Can You Spot the Indie?

Barnes and Noble, Sandy, Utah.

Like two little hobbits starting off on their first big adventure.

Hint: Second row, third and fourth from the left.

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Good news for Moon Realm fans! Baker & Taylor has picked up Gibbering Gnome Press as a vendor.

Which means . . . after I slay a thousand forms, hire TRON to break into B&N’s catalog system, kill the witch, and bring back the broom to Oz . . . after all that . . . The Moon Coin is headed for Barnes & Noble!

Here’s how it happened: back in the fall, Barnes and Noble sent me a letter saying they wanted to carry The Moon Coin in their brick and mortar bookstores. The problem is that B&N doesn’t acquire books from publishers and authors, they get them from distributors and wholesalers.

Well, this week I heard back from Baker & Taylor. I’VE GOT THE BROOM AND I’M HEADING BACK TO OZ! My book is going to be available to B&N, (among many other bookstores), and a 95% of all libraries!

I have no idea how long it’s going to take me to get back to Oz, though. A couple months maybe? There’s just never a roving band of blood-thirsty flying monkeys around when you need one. Have you ever noticed that? But when I do get back, and into the Barnes & Noble catalog, B&Ns everywhere will be able to stock the series!

I’ve already heard from one B&N children’s dept manager who says she already has a special display in mind. She also plans to put up posters! Yikes!

One B&N store down, 722 to go.

In other news, I’m back up on Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/116346566164783346454

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Typesetting THE MOON COIN: The Print Edition

These are some screen shots from CS Indesign 5.5.

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When I was working on the eBook version of The Moon Coin, I was very limited in what I could do. Since then, Amazon has introduced a new Kindle .Mobi format that promises a slew of new features, including embedded fonts. After I finish evaluating what that means for users of older kindles, I may adopt that new format later this year. Similarly, Apple has recently introduced iAuthor, a new proprietary software program to build their ebooks. It also promises a slew of new features.

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First up, a presentation shot.

Click HERE or the image directly above to enlarge.

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Here’s a detail shot of the graphic elements in the header.

Click HERE or the image directly above to enlarge.

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Here’s a detail shot of the graphic elements in the footer.

Click HERE or the image directly above to enlarge.

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The Howling Turtle Interview

Howling Turtle

Click HERE or the image directly above for the Interview.

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The Joys of Sick, or, Knowing When Your Book is Finished

I reached one of my favorite book-writing milestones today. I’m sick of my book! Don’t worry. It’s mostly temporary, I hope, and it happened at just the right time: seven years and about twenty-five editing passes in. (If I’d gotten sick of it earlier—trust me—I’d be seriously depressed.)

What did I do to celebrate, you ask? Well, yesterday, as the printer in my hallway was still warming down its jets (ink-low lights blinking furiously), I slid into the Post Office just ten minutes before closing time, slapped a delivery conformation sticker on my handmade cardboard box, and sent it roaring off to Carolyn Arcabascio, the illustrator extraordinaire for The Moon Realm Series.

Sure, The Dragondain still needs more work, but I’m looking forward to being truly ill? during the final read-through and polish. 😀 I’M SO HAPPY!

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Howling Turtle Reviews THE MOON COIN

Click HERE or the image directly above to read the review.

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ForeWord Reviews Reviews THE MOON COIN

“The Moon Coin is a beautifully written fantasy novel, perfect for middle graders to pore over themselves or as a bedtime story for younger kids. The descriptions of everything, from Uncle Ebb’s electronic fish-bird hybrids to the fanciful creatures Lily meets in the Moon Realm, are so rich that the action instantly comes alive for the reader.” —Molly Horan of ForeWord Reviews

Click HERE or on the image directly above to read review.

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Courtney’s Book Nook Reviews THE MOON COIN

Click HERE or the image directly above to read the review.

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Brazen Broads Book Bash Get Their Rave On

Brazen Broads Book Bash review The Moon Coin.

Click HERE or the image directly above to read the review.

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A Sampling of First Pages

Some first pages, featuring illustrations by Carolyn Arcabascio.

You might not want to read the chapter text below the illustrations too carefully. I don’t think you’ll find any huge spoilers, but you could pick up on some cool bits that you might not want to know beforehand. 🙂

Click HERE or on the image directly above to enlarge.

Click HERE or on the image directly above to enlarge.

Click HERE or the image directly above to enlarge.

Click HERE or the image directly above to enlarge.

Click HERE or the image directly above to enlarge.

Click HERE or the image directly above to enlarge.

For the curious, these are iPad 2 screen shots that I later stitched together with Pixelmator 2.0.1.

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❍

Preview: The Moon Coin.

Six chapters formatted for ePub, Mobi, or PDF.

Please share these files with your friends. Enjoy.

2012 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award winner for pre-teen fiction: Gold.

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Paperback and eBook now available:

Amazon and Second Looks Books.

❍

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Copyright © 2011 by Richard Due. All rights reserved.

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Gibbering Gnome Press, A Division of Ingenious Inventions Run Amok, Ink^®

The Moon Realm^®

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Say Hello to a Gibbering Gnome

Carolyn’s been busy. Now all I have to do is find a type font fit for a Gibbering Gnome.
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Gibbering Gnome Press,

A Division of Ingenious Inventions Run Amok, Ink^®

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Rambling Bookmarks Reviews THE MOON COIN

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Click HERE or the image directly above to read the review.

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Little Red Reads Revews The Moon Coin

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Click HERE or the image directly above to read the review.

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Carabosse’s Library Reviews The Moon Coin

Click HERE or the image directly above to read the review.

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Carolyn Arcabascio’s Behance Portfollio

Click HERE or the image below to see some

illustrations from Carolyn’s Behance portfollio:

She put some illustrations up from The Moon Coin, too. Click HERE to see them.

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June to December: 2,600 Visits Broken Down By Region and Country

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Fiction Books Reviews The Moon Coin

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Click HERE or the image directly above to read the review.

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Simple Clockwork Reviews The Moon Coin

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Click HERE or the image directly above to read the review.

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The Washington Post: Authors Leave Publishing Houses Out of the Plot

The Washington Post:

Authors Leave Publishing Houses Out of the Plot

by CARRIE LOVEJOY

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Click HERE or the image directly above to read the article.

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2012 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards: Gold Medal Winner

Six chapters formatted for ePub, Mobi, or PDF.

Please share these files with your friends. Enjoy.

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Paperback and eBook now available:

Amazon and Second Looks Books.

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Copyright © 2011 by Richard Due. All rights reserved. Gibbering Gnome Press,

A Division of Ingenious Inventions Run Amok, Ink^® The Moon Realm^®

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A Bookish Affair Reviews The Moon Coin

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Click HERE or the image directly above to read the review.

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