments. He signed to play college FB with Fresno State, but after that, several bigger, more influential schools came asking and offering. He turned them down. He's a good guy.

So what can we learn from the NFL? Well, maybe we can learn that when we do our inevitable picking in life, maybe we can make our picks based on character and substance over flash and style. No, we don't hold a draft for picking friends, girlfriends, or spouses, but we all go looking. How do you choose? I remember high school too well to have lost the chip I had on my shoulder then. It used to make me ill that so many of the girls I had crushes on went after the rudest, most disrespectful, foul mouthed guys in the school.

And how many times has "Nice Gal A" made a mess of her own life by marrying "Bad Boy A?" Too many to count. Some of our readers will probably support that. And it's not just the ladies choosing flash over faithfulness. Men often become bumbling idiots, fawning over the babe with the low cut neckline. Shame on us. We ought to be fighting to lay down our coats for the sweetheart next door. And forget romance for just a minute, what about plain old friends. Who do we hang out with? Do we gravitate towards good character? I contend that we should.

What would happen if we did? What would happen if we all chose friends, romantic friends, spouses, careers, neighborhoods, etc. etc. based on quality of character? My hunch is, we'd end up with a tenfold better society. Why? Supply and Demand. As a middle school teacher of 19 years, I've noticed something very interesting. If you have a class where the good kids get the majority of the attention, disciplinary issues begin to vanish, and good kids multiply. If the opposite occurs, and the idiots get most of the attention, sooner or later, you'll end up with a room full of idiots.

Imagine a high school where the girls all went after the "nice guys." Pretty soon, the jerks and blowhards would straighten up. Think about it, ladies, who do you really want for a husband? The cute high school guy who cuts class, smokes, and defies authority? Extrapolate what that will look like in ten years. Uh, yeah, not so good. And guys, who are you going to bring roses to? The sexy party girl who flirts with ALL the boys? What kind of mother will she be for your kids? Hmmm...

And if you do decide to hang with the kid who drinks underage and occasionally shoplifts, where do you think you'll end up? I'm just asking. Because if the NFL can figure out that character matters, should we be able to figure it out as well?

Kill this Thread and Win Venom and Song

Have you ever played "Kill this Thread?" You say you're against all forms of killing? I SO agree…uh, except for this game. Uh, and except for when I find a spider on my bathroom floor. Okay, back on topic.

Kill this thread works like this:

1. Comment on this post.

2. Be the last person to post a comment before the thread "Dies."

How does the thread die? Easy, all that has to happen is for NO ONE to post a comment for one single day. Every time you post a comment, you prolong the thread's life 24 more hours and put yourself in the potential winner's seat!

So, say Biff posts a comment at 3pm today. If no one posts another comment by 3pm tomorrow, then Biff wins the prize. But, if Zelda posts a comment at 2:59pm tomorrow, BOOM, the thread lives on 24 more hours.

Now I've seen this done a number of ways, but one thing I hate is that the comments posted are too quick and very boring. So I'm adding one more REQUIREMENT:

3. Make your comment something meaningful. Give us one of your favorite quotes. Tell us why you like it. Give us something from God's word to munch on. Talk about your hopes and dreams. Encourage someone you care about. Talk about a new band you "discovered." Tell people why they should buy my books--you know, anything meaningful like that! :-D

Oh, and what's the prize? How about a PreRelease Advanced Reader Copy of Book 2 of the Berinfell Prophecies series: Venom and Song--autographed by BOTH authors (CH and Me!)

Sound good?

Post away! Kill this Thread!

Mock Draft 2010: Washington Redskins

I grew up in Prince George's County, Maryland. Redskins Territory. My whole family rooted for the Skins in the down years and in the Super Bowl seasons. I bleed Maroon and Gold. If you follow the NFL, you know that the Redskins have suffered through some lousy seasons of late. Well, I think that's about to change. We have football people in charge of the team again. The players are buying in and excited. And the NFL draft is just a month away. For those who don't follow football, the draft is where pro teams pick players who are coming out of college.

I'm no expert, but I've seen so many Mock Drafts this year that I decided to get into the action. I'm only going to tell you who the Redskins will pick, not the other teams. I'm also going to give explanations to provide comedic reading when the draft occurs and everyone realizes just how wrong I was. lol The Skins have only 5 picks this year. But I think they'll make the most of them. They have the following picks:

Round 1    4th Pick    4th overall   
Round 2    5th Pick    37th overall   
Round 4    5th Pick    103th overall   
Round 5    4th Pick    135th overall   
Round 7    4th Pick    211th overall     

Here's how I think it will go:

Round 1    4th Pick    4th overall   Redskins Pick: Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska

This is a shocker. Most folks predict Suh will be gone already. Here's my thinking: I suspect the Rams will take Bradford as expected. Detroit will throw everyone a curve by taking studly OT Russell Okung. Tampa will have to choose between two incredible DL prospects. I think they'll take McCoy. The Redskins will then find themselves with a happy problem. They really need offensive line, but with Suh available, they'll take him. Can you imagine the apocalyptic defense the Skins could run if they had Haynesworth and Suh on the D-Line. {Chills} If the Lions don't take Okung, the Redskins have to get him. They really do need someone to protect the QB. If Okung and Suh are gone, I see the Skins taking worldbeater free safety Eric Berry. That way they can move LaRon Landry back to his natural Strong Safety Position.

Round 2    5th Pick    37th overall   Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland

The Redskins will be shocked to find Campbell hanging around this late in the draft. This former Terp wowed everyone with his athleticism at the NFL Combine, but lots of teams will pass because Campbell is unpolished. The Redskins won't care. This guy is for real and will start at left tackle this year.

Round 3 (In a trade with Tennessee or Atlanta)  Tim Tebow, QB, Florida

The Redskins will trade DE/LB Anthony Carter to Ten or Atl for a 3rd round pick. Those teams could use a pass rusher DE or OLB. With Suh already in the stable, we suddenly have even more DL surplus. Carter is the odd man out. Forget mechanics. Tebow is a winner at QB. The Redskins need a leader at that position and have Campbell for another season, so they won't have to throw Tebow to the wolves right away. Tony Pike is also a possibility here.

Round 4    5th Pick    103th overall    Shelly Smith, OG Colorado State

The Redskins continue to build their offensive line by selecting Smith. At 6-3, 300lbs, this big man still posted 5.10 forty time. Ideal speed for kick out blocks, pulls, screens, and Shanahan's zone block system.

Round 5    4th Pick    135th overall    Ben Tate, RB, Auburn

Mike Shanahan has a habit of taking middle to late round RBs and turning them into absolute studs in the pros. Tate is a late bloomer who really hit his stride in his senior year. With Portis and Johnson already on the roster, Shanahan is thinking of the future. And Tate is it.

Round 7    4th Pick    211th overall       Andrew Lewis, OG, Oklahoma State

The final piece to the O-line puzzle. The Redskins like Lewis' size and speed. He might be a project this year, but look for him to develop into a starter in 2011.


Well, there you go. Fantasy author's take on the 2010 Redskins Draft. I don't expect to be right, but I hope I am.

Epic Fantasy for a fairy tale price!

We've been discussing the coming eBook revolution here quite a bit lately. Seems like the market is beginning to explode. This just in from fantastic author LB Graham: He's offering the first book of his epic Binding of the Blade series for just 99 cents. That's .99!  That's like a sixth of a penny per page! Ridiculous! If you have any kind of eReader, go get this now!

When I call LB's work "Epic" please understand, I'm using the word accurately. LB is one of the best world builders I know. Brilliant. Tolkienesque. And don't let the old school cover art fool you. This is a timeless tale. Awesome stuff.

Click here to get Beyond the Summer Land for 99cents! 

Scattered, Smothered, and Covered

Just a quick post about one of my favorite places to eat breakfast in the whole wide world: Waffle House. At the big WH, you can have hashbrowns any way you like them. Personally, I like mine "scattered, smothered, and covered." Thing is, the restaurant is something of a sacred icon to me. My parents used to take us there when we were little kids--on our revered trip to Florida. It wasn't just the food. It was a family tradition...one that I've adopted with my wife and kids on our trip to Myrtle Beach every summer. WH is also a place that, somehow or another, I've ended up sharing a meal with all of my best friends. Christopher Hopper and I found one here in Scranton. Life is good.

Ah…Scranton. Huh?

You may be wondering why the emotional attachment to Scranton? Aside from the fact that it's a very cool old city with some very nice people, I'm headed there tomorrow afternoon to spend the weekend with my good friend Christopher Hopper. So it's not the place, really, but rather the two of us in the place. Seriously, this is where God forged our friendship, as well as, where The Berinfell Prophecies were born. If this weekend goes like those in the past, it will be a spiritual and professional recharge. I can't wait.

We like to stay at the historic Lackawanna Station Radisson (1 above) and we frequent a great public house called The Banshee ( 2 above). Something about these places just stir the imaginations in us both.

So, do you have a place that is special because of who you are there with? Tell us about it.

eBooks: Bringing Down the House?

 

I'm probably in the minority, but I truly believe that digital publishing will, for all intents and purposes, replace print publishing. Here's how I think it will happen:

1) Over the next 15 years, Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, B&N Nook, The iPad, etc. will be joined by a dozen other eReaders, and the price of those devices will come down markedly. Some shrewd companies will offer to "give" their eReaders away with a paid yearly contract, say, you'll purchase 20-30 eBooks a year. Much like cell phones now. You can get a BOSS COOL phone, IF you sign up for a plan, right?

2. Print Publishers will continue to operate, but they will need to change the way of doing business or they will perish. Here's how they will need to change:

A) Forced to compete with ePublishers who offer much better royalty percentages to authors, print publishers will offer dual royalties, raising the percentage of print royalty money and including a very high percentage of eBook money.

B) Over time, print publishers will have smaller and smaller print runs of all but the biggest name authors. Smaller quantities will be shipped to brick-n-Mortar stores and be available to the consumer in what will be a "collector's only" market.

C) Print Publishers will modernize their operations to become "Print on Demand" publishers. With smaller print runs and smaller numbers of books in-store, publishers will find a way to take "demand" orders, print, and send books as fast or faster than Amazon currently ships. It may be that brick and mortar stores will open up their own printing presses, kind of like Kinkos, and will be able to print your book "while you wait."

3) Authors will wake up and realize that they are strong. For decades, the creative artist has been exploited by the music industry, publishers, radio, tv, film, etc. In publishing for instance, it's very common for an author to make just 10-12% of what a book actually sells for, in many cases, that's off the publisher's sell price to the brick and mortar chains. That means 88-90% of the book money is going somewhere else besides the artist. Obviously, there are a lot of people who currently play a part in getting a book to the shelf, and all these people need to get paid too, right? But shouldn't the artist get a larger percentage? Look at it this way: Can you imagine if Pro Football players only received 10-12% of their contracted millions, and the rest went to the people who coach, train, design uniforms, etc? It's not a perfect analogy, I admit. But if it worked like that, how long would the NFL survive?

With the advent of ePublishing, authors who are being exploited will begin to break away from their traditional print publisher shackles. They will become their own publishing companies, publishing eBooks exclusively or forming partnerships with print-on-demand companies.

4. We'll also begin to see a massive drop in price for eBooks. Right now, publishers are going to the mattress with Amazon over eBook prices. Traditional publishers want their "eBooks" priced at 60-80% of what the hardcover paper book would cost. Makes sense for the publisher who would make a MASSIVE windfall of profit since they can chop 70% of their production budget on every eBook. After all, no charge for paper, no charge for binding, no charge for shipping, warehousing, etc. Amazon wants the price low. Why? Increased profits. They know that pricing eBooks too high will cut WAY down on who buys. It is digital info, after all. Intellectual value? Yes. Material value? No. And that leads to the next reason that the price will go low: High price leads to digital piracy.

We live in a broken world where people redefine right/wrong all the time. Guaranteed as soon as you price The Door Within Part 7 at $16.99, there are going to be those who pirate it. What about DRM protection? Sure, they'll try. But someone will find a way around it. Let's take a look at some hypothetical numbers.

eBook A priced at $12.99 sells 4,600 copies in a year. If the publisher makes 50% profit on that book, then, the publisher takes in $29,877 profit on that book.

eBook B priced at $2.99 sells 50,000 copies. If the publisher takes in even 30% of that pie, the publisher makes $44,850. That's a substantial upgrade.

5. The Public Will Decide. In the past, publishers have used their various formulae and observations to determine what they believe they can sell. Then, they judge the quality of potential manuscripts and make the call about what will sell. Hopefully, they get it right, and good books get published. Poor quality books, don't.

That may continue in some capacity as Amazon and other online publishers may adopt some quality standards for what they will publish. But largely, the public will decide. People will go hunting for new books, trying to discover the "next big thing." Word of mouth will travel--at light speed online. And goodstuff will rise out of the murky not-so-good-stuff.

Maybe Amazon will adopt a "sell so many copies or get booted off the site" policy. Not sure. But more than ever before, the public will determine what they like. And that sounds good to me.

But, you might argue, you mean ANYONE can get published? Then there will be tons of terrible material out there to wade through. Yes and no. There might be a quality control standard in place, kind of watchdogs for the digital marketplace. Or, there may not. But either way, the reality is that most people want to have a book published. But most people don't want to do the work required to get a book published. Writing a book is hard work. It requires discipline, passion, and sacrifice. Butt-in-chair means it's not on the golf course or at Don Pablos sipping a cherry Pepsi.

So will there be a little extra chaff to sift through? Yes. But look at it this way. Isn't there already a ton of chaff out there being published? I've read a few books in my time that made me want to say, "Now there's six hours of my life I won't get back."

In conclusion: I love paper books. I may never buy an eBook myself. I like rooms full of books. I like holding books. I take books to the beach and up into my bed. But I was born with paper books. I might feel very differently if I was born with an iPad in my hand. And, unless I'm way off here, the publishing world is about to be hit by a digital temblor...because this generation is the digital generation.

Tribe Contest WINNER!

Hi, all! The Tribe Building Contest has at last come to an end. Christopher and I are stoked about the results. Really kind of awed. You are simply amazing people. We're a little overwhelmed by the flurry of late activity, but we cannot, CAN NOT thank you enough. More on prizes later. See below:

As you recall, this was the order of the leaders as of a month or so ago:

1: Nightwing

2: Silvertree

3: Shadowtear

4: Swiftstorm

5: Ashheart

6: Valorbrand

The 2nd ranking was:

#1 Silvertree

#2 Nightwing

#3 Swiftstorm

#4 Shadowtear

#5 Ashheart

#6 Valorbrand

The FINAL UPDATE Leaderboard is as follows:

#1 Nightwing

#2 Silvertree 

#3 Swiftstorm

#4 Shadowtear

#5 Ashheart

#6 Valorbrand

And now…it is time to announce the CONTEST WINNER!! 

 Oh, but you'll have to click HERE to find out who one.

By the way: if you have anything to comment or post on, do it here, not the site this links to. lol

Tribe Building Contest Ends Sunday, March 7th

Tribe Building Contest Ends Sunday, March 7th! 

I know, I know. It was supposed to be March 1st, right? But I want to post the Tribe Leaderboard one more time before that! So look for the LAST leaderboard right here, as well as, on the Underground--later today!

Who will be 100?

Hi, all! I just noticed that The Door Within has 99 reviews on Amazon! I'm floored and grateful that the overall ranking is still 5 stars. Honestly, it's my first book ever and 13 years of my life went into crafting it. But I know it's far from perfect. Even after 7 books, I know I have a long way to go…so much to learn about the craft of storytelling. But I love it, and Thank YOU, God for the gift of being able to do something I love.


But I wonder…who will be the 100th person to review The Door Within on Amazon?

Speechless: Teens Create Promo Video for Curse of the Spider King

Why title this post "Speechless"? Easy. That's what I was when I watched this video. You need to understand that ALL of this is totally original material. These brilliant kids wrote the script, filmed, acted, edited, created the special effects, and applied them postfilming, and wrote and performed the original soundtrack.



I don't know about you, but I nearly jumped out of my chair when I saw that giant Warspider on the kid's roof. Please post a comment and let these prodigies know what you think of their 100+ hours of effort.

Post Script: It seems that this blogger format won't show the full screen version of the video and like a third of the right part of the screen didn't show up. Here's the link so you can see it full screen:

Click Here for the FULL SIZE version!

Post Script 2: My 12 year old son watched the video and just about flipped off of our bed!

Tribe Building Contest: Quest Alert!

March 1st.

That is the deadline for the Curse of the Spider King Tribe Building Contest. Right now, the standings are close. VERY CLOSE. I will post standings one more time before the end.

Time Sensitive Quest!

Looking for Vanadil Points? Here's a chance to get a pile of them:

BLESS A FRIEND THIS EASTER:
Purchase a Copy of Curse of the Spider King by clicking on my Amazon link in the sidebar. This purchase is designated as a gift that you plan to give to a friend or family member this Easter. This quest is repeatable as often as you wish, but only until March 1st. Note: this does not apply to books purchased prior to today: Feb. 19th.

Vanadils Earned for each Spider King Book Purchased for this Quest: 5000

This also applied to any of my other books purchased from my sidebar Amazon links, but the vanadils earned will be 1000 per book.

I need your ePinion about something...

 

Hi, all! I guess, by now, everyone has heard of eBook readers: Kindle, Nook, Sony eReader, etc. Kinda makes you wonder where the publishing business is going. But the purpose of this post is NOT to debate whether or not paper books would ever or should ever go away. 

But I want to do some fact finding. I figure most of the folks who visit here are pretty avid readers. What I want to know is how many of you:

A) Own an eBook reader of some kind or have access to one?

B) And, of those who could potentially read eBooks on a reader: what would you think of me writing a book to publish ONLY for eReaders? I literally have 24-28 book concepts fleshed out and saved in digital folders. What if I wrote one just for eBooks? The price would be much lower $3-5, most likely. 

Thoughts? Insights?

Thursday Writing Challenges! Today! Jump in folks!

Double Writing Challenges Today! 12 noon EST and 4pm EST. If you want to join us, just comment here. Post what you're working on. Post your current word count. Then from 12-1, set your fingers afire and write like crazy! Same from 4pm-5pm. I'll probably be writing in between some too if you want to jump in.

 

Click HERE to get in on the action.

Writing Challenge Today! 4pm EST

 

Greetings fellow writers! I'm hosting a writing challenge today at 4pm EST. Just visit my Facebook page or click the link below. 

WtB Facebook Page

What is a writing challenge? It's a way to get serious about writing, avoid distractions, and second guessing---and get some serious content written. 

How do we do it? Simple. Just post a comment on my Facebook thread telling us what story/scene you're working on. Post your current wordcount. Then, write like a crazy person! ONE HOUR straight. Butt-in-Chair. Nothing but writing. 

At 5pm, we compare results. It's all friendly, but the accountability is RIGHTEOUS!1

Do you have the passion? Musical Fuel for Writing, Episode 2

Greetings, all. If you've been visiting my blog for any length of time, you know that I like to listen to music while I write. Symphonic, cinematic rock seems to be the ticket for me. It's grand, it's powerful, it's intense, it's beautiful, it's epic--all the things I want my stories to be. It is some of the most melodic and technically brilliant stuff out there. And over the last coupla years,  I've been blessed to discover some amazing bands. The first band I blogged about was The Orphan Project. To read the interview with OP front man Shane Lankford, click HERE and HERE.

Next up is a band called Stream of Passion. Their first CD Embrace the Storm caught my attention simply because of the concept "Embrace the Storm" really resonated with me. Jesus told us in this life we would have trouble. And yet so many of us get struck with hardship and wonder "Why is this happening to me?" Just the CD title made me think about how I respond to calamity. And I wonder if maybe I ought to just embrace the storm as something Jesus will use to refine my faith, something that will force me to my knees because I have no other place to go. I don't think this is what the band Stream of Passion had in mind with the song, but that's where it took me. 

So I got the CD and listened to it on a long drive to Scranton PA, and WOW. It was so different, so unusual, melodic and delightfully crunchy, that I instantly became a fan. All the musicians in SoP are phenomenal--and I mean literally musicians of the highest order. SoP vocalist Marcela Bovio has a voice that defies category. We'll still try of course. She has the lilt of a Celtic balladeer, the gut punching soul of Nancy Wilson of Heart, and the restless melancholy of Amy Lee of Evanescence. Just make sure you understand that Marcela and SoP are not clones or even derivative of ANY other band. Seriously.

Marcela was kind enough to agree to do an interview for Enter the Door Within, so here it is. Enjoy your visit with Marcela and SoP. 

1. First, could you introduce yourself and the band? My name is Marcela Bovio, I’m the lead vocalist and violinist of Stream of Passion. Together with me in the band are Stephan Schultz (lead guitar), Eric Hazebroek (rhythm guitar), Johan van Stratum (bass), Jeffrey Revet (keyboards) and Martijn Peters (drums). I’m from Mexico, but I live in Holland as the rest of the band who’s all Dutch. 

2. If you were trapped on an island that just happened to have a solar powered CD player, but you could only have one CD to listen to, what would it be? Why?
Just one? Wow… Can it be an MP3 CD player? And can it be a CD filled with MP3 so I can squeeze more in it? J I don’t think I could ever choose for just one CD… But well, if you make me choose right now I’d go for my latest acquisition: Pablo Ziegler – “Tango and all that jazz”.

3. Same scenario as above, but what CD would you beg, “Anything but that!”?? Explain.
If you leave me on a deserted island with a reggaeton CD that would just be plain cruel…
4. Finish the simile. The sound of Stream of Passion is most like ______a hurricane_____________. Why?
Name a Weather Event
We aim to create music that sweeps you away, that strikes you with its intensity and emotions. I think a hurricane is a good description!

 
5. You’ve obviously pleased a lot of ears (mine included) with your outrageously cool sound, but given the powerful messages in your songs, have you heard back from fans about the impact your music has had on them? If so, do you have a favorite letter you could share a piece of?
I don’t have any specific examples, but I have had wonderful messages from people telling me just how much our music has touched them or inspired them. It’s the biggest reward you can get as a musician, to know that people can find themselves in your music.
6. In The Flame Within, it seemed you explored some very different shores from Embrace the Storm. Would you comment on that?
Embrace the Storm was an album that Arjen and I wrote back then without any specific ideas as to where the music should go. We started with some acoustic guitar ideas of his that I worked on and the songs evolved to be what they now are. For The Flame Within we had a way more specific idea of what we wanted, which was to make a more energetic, more live orientated album; we had the intention to write songs that would reflect the intensity of our live shows on how driven we are on stage.

 
7. With a voice like yours, you could have chosen just about any musical genre. Why progressive metal? It’s a genre that allows you to do a lot, and that’s why I like it. There’s the chance to do very delicate soft parts as well as louder passages, use classic technique, you name it.
8. The Art of Loss is an incredible opener. Can you give us some behind the scenes insight as to how Stream of Passion decided on that track as the first track?
We thought it really summed up what we wanted to say as a band with this new album; it has a lot of drive, some exotic feel to it, very melodic as well as heavy moments.

 
9. What’s next for Stream of Passion?
We have some more dates planned, and hopefully add a couple more cool gigs for the year. Besides this we’re already busy writing stuff for a new album.

10. Finally, just wishful thinking here, but if one of my books were to be made into a movie, would Stream of Passion consider doing a track for the movie? Never done anything like that, but it would be a nice challenge!

Again, huge thanks to Marcela Bovio for taking the time out of the very busy SoP schedule. Check out Stream of Passion's newest CD: The Flame Within!

Note: As always, with ANY media that you watch or listen to, please use discernment. 

Next up in the Musical Fuel series: Theocracy.  

 

Avatar: Forget the Hype. It's better than that.

Finally got a chance to see Avatar tonight. Took my two sons with me. And parents, use your own discernment before the Lord as to whether you want to see it or take kids to see it.  But all I can say is: WOW. Seriously, I was absolutely floored by the movie.

I've heard lots of reviews talk about the special effects as if they are worth the price of a ticket, while the story is weak. NONSENSE. The story was brilliantly executed, if not terribly original. It's not like the story of Star Wars was that original either. Hello, Arthurian Legend?

One critical point and then back to raving. Beware, SPOILERS ahead, but I'll try not to ruin the movie for anyone. Ok, so the one hokey thing is that the Na'vi (the blue alien race) have a kind of New Agey/Indian Spirit World kind of religion going on. There are a couple of strange scenes where they all lock arms and kind of sway in a sort of prayer to All Mother (kind of like mother earth). And there's a line or two about us killing our own world's mother. But that's it. Official Disclaimer: there's some seriously foul language from time to time--from the space marines, which makes sense, but nonetheless made me wince a few times.

Effects: This is the first movie I've ever scene where I actually could not tell where the reality began and ended. The CGI is that good. From beads of sweat on a forehead to strands of wheat on a cliffside, to an uncanny look of love in the eyes of Neytiri (female lead), it was all absolutely spectacular. It was all just right. Camera angles, color, action, detail, shadow, movement---just flawless. And the world that Mr. Cameron developed was nothing short of breathtaking. After the movie, my son said to me, "Dad, I want to go back there." I asked what  he meant. "Back into that world," he replied. And you know what? So did I. The coolest thing was that on the drive home, the shared awe of this fantasy world gave rise to a conversation of what Heaven will be like--that it will blow Avatar's world out of the water! We also got to talk about doing heroic things here on earth by serving the Lord. How's that for post movie chit chat? Praise God.

Story: Humans have depleted earth's resources and go looking for more elsewhere. We find it on an alien moon where the Na'vi live. There's a powerful ore beneath the Na'vi's main home and so greedy people want to take it. Sounds like a lot of things, right? Well, not so fast. See Avatar isn't just a cool sounding name. It's the key to it all. Kind of virtual reality taken to a level never before seen. And it leads to all sorts of internal conflicts and passionate themes. I was inspired to love my wife better, to love my family with protective ferocity. There's this one scene I will never forget where Neytiri protects her husband who is wounded, and warding off enemies. After several battles, she crouches over her beloved and turns to face the attacker----WOW!!!  I want someone to love me with that kind of ferocity. I want to love others with that kind of ferocity. Maybe God loves us with that kind of ferocity. He loved us enough to die for us.

What did 2009 Bring? Remember this?

Happy New Year! Do you remember this? Last year, I posted the challenge below. It's officially next year now. So I'm wondering how you all did? No resolutions really, just prayerful goals. I'll go first--that way you can all feel better if you blew it. ;-)

------Last year's post below:----------------------------------
 


Happy New Year! Whether you're a regular to EnterTheDoorWithin, a lurker, or a visitor, I hope the new year brings you all God's blessings.

Funny thing this year, when the ball dropped signaling the END of 2008, I actually felt a wave of relief wash over me. It was a tangible, visceral thing. When the last second of 2008 was gone and the promise of all things new in 2009 arrived, it felt pretty good.

Truth is, 2008 was a tough year for me. It was a tough year for a lot of people I love very much. Don't get me wrong. God has blessed me exceedingly. I'm alive. I have a lovely wife and four special children. We're all relatively healthy. I have dear friends, many of whom would run through a wall for me and I for them. I have two terrific jobs: I love to teach and I love to write. But still, it was a tough year. For Christians, however, we know that God is a redeemer, meaning that He can take any situation--even the worst--and bring good from it. I've already seen Him doing it in my own life and in the lives of friends and family.

All this to lead into an interesting activity my brother-in-law did at the New Year's party I attended. He gave everyone a slip of paper, told us to write our name on it, and then write down some goals and/or predictions for the coming year. The goal being that we'd seal all the papers from all the party attendees in an envelope and open it next year to see how things turned out.

That really got me thinking. A lot can happen in a year. So, I'd like to modify the activity for all you who visit here. Post a comment to this thread. Use your user name or real, whatever you will remember you used when you look back a year from now. In your comment, write any of three things:

1. Something difficult from 2008 that you pray God would redeem.
2. A prediction--something you think will happen over the coming year.
3. A goal; something you'd like to achieve.

You can write as many or as few as you'd like.

Then, next year, I will RE-POST the thread so we can all see how the year went. It's my hope that we will be able to Praise God for many things, and that maybe anyone who reads will think to pray for the others and their needs.

Mine will be the first comment. And again, I wish you the very best for 2009. Never alone.

Tribebuilding Contest…EXTENDED!

After a request from a number of readers and a discussion with Sir Christopher, we have decided to extend the Curse of the Spider King Tribe Building Contest! We have 5 very active tribes and one more about to go active. The new deadline for all Contest Activities is:

March 1st, 2010