NOT a Black Friday Sale!!

The Reefs of Time by Jeffrey A. CarverBecause the whole Black Friday thing really bugs me. This is more of a “Have you listened yet and would you like to listen for really cheap?” Yes, another Chirpbooks sale has started (Cheep! Cheep!), and as a result you can get the audiobook of The Reefs of Time for some ridiculously low price, so low I don’t even want to remember what it is. The timing of it was completely up to the Chirpbooks people—just my luck of the draw that it’s right at Thanksgiving time. (In fact, the promotional email is going out on Thanksgiving Day, but the price has already been dropped.)

Most of the other Chaos books are discounted, too, because why not. These are all really good narrations. If you’re not into audiobooks yet, maybe it’s time to give them a try, what?

Or give them to somebody you love. Note, I did not say “gift” them to somebody you love. Because that would bug me even more than calling it a Black Friday sale.

*Footnote. I just checked the link and saw the display page for the book, and right there’s a nice quote that Greg Bear gave me for the book. Damn. That, I think, was the last time we communicated. Why did he have to go so young?

 

Autographed Books for the Holidays?

Chaos Chronicles setEveryone loves autographed books! Especially sets of books. I know just where to start: The Star Rigger Bookstore

…where you can buy complete, autographed sets of the entire Chaos Chronicles (to date) in evocative Starstream Publications trade paperback editions… or the first four books in first-edition Tor hardcovers. Or signed hardcover sets of The Reefs of Time and Crucible of Time. Or autographed copies of Eternity’s End, in the shiny new trade paperback, or the first-edition Tor hardcover. And much, much more. All (most?) at amazing, mark-down prices. (Truly amazing—that they are marked down, I mean.)

Don’t see what you want? Shoot me an email. There’s a good chance I’ve got it and just haven’t listed it yet.

In case you’re wondering, StarRiggerBooks is me, using Etsy as a platform. So you’ll get the same personal service, satisfaction almost guaranteed, by using the Etsy order form. Come to think of it, I wouldn’t know how to give impersonal service. I am my only underpaid employee. And I defy you to find a marketing algorithm anywhere in this store. Go ahead and look! Seriously. Look.

To all you USians traveling for Thanksgiving, travel safely and enjoy your holiday, I hope with family and treasured friends.

Reefs Price on the Reefs! Help Me Lighten Ship!

If you subscribe to Bookbub, you probably already got the wireless flash: the ebook price for The Reefs of Time has hit submerged rocks or something, because it’s low in the water, lower than it’s ever been or was ever designed to be. This is terrible! Help me offload these ebooks before it goes under. They’re big ebooks. And the price has dropped precipitously, to $.99!

Danger! Danger! Aaoogah! Aaoogah!

And no wonder they weigh so much: The Reefs of Time takes us to the heart of the galaxy, and a billion years into the past, to find the birthplace of the malicious Mindaru. The relativistic effects alone are… well, relativistic. Think of the mass increase! At $.99? It’s staggering.

Here are some other reasons you and your friends and your friends’ second cousins’ guy they know want to grab some copies: It is “rich, dignified prose wedded to excellent and imaginative storytelling on the grandest scale,” according to Charles E. Gannon, author of the Caine Riordan world. It is “stunning science fiction and character-driven narrative with a strong theme of ‘coming home,’” according to Aurealis Magazine. Do you need more reasons? No, you don’t.

You can help carry away copies from all major ebookstores, for an energy expenditure of just $.99! Hurry! Just click one of these:

Oh, and tell Vinnie’s cousin’s friend, if she reads this, she’ll kind of want to read the rest of the story in Crucible of Time.

Amazing and Aurealis Magazines Bestow Thumbs-Up!

Here’s some good news: Two small, but highly regarded, SF magazines have published glowing reviews of The Reefs of Time and Crucible of Time.

A little perspective might be in order. One of the hardest things about shifting from traditional publishing to indie is trying to get your books reviewed in traditional review circles—even from publications that have been reviewing you favorably for years. This goes for mainstream press as well as most SF publications. Well, finally some reviews for Reefs and Crucible have come in! Here are some choice bits…

From Amazing Stories:

“There are giant, and brilliant, concepts in these books… If you haven’t read it you’re in for a whale of a ride! I, personally, will have to pick up more of Jeffrey Carver—not just this series—because I’ve become a fan of his world/galaxy-spanning imagination! I highly recommend these books.” —Steve Fahnestalk, Amazing Stories Magazine

And from Australia’s Aurealis Magazine:

“Jeffrey A. Carver’s long-awaited return to The Chaos Chronicles underpins its stunning science fiction and character-driven narrative with a strong theme of ‘coming home’… As narratives intertwine at separate ends of the timescale, Carver’s talent for weaving incredible technology and worldbuilding with meaningful character moments is a standout.

“Each location and the alien race that lives there feels tangible and diverse, with a realism that supports the underpinning themes of being lost, searching for connection and juxtaposing expectations against reality.

“[A] compelling narrative that combines the best of science fiction’s flair with its unique capacity to dissect the human condition. Fans of Carver’s Chaos Chronicles won’t want to miss this latest installment, and new readers will find it an easily-accessible entry to a fascinating, well-told universe.” — Terence MacManus, Aurealis

And finally:

I learned this from a friend, who sent me a screenshot—Locus Magazine apparently listed Sunborn Number One for SF ebooks at Smashwords in December. Not sure what it’s based on—but I’ll take it.

Bookbub Sunborn Supernova Blast

Sunborn by Jeffrey A. CarverIn conjunction with the good folks at Bookbub, I am knocking 83% off the price of the Sunborn ebook, for a limited time only! If you’ve read the first three books in the Chaos Chronicles and want to keep going with the fourth book, this is your chance. (Or if the dog ate your ebook copy or you’ve lost it under a pile of unpaid bills and requests for political contributions, and you need a new copy.)

That’s $.99 for a book that Library Journal said “ensures [Carver’s] place among the most inventive of contemporary authors of hard sf and speculative theory. Filled with startling ideas and ingenious plot twists, this sf adventure (along with its series predecessors) belongs in most sf collections.” Library Journal said that, not me. Not that I would go out on a limb to disagree. But if you love cosmic adventures, sentient suns, cool aliens, and malevolent AIs, this is the book you’ve been waiting for. Already read it? Why not buy a copy for a friend? Better yet, wouldn’t the whole set make a great gift?

Sadly for Nook readers, you might or might not be able to get this deal in the Barnes & Noble Nook store. I have been trying to set the sale price there, but due to an unfortunate malicious hacking of their system earlier this month, some of their back-end systems are still not working properly. I will keep trying, but you might not get the discount there. (However, the book is DRM-free, so if you buy the epub edition in another store, you can still sideload it onto your Nook.)

Sunborn is also available in a handsome print edition and an audiobook narrated by multiple award-winner Stefan Rudnicki. Click here for all editions.

Why, You Double-Dealing Little . . .

Oh, sorry—talking to myself. Bad habit. But it seems I’ve talked my way into an actual Double Deal. Audiobook and ebook!

Audiobook cover art - Neptune CrossingThe audiobook of Neptune Crossing, narrated by Stefan Rudnicki (think God gargling boulders), is on sale right now in multiple outlets! It’s $4.99 at Chirp, Downpour, Apple ($3.99 at Apple), Google, and Kobo—limited time only! It’s a great recording, and I doubt you’ll ever see it again for a price this low. Do you want to miss this? Of course not.

For you ebook readers, my omnibus volume The Chaos Chronicles: Books 1-3 will be going for the slasher price of $1.99! This is an international Bookbub special, and the email announcement will go out on Saturday. But keep an eye on those prices, because the way the logistics works is, you have to drop the prices a few days early. So you never know.

Summer reading, folks! These prices are good through the end of Worldcon.

Neptune Crossing Completes the Set!

Neptune Crossing - paperback

With this brand-new print edition of Neptune Crossing, the complete set of The Chaos Chronicles (to date) is available in matched format and design. The previous edition was in a 6×9 inch trim size, while for the rest of the series, I chose 5.5×8.5 inch trim. I chose the smaller size because it feels better to hold in the hand (according to my crack test team), is easier to slip into a bag or backpack, and (I felt) looks a little more professional.

Choosing a trim size is a trade-off, because the cost of printing is based on the number of pages, not on the size of the pages. So a smaller trim size means more pages, and therefore higher cost to print, and naturally, higher sticker price. But the difference was only a dollar or two per book, and I decided it was worth it.

But that’s not the only change. The interior is completely reset, using a font called Merriweather for the main text, which I first used with The Reefs of Time. I find it attractive and readable, and also fairly compact, which helps to minimize the page count in my long tales.

On top of that, my crack cover designer, Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff, redid the titles and byline with a beveled look suggestive of embossed designs, used by most publishers on books they really want to sell. And I’ll admit it! I really want the books to sell! (But you knew that, right?)

Anyway, I’m pleased, and I hope you are, too. I’ve been noodling over the question of how I might sell autographed complete sets online, which I would like to do. (Without the administrative headache of sales tax across different states, etc.) Anyone out there have a good idea?

Neptune Crossing in paperback: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

 

Sunborn Blazes into the Audiobookosphere!

I told you recently about a new print edition for Sunborn. Now I’ve got an audiobook you just have to have! This fourth volume of The Chaos Chronicles is billowing into the stores, with narration by the incomparable Stefan Rudnicki.

Right now you can get it here:

Apple | Nook | GooglePlay | Kobo | Scribd | eStories

It’ll be in lots more stores soon, including Audible and Amazon. Also Overdrive, so you’ll be able to ask your public library to order it. (Not yet. But they can order the first three books.)

For completists, here’s a list of all my books currently in audio format.

Sunborn audiobook cover

Listen to SAMPLE

 

SUNBORN Scorches New Print Edition!

Sunborn, the fourth book in The Chaos Chronicles, has blazed forth in a new treebook edition, a solid trade paperback designed to go nicely with Reefs and Crucible and all the others! The complete set will look great on any shelf! It’s available right now from Ingram, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon, which means you can ask your local bookstore (or library) to order it, or you can buy it online. (As of this moment, it’s discounted at B&N. I don’t know why, or how long it will last.)

Sunborn by Jeffrey A. Carver

With this, all the published books in The Chaos Chronicles are available in print as well as ebook. (Still planned: a reformatting of Neptune Crossing, which is in a larger trim size than the others. It was the first one I put back into print, at 6×9 inches, and I later decided to go with the 5.5×8.5 inch size for the new books.)

Coming soon: an all-new audiobook of Sunborn! It’s already recorded and uploaded. It might take a couple of weeks to become available. Don’t change that dial!

Stars are dying. Bandicut and his friends must learn what threatens the Starmaker Nebula—and confront a billion-year-old adversary of life as they know it

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