Listen to this…

So with 2009 underway, I’m ready to talk a little about some of the things I’ve got planned for the year. Those of you who have been reading my stuff for some time know about the two books I’ve seen make it to print. The earlier of the two, Other People’s Heroes, is now out-of-print (by my request, I should point out), which is a situation I hope to remedy in the coming year. No, I’m not ready to make any sort of announcement concerning that, but keep your fingers crossed.

Something else you may be aware of is my podcast novel, A Long November, which I linked you guys to again at the beginning of the Christmas party. I must say, the podcast didn’t do half-bad during the holidays, and I’ve got to thank everyone who downloaded it (and especially everyone who tossed some money in the Podiobooks.com virtual tip jar). I enjoyed writing, recording, and producing ALN last year, and in the year since then I’ve learned a lot about audio production. Not as much as someone who makes a living at such a thing, mind you, but enough to make my next podcast novel a better listening experience in terms of the audio quality. It will sound better, I promise.

I’ve also really gotten into the whole New Media scene in the last year. I’m fascinated by podcast novels, online content, and the potential for both as both a creative medium and as an economic engine. After listening to the likes of J.C. Hutchins and Mur Lafferty and their respective success stories, I want to try something in that arena the next time I get something major in the works.

So what I’m getting at, friends, is this: sometime in the coming year, if OPH finds its way to a new home (or maybe even if it doesn’t), I’m considering doing an audio version of the book to distribute for free. I’ve already spent a lot of time lately working on revisions to the book — not ginormous, George Lucas-degree changes, mind you. I’ve changed some dated references, fixed a few editing problems that have always bugged me, and added just a bit to the end to strengthen the main villain and solidify the direction of the OPH-Universe for the future. This would not be the first time someone has released a print and podcast version of a novel simultaneously, mind you, but it would certainly be a first for me. The Old Media doesn’t think that people will pay for a book they can download an audio file of for free, but I think the Old Media is wrong, and folks like Mur and Scott Sigler have proven that. (And I suspect that J.C. is going to blow that prevailing wisdom straight to hell later this year when the first volume in his 7th Son trilogy sees print for the first time after being one of the most successful podcast novels ever).

The podcast of OPH would not be something that would come out tomorrow. Best case scenario, second half of the year — late summer, early fall. But it’s something I need to start thinking about now. So that in mind, I’ve got a few questions for you guys, and I ‘d really appreciate it if anyone who’s actually interested enough in my stuff to have read this far to take a couple of minutes in the comment section to answer them. This is info that will really help me out.

• Do you often listen to audiobooks of any kind (books on tape, CD, or MP3)?
• Have you ever downloaded/listened to a podcast novel?
• I mean one besides A Long November.
• Which ones have you listened to?
• If you liked the audio version, would you be inclined to spend money (whatever you consider a reasonable amount) for a print edition of the book?
• Did you read the first edition of Other People’s Heroes?
• Would you be interested in a (free) audio version of the second edition of Other People’s Heroes?
• Would you be interested in a print version of the second edition of Other People’s Heroes?
• Would you want both?

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to answer these questions. It really is important to me, guys. I’ve got a lot to think about.

(Incidentally, the images you see here are the designs for two of the most important characters in the book, Copycat and Lionheart. As anyone who knows me will attest, I cannot draw. If I was playing a game of Pictionary with my life at stake, you can just start measuring me for the box. These two images were crafted with a cool program called Hero Machine, which is a great way to get a basic superhero design realized — if for no other reason than to show people what you had in mind. Don’t judge the art itself, I know I suck. But I think the uniforms are kinda cool.)