John Royce – Page 4 – THE LEGEND OF THE GREAT HORSE trilogy

Into the Dark: Special Author’s Edition (PDF)

Thank you for your interest in The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy!

Readers’ Update 10/25/16:
This offer was my answer to reader requests for an ebook version of the series’ conclusion. I created a ‘home-made’ ebook for interested readers, since the scale of piracy of the first two book ebook versions eliminated both the resources and logical sense of preparing a separate retail edition.

Now the prior retail ebook versions of the first books have stopped working optimally. As this was caused by blind and continuing technological changes without consideration for earlier ebooks, I have lost hope in this format and it is time to pull the plug on this version as well.

If the ebook field rationalizes it is my hope to offer all the books in electronic form once again.

The original post:

As the author, I’ve decided not to sell an “ebook” version of Into the Dark (#3).

Instead I am offering the complete book in PDF form for readers of the first two book … no electronic versions of this title will be made available for sale at this time.

The password is the name of Meagan’s foal …

This work is copyrighted: this special PDF version is provided solely for existing readers who wish to enjoy the whole trilogy electronically. This special PDF version may not be sold or otherwise commercially distributed.

Saying Neigh

The Great Horse: Promise. Illustration by Marti Adrian. (c) Micron Press. The summer solstice is an important day in the Great Horse trilogy. Promise was born that day of our new millennium. The first book was published on that date. Today I’m declaring independence from the tyranny of the free market, as did ancestors I’m actually proud of.

A Grievous State of Affairs

Authors are suddenly required to ‘market their own books’ (because corporate consolidation that’s why), but of course this can’t actually be done effectively as the AUTHOR OF THE BOOK HELLO so it remains to make of this the mockery it is … beginning with the ebook banana boat ride.

There is no clearer example of the manic bubblemind of “free” markets than the clusternutted fiasco that has been made of the simple task of putting text into electronic media. Expect nothing there. The plain fact is, it’s a pirate’s dream. I mean, yes, the free market is, of course, a pirate’s dream … but this is even CALLED piracy.

I can’t throw my book away to mammon unleashed.

I haven’t published an ebook for Into the Dark (Book 3). It’s the corporate-extortion aspect (ebook sales aren’t audited: publishing is now a post-regulatory marketplace … the market will discipline themblublubbbl). The first two ebooks devoured my own “market” and it’s hard to spend money to lose the rest of it.

My dilemma is that some readers want Book 3 in ebook form, having started with the other two trilogy ebooks.

Then I realized a solution:

Readers can read the ebook of Book III- Into the Dark for free! It just can’t be bought.

Beginning on July 4th, I will offer a free pdf of the entire book III as a gift to anyone who’s read any of the trilogy books. I will set up page for easy ordering.

I am pleased to do this … if you’d like to offer compensation, just leave a short review/comment online somewhere–that would be SO COOL because I haven’t done much to get Book #3 reviews and I need ’em.

Anyway, that’s my Solstice marketing announcement … I hope you liked it! Happy trails!

Solstice Announcement

I plan to make an announcement about The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy during the upcoming Summer Solstice on June 21, 2015. It is a declaration of sorts, a surprise.

Into the Dark (bookcover) I began ‘marketing’ the full trilogy a few weeks ago. This may not be obvious since I haven’t actually done anything … but the summer solstice, first official day of summer, has been an important date for the trilogy.

In the book, the summer solstice was the day the Great Horse of the trilogy, Promise, was born … it was also the date the first book was published, and the last one too. It seems to be the right time.

Swimming against the tide …

I have the idea that going along quietly might not be the point of writing …

One of the fruits our society’s exertions for the market* is the forcing of authors to ‘market their own work.’ This somehow exists as a legitimate reality at this time.

New writing is an imposition–it must be judged by others. It is an honor to be read, not a marketing coup. Work pushed by its author has little credibility.

This is reflected by the fact all public reader sites work very hard to prevent authors from, you know, that. Legitimatizing marketing was the whole original and founding purpose of the traditional (now consolidated) publishing industry.

So why … ?

Corporate consolidation allowed control to replace curation

Mostly, so far, authors have mostly gone quietly or at least without notice. My cowardly hope has been to outwait the mammon tide back to the shores of common sense … but my books will vanish beneath the waves before then. I have to do this thing that cannot be done. Now.

To market we all go

It feels harshly. It is a conscience issue, and seems wrong. However if I am not sure how to proceed with selling (‘marketing’), what I think what can be done is to explain the story, share objective reviews and ask for help from readers.

And also I can remember the purpose of the Legend of the Great Horse trilogy is to share a story of horses and people in history. When a reader connects, none of the above struggle matters.