I’ve got some exciting news. For two consecutive days this week, “The Truth Beyond the Sky” will be completely FREE on the Amazon Kindle store for a very limited time.

Those of you who subscribe to the Aravinda Loop already know about the single free day I did as an experiment about two weeks ago on February 21st. And guess what? Nearly 300 books were downloaded that day! It was incredible, and I’m excited to be doing it again.

If you’ve been on the fence about buying the book, now is the time to grab it. So be sure to check out it’s Amazon page on Wednesday & Thursday (March 6th-7th). Remember, it will only be free on those 2 days. Subscribers to the Aravinda Loop newsletter (on the right) will also receive a reminder about these free days, as well as advanced notice for future free days.

And while you’re at it, why not click the “Give as a Gift” button on far right side of the Amazon page and send it to any of your friends who also like Science Fiction? After all, it won’t cost you a thing during the free days. Update: I’ve just discovered that once the book goes free, the “Gift” button disappears. Amazon currently doesn’t allow this. How silly… however, now that the free day is over, you’re more than welcome to gift it to your friends.

Anyway, thanks again for supporting an independent author! I couldn’t do this without you.

Grab “The Truth Beyond the Sky” for free —>

I am extremely grateful to announce that my free short story “The Secret Beneath the Ice” has now been downloaded over 2,000 times on the Amazon Kindle store. Two THOUSAND times! To have reached 2,000 of you is a humbling and incredible thought, and I want to thank everyone who took time to leave a review, as well as Amazon for making it possible to reach so many of you in such a short time. In the last few weeks, I was shocked to see that it went to the top 10 list of SF short stories.

What I love about “The Secret Beneath the Ice” is that I was able to make it free to give you a risk-free way to glimpse the breathtaking worlds of Aravinda. And if you like what you read, the short story is the perfect jumping-off point into the full-length novel “The Truth Beyond the Sky”, the first book in the Epic of Aravinda series.

If you haven’t grabbed the free short story yet, what are you waiting for? It continues to average 5 stars on Amazon, and you don’t even need a Kindle to enjoy it. iPhones, iPads, Windows, Mac, and even Androids have free Kindle apps that will let you easily read it.

Thanks again to all who have left reviews or supported me in other ways. Without you, none of this would have ever happened, and I feel so lucky as an author to have such kind fans so early on.

You are true spacefarers, my friends!

Get the short story —>

Shout it from the rooftops! It is SO out, in fact, that I went ahead and wrote all about it over at my older and more popular Byteful Travel site. It’s also been getting some great 5 star reviews, and in the article I highlight one that totally floored me.

Just… WOW:
Read more…

The idea of writing a short story about the events before the novel had been rolling around in my head for weeks, and now that it’s out (and getting 5 star reviews on Amazon), I feel really good that I’m giving people a very personal look at the crash through Oonak’s eyes.

So go ahead and download the free version over at “The Secret Beneath the Ice” on Smashwords.

Hacking through the Amazon

I wanted to list it for free on Amazon too, but Amazon won’t let me do that until it’s available for free on another major bookseller like BN.com. Then, Amazon will price match them, so don’t worry. You’ll be able to grab it for free on Amazon soon. Until then, there is a Kindle version available on Smashwords (as well as all other formats, including EPUB & PDF).

If you enjoy this short story, I’d really appreciate it if you’d leave a review on Smashwords or Amazon. Despite what you may have heard, you do not have to buy it on Amazon to leave a review. And I’d be forever grateful if you could do that since a heck of a lot more people go on Amazon, and positive reviews help spur its growth dramatically. By doing this, you not only help me, but also help support independent publishing overall.

The Truth Beyond the Sky launches 12/12/12

On the novel front, I’ve just finished implementing the final pass of edits from my editors, so this is a very exciting time! Now I’m in the midst of making the final touches in the Kindle version’s layout. It’s amazing how many authors’ ebooks have sub-par layout, and I’ve been pleased how my graphic design background has been invaluable in this process. I know it’s a skill set that most authors don’t have, so I’m thankful that it allows me to layout the book in a way that is both professional and friendly, not to mention create a kick-ass book cover.

Long story short?

We’re on track for a 12/12/12 release to the Kindle store. Anyway, I’ll shut up so you can start reading the free prequel.

Download it for Free on Smashwords →

And if you’ve enjoyed it, consider leaving a review on Amazon, retweeting about it, or Liking the page, since it really does help. Thank you all so much for your continued support!

1: The Synopsis page complete!

The About the Novel page is up, featuring a description of the book, some photos, and the release date. If the description intrigues you at all, feel free to retweet or like that page (or this article!). As an indie-author, I really appreciate use your support! It helps more than you know.

2: Free Blogger Review Copies

If you’re a blogger or other professional who wants to write a review of “The Truth Beyond the Sky”, I am offering free review copies of the book in PDF or ebook form.

The catch?

You have to have a website, blog, newsletter, or some other publication where you can post your own review of the book, of course. You also have to agree to publish your review before January 31st, 2013, in a place where other people can see it. Your review must also link to the book’s Amazon page (Amazon affiliate links are fine).

If this interests you, feel free to contact me.

3: The VERY SPECIAL EXCERPT is hatched

And, most exciting of all, for the first time I have made available a SPECIAL EXCERPT of the book. Last week, you all got to see the outside of the book for the first time. But now, you can finally delve into the story.

The excerpt is presented as a gorgeous high-quality PDF and contains the first two chapters of my upcoming novel “The Truth Beyond the Sky.”

And there’s only one way to get it.

All you need to do is to sign up for email updates, and you will automatically receive the very secret download link to the very special excerpt. (The signup form is below, and you can unsubscribe at any time, of course.)

Once you start reading it, I’ve been told that it’s difficult to stop. And when you finish it, feel free to let me know what you thought by replying to the newsletter or leaving a comment below. Thanks!

It is manifest.

It is 8.5×5.5×0.75 inches. It is a purposeful shade of blue that seems to magically change depending on the surrounding environment.

And it is quite lovely.

As you may have already gathered from reading this site, this represents one of the final stages in what has been a multiyear journey. To be frank, finally holding an actual book, as possibly antiquated as books may be these days, was a relief. I didn’t think it would be a relief, but that’s the closest I can come describe it.

I considered showing you some of the interior of the book, but decided not to.

After all, why shatter the anticipation so soon?

I’m in the final revision process now, and sample chapters are coming up for your reading enjoyment. We are on track for a December 2012 release, so stay tuned.

And on Thursday, it arrived.

Obviously, it was amazing to finally hold my own novel in my hands. Yet that excitement was muted a bit when I realized that CreateSpace had gotten the top margins a bit wrong, had flip-flopped two numbers on the ISBN, and had some ink bleed problems on the first page.

However, after talking to them yesterday and taking some pictures of the issues, it sounds like they’re going to give me a free replacement. When that replacement arrives, I’ll be sure to photograph it for you all. (And thankfully, they did to a stellar job with the cover. The blues are replicated very well, and it looks much better than the previous design shown in the previous post. Since then I’ve rendered the galaxy as a 3D element, consisting of roughly 8 million polygons.)

Also coming up soon is a free novel preview. Things are really coming together now, so subscribe and stay tuned!

Lately, I’ve been immersed in creating the cover for my upcoming SF adventure novel “The Truth Beyond the Sky”. And I’ve really been enjoying the process, despite the fact that this project has completely confiscated my life as only graphics work can.

First, a common-sense disclaimer: I have been developing my skill as a graphic designer for over ten years, so don’t expect your result to look like mine. And if you’re a newbie to design, you’d be better off using CreateSpace’s Cover Creator.

If that didn’t scare you off, then you’re ready to proceed. (And for Avani’s sake, please do NOT use MS Paint.)

How to Use CS’s Cover Template in Photoshop

1. Finish writing your book (Seriously, that’s the more important bit. And plus, how long it is will determine how wide the book spine is!)
2. Layout your book in Apple Pages or MS Word. (I recommend you use one of CreateSpace’s “interior” templates to make sure that the margins and sizes of the pages of your book are correct.)
3. After laying out your book, you’ll learn a Very Important Number. Namely, the number of pages in your entire book.
4. Go to CreateSpace’s Template generator and enter:
   • The “Interior Type” — which will be B&W for most books, unless you want full color pictures inside of your book.
   • Trim size — which is the actual size of the book. Vast majority of fiction books are 6×9″ or 5.5×8.5″. (The Truth Beyond the Sky is 5.5×8.5″.)
   • Number of pages — which you know now! (TBTS is around 300 pages.)
   • Paper Color — which tends to be “cream” for fiction and “white” for nonfiction.
5. Hit “Build Template”! — This will generate a template for your book, taking into account trim size, bleed, and the number of pages for the spine width. More pages = Thicker Spine.
6. Download the resulting file. After you unzip it, you will get folder containing a PDF and a PNG versions of your template.
7. Open the PNG version in Photoshop (or similar program). You will notice that it’s pretty huge. Probably around 5700×3900 pixels. This is because printed work should be at a resolution of at least 300 pixels per inch.
8. Create a new layer, use the paint bucket to fill it with white, and then set the opacity to 90%. (This way you can still see the guidelines faintly, but when you’re done, you can easily block the guidelines out for the final printout.)
9. Play around. Seriously, play! Experiment with different typefaces and sizes. Experiment with stock photos from http://sxc.hu/ (just be sure to follow the image license). Above all, give yourself at least 10 hours total of brainstorming and polishing before you even begin to feel good about the result. A good cover takes time. You may want to get feedback from people whose taste you respect. (Also be sure that your cover fills or exceeds the bleed area. Read the instructions on the template. It’s so important, I’ll say it again: Read the instructions on the template.
10. After you’ve achieved a result that you’re happy with, choose “Save as” in the menus, and choose “Photoshop PDF” (or just PDF) as the format.
11. Upload the resulting PDF to CreateSpace!

Note: Keep in mind that this template will only work when submitting a book to CreateSpace. For other book printers, you’ll need to see what they offer.

Progress on The Truth Beyond the Sky book cover

At the very least, I hope that the tutorial above points you in the right direction. If you’re totally lost, I may be able to offer some help on twitter… if you ask nicely.

The proof is in the pudding with these types of things though, so I’ve put my own progress with the book cover below. Perhaps it will be helpful. You’ll also notice that I’ve extended the guidelines in the last image in order to help me cut and fold test prints. This is not strictly necessary, but since I’m printing out test copies at home before I even order a proof from CreateSpace, I’ve found them especially helpful.

Coming together quite well, I’d say.

I dreamt that I was finally holding it in my hands, feeling its smooth, cream-colored paper between my fingers. I think it even smelled good!

Of course, this is no surprise to me, really, since I spent a good part of yesterday learning the finer points of book layout in Apple’s Pages program. Program? Why did I just call it a program? Am I stuck in the 1980s? “Application”, sorry. Or is that even outdated now? Should I be calling it an “app”? App, this. App, that. I hear that word so often that I’m started to feel a little “app’d-out”. So let’s call it an application. Where was I?

Book layout! It’s turning out to be a lot easier to layout the book than I first imagined. Modern *ahem* “applications” do a great job of automatically formating page headers and footers (complete with the chapter name on the left-hand page’s header). Figuring out the margins was easy once I found the right panel for margins (hint: it’s the document inspector in Pages). Thankfully Createspace (my book printer) provides a really useful template that, while it’s in MS Word format, opens up fine in Pages, so I was able to base my book document off of that.

Everything went smoothly. Everything except the page numbers, that is. Believe it or not, getting the page numbers to automatically generate from chapter to chapter was the biggest stumbling block I encountered… until I learned what the heck a “section” was in Pages.

Turns out, you insert a new section and check a box in the Layout Inspector under the “Section” tab that says “Use previous headers & footers” in order to get page numbers working correctly. And since the first page of the chapter isn’t supposed to have a page number (Per tradition. Check any book you own—it’s true!), you also have to check a box that says, and I’m not making this up, “Make the first page different.” Sheesh… Anyway, it’s all working beautifully now.

A Goal Stated Publicly

I’d like to take this opportunity to state a goal publicly. I’d like to have a “proof” copy of the book (basically a test run), by September, months before my public release. This means completed cover and all that jazz. To do that, I need to complete the following tasks:

1. Compile feedback from close friends and rank them by priority
2. Implement the feedback that feels right and agrees with my logic
3. Complete book cover
4. Order 1st proof copy
5. Read through proof & markup any mistakes
6. Submit revised manuscript to SF blogs for review
7. Meanwhile, lend proof out to smart people for error spotting & cover feedback
8. Get positive reviews back from blogs & quote them in appropriate places
9. Make a final pacing, grammar, and spellcheck pass
10. Export and upload Kindle & PDF formats to Createspace

I don’t know how long it will take for book review sites to get back to me, so I may let that slide. In either case, I’ve got a lot of finalizing work ahead of me; but I’ve gotta say, after seeing the first few chapters with page numbers and properly formatted chapter headings, I’m getting pretty excited. I’ve studied a lot of SF and Fantasy books that I own, and it hasn’t been too difficult to “take a page from their stylebook” and bring that level of professionalism to my own layout. (It also helps that I used page layout applications extensively when I was in college.)

I had been exporting the book as an 8.5×11” PDF to share with friends, but now… Now, with the page size set at 8.5×5.5”, the margins properly set, proper indentation, the fancy ligatures, and the page headers, something finally hit me.

This looks exactly like a “real” book.
And this is MY book.

Wow.

I didn’t go into it blind, though. I’d spent the previous 17 months cracking the plot through using an outline. Seventeen months! It was off and on, but still. And out of everything I did to complete the novel, that was probably the single smartest decision I made. By figuring out the plot arc ahead of time, I saved myself the inevitable trap that new authors fall into: running out of material after writing a couple chapters. Instead, I began my first draft with confidence and even excitement.

I was about to create not just one world, but an entire galaxy filled with grand adventure, bizarre and beautiful creatures, and ageless mystery. To be honest, I’d never written anything longer than a short story before, but something within me knew: I had to do it. There was simply no choice. Or rather, there was a choice (and always is), but I knew that, much like Zahn keeping his secret, I would feel miserable until I acted. Where this feeling came from, I have no idea, but I cannot express my gratitude for it enough.

For without that inner positive pressure, “The Truth Beyond the Sky” would not exist. Thankfully though, it does, and in the following months I’m going to share with you some of my journey in writing this sprawling, galactic adventure. Perhaps I’ll even share a free chapter or two. Exactly how this will manifest I cannot be sure. This is only the second site I’ve ever committed to maintaining, and I know from creating Byteful Travel that I can never quite predict where things will go.

But maybe that’s the point. Maybe the common thread in all grand adventure is a level of healthy uncertainty. After all, what’s the point of setting out if you know exactly how it’s going to end? I certainly don’t, but I hope you’ll do me the honor of coming along with me in the coming months and years. Atrus was right, you know. The Ending has not yet been written, no matter where you are in this vast galaxy, and I am so thankful for that.