Books Worth Reading
I assembled a book trailer video, which you may peruse via the link below. All of the art was created by others, except the script, which is only ‘art’ in the sense that I strained myself writing it and now cannot bear to read it without editing.
Composed in DaVinci Resolve. A testament, of sorts, to what a person can learn from YouTube tutorials.
This coming October I’ll publish, I hope, a breakout novel. ‘Elbert’ is action, adventure, and family drama — a fusion you don’t often see in Science Fiction. It’s a fun ride across an unlikely landscape, a moving tale with a positive vibe.
I’m staking out my own territory with original and intelligent stories, written for thoughtful readers. ‘Elbert’ isn’t rocket ships and ray guns. It’s about challenges we face creating successful lives, a noble existence, a hopeful future.
I’m shopping for word-of-mouth publicity. If you like the pitch, follow the link. If you like what you see, please tell your followers.
Regards,
John G Dyer
I’m wearing a mouth guard again, after grinding my teeth with sufficient force to break a molar, on account of I don’t like my new job.
I’m not talking about the writing. That’s an activity. This is about promoting myself as an author. That’s a job. The mission, if I choose to pursue it, is selling thirty thousand books a year, minimum. If I was a younger man, trying to make a living as a novelist, that would be one thing.
But I’m retired, and disinclined to seek approval. My motivation to advertise is nothing more than a nagging sense the work itself, not the author, might deserve attention. I assure you; this is not a case of superficial humility. I’m sincere.
In the grand scheme of things, there are few endeavors that really matter. Producing entertainment is not on the list. That’s one vote against shouting my name from the rooftops.
Works of fiction flow out of an author’s perspective. Stories have the power to elevate the spirit, educate, inform, inspire, and provoke thought. My books might offer some of these qualities. One vote in favor.
Publishing is a tough game. I don’t want to go back to work. If struck by illness, I won’t say, “I’m glad I spent my last days trying to sell books.” Is that three votes against? I think it is.
I write optimistic stories about places you’ll never go, people you’ll never meet, things you’ll never see. That these stories are constructive in nature is almost accidental, a reflection of what I believe, and my observations of the many ways in which individuals go about creating successful lives.
Does that make the material different enough to stand out? I don’t know. I’ve been chatting with a publicist, to whom I said, “Someone will have to convince me (the work) is remarkable”. Upon reflection, I realize that’s too much to expect. Besides, there’s no objective way to determine if my books deserve an audience, other than the option of allowing the marketplace to decide.
Oh, yeah. That’s the conundrum I’m fussing about, right now.
If you’re curious, click here. If you’re looking for a punchline, I don’t have one, else I’d already know what to do. One thing I do know is that worrying isn’t good for me. I have a sore jaw to tell me that.
On Sunday, August 28, I will be an honored guest on Books Charming, India’s Top Book Blog. It’s kind of an accident, arranged by a promotion service, but curiously apt — my Science Fiction books are replete with allusions to South Asian culture. I actually have followers in that part of the world, although I don’t know how it happened.
It’s not as if I posted, “SciFi for readers in India.” or, “Sanskrit spoken here.” or “Look for Devanagari script on the cover of ‘Resilient’.”
The latter may be found below a neon sign, made in the image of a coffee cup. The word is, ‘Kaphi.’
Anyway, I’m running an eBook promotion, starting the same day. The Illusion of Gravity. Free for three days. Sunday, August 28. You might also read the interview, thus motivating you to read the book, which you will get for free, that same day, or for two days thereafter, as stipulated above.
In other news, I’ve been publishing a serial memoir about the expat life, 1950s Philippines and forward. Relative to my other essays, it’s been exceptionally well-received. Check it out.
Author Ashley Manning (find him on Amazon here) was kind enough to post a pre-publication review, for which I am deeply grateful. He writes:
The beginning of this book lulls you into thinking that this will be a straight forward story about Elbert learning about the existence of aliens, and coming to terms with what that means for humanity, but it turns out to be so much more than that. As I read the first few chapters, that’s what I thought the story would be about, a story we’ve all seen/read before, but that’s resolved quite quickly and Elbert takes the news in stride, before moving to Jivada and starting the de-aging process. One of the books biggest strengths is the way that John G. Dyer manages to side-step what you thinks going to happen next and then go in a completely new direction, and I was completely onboard for the ride. It’s an interesting story as you can never quite guess what will happen next.
Continue reading “Early Praise for Elbert — John Dyer Writes”
The other day, I uploaded manuscript files to Amazon so I could order printed proofs of Elbert in paperback format. Whilst so engaged, Amazon invited me to make the eBook available for pre-order, and I thought, “Why not?” I set a publication date of October 3. This gives me seven weeks to obtain feedback from friends who declined to read on their tablet computers, but swore they would if I supplied printed books.
Most likely, nobody will read the book. October 3 will arrive and I still won’t know what shape it’s in.
Unless …
Continue reading “Beta, Schmeta — John Dyer Writes”
Update — Mission accomplished!
Trial animations have been delivered, a UE5 project package is on its way.
Ghosts of Ancient Vidura is in edit, so it’s time to plan for cover art. This might be a good student project, or something a hobbyist might try. Here’s the spec.
Abstract
Create a 3D model of the object Loyal House, a flying house described in the novel Ghosts of Ancient Vidura.
Create an animated clip of the object navigating through a scene.
Create a still image from the scene for use as a book cover.
Continue reading “Talent Search – Modelers & Animators”
I re-enrolled my books in the Kindle Select program. Jump in with your Amazon Prime or Kindle Unlimited subscription and read them for free!
Find my titles on Amazon here!
I get paid by the page. So, you know, hang in there.
In other news, I wrote the final chapter for Habit of Providence just this week. The first book in the AjJivadi series, Elbert, is up for a third editing pass, then I’ll edit Habit again. Look for new books in July.
Artist Paul Trif just sent me the latest cover design for my novel Elbert. He added a new character interpretation to the back. It’s the Maroli labor appliance, a frequent cast member.
I was tickled as could be. Had to share it.
A teaser from 'A Habit of Providence'. the current novel-in-edit.
Aswang the errant fighting drone had made a preliminary reconnaissance pass at the Pacific Pride gas station in Mount Angel, capturing enough data to assemble a VR scene in Anodyne Workbench, through which one could meander if implanted with a neural interface.
The drone had a sense of smell, recording the aromas of diesel fuel and Double Bubble in a vicinity where the pickup truck’s rear bumper faded from sharp to fuzzy, a result of spotty image coverage. Pam was disappointed. “The convenience store is in focus from where I’m standing, but the truck drops into low-res at knee-height in back. I can’t read the license plate.”
Continue reading “Metaphysical-ish”
John Dyer Writes 
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