Friday, October 21, 2016

That's not how publishing works

Through Nomadic Delirium Press, I recently kicked off a project called, The Divided States of America, and I've received a couple of messages from authors telling me that the way I have the project set up isn't how publishing works.
The basic premise is that the US has fallen into several nation-states, and I've created basic backgrounds for each of these nation-states for authors to use as guidelines.  This, however, isn't what they have the problem with.  We're not publishing these stories in an anthology (yet)...we're publishing each story as an e-book, and splitting the profits with the author.  This, apparently, is not how publishing works.  As a publisher, these authors are trying to say that we should publish everything as an anthology.  This is how it's always been done.
Well, this is the small press, and I'm a small press publisher, and we don't always stick to the "rules."  In fact, many of us, especially me, like to break the rules.  And it's my feeling that if I want to experiment with a shared universe that publishes individual e-stories, then I'm going to publish that way.  If an author doesn't like this model, they don't have to submit, but the publishing world is changing dramatically, and those of us in the small press want to be at the forefront of that change, and most of us will just continue to do things the way we want...

Sunday, October 16, 2016

The Divided States of America

From the Nomadic Delirium Press blog:
We're now reading for a new project called "The Divided States of America."
You can read the complete guidelines at http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/dividedstatesguidelines.htm
No one can say with any reasonable certainty when the United States of America began to fall apart.  Many point to the presidential election of 2016, but most believe the breakup started long before this.  Now, in the year 2110, the former United States is made up of 13 nation-states and The Wastelands.  Some of the nation-states have prospered under self-rule, while others have declined.  Some nation-states are very accepting of outsiders, while others trust no one…sometimes not even their fellow citizens.  There is chaos in some places, and order in others…sometimes too much order.
The first state to break away from the USA was, not unexpectedly, Texas, and from there, things continued to spiral out of control as the national government tried to hold on to control that the state governments wanted back, and eventually, the federal government was no longer able to control the states, and the break-up came about.
Some of the nation-states kept the name “America” in their new names.  Some did this as a tribute to where they had come from, while others did it to remind their citizens of what they were breaking away from.  Others adopted new names, or took on names that were given to them.
Borders in some areas are heavily patrolled, even walled in places, while other borders have no protection at all…mostly it depends on the views of the new government and its citizens, even though sometimes those two groups still don’t agree.  Let’s face it, greed and independence are bred into the human race, and even allying with others that have similar viewpoints does not necessarily mean that they will always get along.

Saturday, October 01, 2016

September recap

2016 has been one catastrophe, fiasco, and disaster after another, and September was no different.  As a result, I haven't been able to get as much done as I've needed, and this has included blogging...which has really been suffering this year.  October isn't looking very good so far, but I will try to blog more.
For now, here's what I was talking about in September...
The Martian Wave 2016 is here
Labor Day weekend sale
Glitch fixed
Today is the last day of my Labor Day sale
A review of the June 2016 issue of The Fifth Di...
The Fifth Di... subscription drive

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

The Fifth Di... subscription drive

Borrowed from the Nomadic Delirium Press blog:
Since we added the print format of the magazine, we've seen our submissions triple, which means that we're having to turn down some good stories...stories that deserve to be printed, and not just printed, but printed in our magazine.  Also, in order to add the print format, we had to stop printing poetry.  We're not happy about either of these.  We'd like to publish more stories, and we'd also like to start publishing poetry again, but to do this, we need money, so we're starting a subscription drive.  Help us out by subscribing to the print or e-book version of the zine.
Here are our goals, and the rewards you the readers (and the writers) will receive:
20 subs: We will begin publishing poetry again in 2017
35 subs: We will begin publishing poetry again and we will add an extra story to each issue, starting in 2017
50 subs: All of the above, plus we will double our pay rates in 2017
100 subs: We will do all of the above, plus we will begin publishing every other month
To subscribe to the e-book version: http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/blog/product/fifth-di-the-one-year-sub/
If you're in the US and you want to subscribe to the print version: http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/blog/product/the-fifth-di-one-year-print-sub-us-orders-only/
If you're outside of the US and you want to subscribe to the print version: http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/blog/product/the-fifth-di-one-year-print-sub-international-orders-only/
This subscription drive lasts until Halloween, so order soon!

Monday, September 12, 2016

A review of the June 2016 issue of The Fifth Di...

Taken from the Nomadic Delirium Press blog:
A review of the June 2016 issue of The Fifth Di... has been posted at http://sfcrowsnest.org.uk/the-fifth-dimension-june-2016-edited-by-j-allen-irwin-e-mag-review/
There's a misspelling of the editor's name, but we've heard that that will be fixed.  Reviews for the small press can be hard to get, and this one is appreciated...especially since the author liked the zine!!!

Monday, September 05, 2016

Today is the last day of my Labor Day Sale

Today is your last chance to take advantage of my Labor Day sale.  You can get 50% off of any of my e-books (the ones I've written and the ones I've edited) through my website.  It doesn't matter how many titles you order, they're all 50% off.  Simply go to http://www.jalanerwine.com/blog/shop and use the coupon code "labor" at checkout...but hurry, your time's almost up.

Saturday, September 03, 2016

Glitch fixed

Apparently there's been a glitch on my website that has been preventing people (especially people on cellphones) from buying products from my store.  I've fixed the glitch now, so you can order any of my e-books by going to http://www.jalanerwine.com/blog/shop.  And remember, if you're ordering before Monday night, use the coupon code "labor" at checkout and get 50% off your entire order.

Thursday, September 01, 2016

Labor Day weekend sale

Labor Day weekend, get 50% off any of the e-book titles available through my website. It doesn't matter whether you order one, a dozen, or all of them...no matter how many you get, they're all 50% off.
Hurry! The sale ends Monday night!

The Martian Wave 2016 is here

Taken from the Nomadic Delirium Press blog:
The 2016 issue of The Martian Wave is now here as both an e-book and a print magazine.  Order your copy today by going to http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/tmw.htm
The Martian Wave: 2016 brings you stories and poems that look at humanity’s exploration and colonization of space, with a special emphasis on our solar system.
You’ll find fiction from E. M. Eastick, Samuel Van Pelt, Lars H. Hoffmann, Francis W. Alexander, Robert N. Stephenson, Guy Stewart, GC Rosenquist, and Benjamin Cooper. You’ll also find poetry from David C. Kopaska-Merkel, Christina Sng, Shelly Bryant, Lisa Timpf, and M. C. Childs.
Some of what you read will leave you optimistic about our futures, while other stories and poems may leave you doubting our future, but no matter what, The Martian Wave: 2016 will leave you convinced that our future lies beyond the Earth.

August Recap

The Martian Wave: 2016 pre-sale has begun
I'm still around
Get the September issue of The Fifth Di... early
Would you like to read the new issue of The Martian Wave early?
Damn insurance companies
New zines available on my site
The September 2016 issue of The Fifth Di... is here


Wednesday, August 31, 2016

The September 2016 issue of The Fifth Di... is here

Taken from the Nomadic Delirium Press blog:
The September 2016 issue of The Fifth Di.. is now available at http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/fifth.htm.  It is also available anywhere else that print and e-books are sold.
What's in this issue?
The September 2016 issue of The Fifth Di… features fiction from Robert N. Stephenson, G. O. Clark, Rik Hunik, and Rick Novy.
A woman trapped on a conquered planet spends her days harvesting human blood for her alien conquerors, plotting her escape and eventual revenge. An astronaut goes back in time, and hopes to leave his mark on the future. An acid induced parlor trick leads to the creation of living origami goats that eat paper and become a menace…but not as big of a menace as the predator that’s created to take care of the goats. And finally, a man becomes a butler for an eccentric rich man, but he has no idea just how eccentric the man really is, and then he must figure out how to stop him.
You can also read samples from this issue at http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/tfdsample.htm

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

New zines available on my site

You can order the e-book versions of the new issues of The Martian Wave and The Fifth Di... directly from my website at http://www.jalanerwine.com/blog/shop.
The Martian Wave: 2016 brings you stories and poems that look at humanity’s exploration and colonization of space, with a special emphasis on our solar system.
You’ll find fiction from E. M. Eastick, Samuel Van Pelt, Lars H. Hoffmann, Francis W. Alexander, Robert N. Stephenson, Guy Stewart, GC Rosenquist, and Benjamin Cooper. You’ll also find poetry from David C. Kopaska-Merkel, Christina Sng, Shelly Bryant, Lisa Timpf, and M. C. Childs.
Some of what you read will leave you optimistic about our futures, while other stories and poems may leave you doubting our future, but no matter what, The Martian Wave: 2016 will leave you convinced that our future lies beyond the Earth.
The September 2016 issue of The Fifth Di… features fiction from Robert N. Stephenson, G. O. Clark, Rik Hunik, and Rick Novy.
A woman trapped on a conquered planet spends her days harvesting human blood for her alien conquerors, plotting her escape and eventual revenge. An astronaut goes back in time, and hopes to leave his mark on the future. An acid induced parlor trick leads to the creation of living origami goats that eat paper and become a menace…but not as big of a menace as the predator that’s created to take care of the goats. And finally, a man becomes a butler for an eccentric rich man, but he has no idea just how eccentric the man really is, and then he must figure out how to stop him. 

Friday, August 26, 2016

Damn insurance companies

Those of you that have been reading this blog for a while know that I have a hate/hate relationship with health insurance companies. Well, now they've gone and pissed me off again. Rebecca spent days doing research to try and find a surgeon that might be able to help me with my chronic pain. She finally found one. We got the referral from our doctor. I talked to the surgeon's office, and he decided to send me in for a new CT scan, mostly to see if there had been any change since my last one (which could indicate something very serious.) All was well and good, since they'd already acknowledged that they take our insurance, but when his office called to try to get the CT scan approved, the insurance company informed them that there are two different types of insurance that this company has...the most common one, which the surgeon is in-network for, and the less common one, for which he is out-of-network. I'm sure you can guess which insurance we have...
So, the only way I can get into see this guy is to prove that there's no one in-network who would be capable of doing the surgery...which of course is interesting, since we hadn't even talked about an actual surgery yet. We just wanted to see what kinds of options I might have. So, now it's back to the drawing board as we try to find a surgeon who performs this operation (whatever that operation might be), who accepts our particular insurance, and who works with adults, since the majority of cardio-thoracic surgeons that deal with these kinds of issues work with kids. This will be interesting.
Now, thanks to another screw over by the insurance companies, I have to be in continuing pain, which is getting worse, especially as I'm having to work harder and harder each day at the "real" job. For example, I didn't get much sleep last night because I was so nauseous that I thought I was going to throw up, and it's not because I'm sick, it's just because I'm in so much pain.
So, I would again say that government needs to do something useful (like that ever happens) and reign in the insurance companies, and the pharmaceutical companies, instead of letting these companies set policy for the government.

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Would you like to read the new issue of The Martian Wave early?

If you'd like to read the new issue of The Martian Wave early, now's your chance. Although the official release date is September 1st, we're making the e-book version available today through our website.  And instead of paying the normal $3.99 for your issue, you can get it for just $2.99...but this sale is only good until the release date, so you need to order soon. Go to http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/blog/product/the-martian-wave-2016/ and order your copy now.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Get the September issue of The Fifth Di... early

Borrowed from the Nomadic Delirium Press blog:
We're still a week away from the release of the September issue of The Fifth Di..., but you can pick up your e-book version of it right now from our website at http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/blog/product/the-fifth-di-september-2016/.
Not only can you be one of the first to read it, but you can also pick it up for just $1.49, but this sale ends at the end of the month, so order now.
What's in this issue?
The September 2016 issue of The Fifth Di… features fiction from Robert N. Stephenson, G. O. Clark, Rik Hunik, and Rick Novy.
A woman trapped on a conquered planet spends her days harvesting human blood for her alien conquerors, plotting her escape and eventual revenge. An astronaut goes back in time, and hopes to leave his mark on the future. An acid induced parlor trick leads to the creation of living origami goats that eat paper and become a menace…but not as big of a menace as the predator that’s created to take care of the goats. And finally, a man becomes a butler for an eccentric rich man, but he has no idea just how eccentric the man really is, and then he must figure out how to stop him.

Saturday, August 20, 2016

I'm still around

This blog has been very quiet this month. Mostly it's because we've been crazy busy here, and also because many of the posts I've been thinking of have been political rants...and I just don't feel like getting into that right now.
Why have we been so busy? Back to school has been the main reason, and this year Alexis started Kindergarten, meaning that we had three different back to school nights, three different start dates, three different kids to buy clothes and supplies for...in other words, a lot has been going on.  It's impossible to believe that Alexis is actually in Kindergarten now, but I guess that's what happens...kids grow up, whether we want them to or not.
In addition to back to school, Rebecca has been trying to put in some extra hours to try and help us survive financially, and I've been putting in a couple of extra hours, but my hours have been very busy as we head into Halloween, which is the busy season at my "real" job.  And I won't even get into the quality of some of my co-workers...
I've also been getting two zines put together and reading for two anthologies...more on those later.
As far as our health issues, I've been suffering quite a bit more.  Even four hour shifts at the "real" job leave me in excruciating pain. I'm working on setting up an appointment with a surgeon, but they want me to get another CT scan, and I can't say I'm thrilled with the idea of another massive radiation dose, but maybe there's something he can do for me, as the meds don't seem to be doing it for me like they were.  If I take it easy, the pain is manageable, but exertion makes it difficult to do much.
Rebecca is still dealing with her issues, but we do have an appointment with a specialist in early September, but it still will probably take a while to get her meds right, so who knows how long it will take for her to get some relief...hopefully not too long.
Well, that pretty much sums up my recent absence.  You can expect the typical promotional blog posts, as well as the occasional rant as I finally get caught up on everything I need to get done.
Now, I just need to breathe...

Tuesday, August 02, 2016

The Martian Wave: 2016 pre-sale has begun

The pre-sale for the 2016 issue of The Martian Wave has begun.  You can pre-order your print copy from us for just $9 until the release date of September 1st.  The print version of the zine will also be appearing in other on-line markets in the weeks to come.
You can pre-order the e-book version of the zine from just about every on-line source now.  To order your copy, go to http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/tmw.htm and link to the site you want to order from.

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Christmas in July at NDP

Taken from the Nomadic Delirium Press blog:
For the rest of July, you can get 25% off your entire order from the Nomadic Delirium Press store.  This is a discount off of any of our e-books or print books.  This includes novels, anthologies, collections, magazines, RPG supplements, and everything else we carry.
Simply go to http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/blog/shop and use the coupon code "25off" at checkout.