One month until OGJ arrives on Kindle

Oscar Eckenstein says “Buy this book on Kindle!”

The clock is ticking! The Only Genuine Jones will appear on Kindle on the 21st of October, 2012 (exact time to be decided, dependent on whether or not I have a shift at the day job to attend to…)

Although I originally planned a full-scale launch party for the novel at the Clachaig Inn, after some careful thought I came to the conclusion that a launch party for an ebook, in a place where relatively few of the visitors will have reading devices on them, might not be the roaring success I would have hoped for. So I will be staging a conventional online launch for the book, including a low launch price and a live Q&A session on Twitter. This Twitter conversation will take place under the hashtag #TheOnlyGenuineJones, which is already being used for discussion on the book.

I don’t want to be one of those authors who is aloof and inaccessible to readers. We live in a fantastically open and democratic publishing world in 2012, where readers have unprecedented access to writers. I’m not sitting on the other side of a barbed wire fence erected by an old-school publishing house who controls my every move. I want to embrace this new world wholeheartedly and provide my readers with every opportunity to contact me directly and talk about the book, ask questions, get feedback.

Readers who prefer to use Facebook can find me here, or simply post comments on the blog.

The Web is crucial to this early stage in the publication process, but it doesn’t end there. I will be turning The Only Genuine Jones into a physical paperback book through the magic of print on demand. It won’t be available immediately (early 2013 is the timeframe I have in mind), but this edition of the novel will be accompanied by a traditional launch party. I’m communicating with my former employers at the Clachaig and with a bit of luck I will be hosting an event there at some point early next year, giving fans the chance to obtain a signed copy!

Also keep an eye out for posters, which will hopefully be finding their way to some of the settings of this book within the next couple of months.

It’s an exciting time, and I really appreciate all the wonderful encouragement and support I have received so far from a lot of people. It means a lot that, even before the book has been published, there are people who have read advance copies and are telling their friends how great they think it is.

For example, check out this blog post by Chris Highcock, writer and authority on mountain fitness:

http://cairn-in-the-mist.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/the-only-genuine-jones-by-alex-roddie.html