@2
                    ON DISK NOVELS - A DISCUSSION
              Adapted from an article in Dark Portal #2
                          By Andrew Campbell
@3
 Okay so it sounds a rather odd idea for a PD production but such a 
thing has in fact been done - several times I believe - by New
Zealand's Ivan Millett - the author of the on-disk science fiction
novel (100,000+ words!) "Deus Ex Machina". I know a lot of PD buyers
who've read Mr Millett's story (or at least obtained copies of it)
which proves there is indeed an interested market, albeit a small one.
For those of you who've never seen it, Mr Millett's disk is very well
presented with each chapter of the story available to read using an 
above standard AmigaDos text-viewer. In a well-written introduction to
his work, Mr Millett points out that he has "sought various publishers
for `Deus Ex Machina' here [New Zealand I assume] and overseas, but
there is no getting away from the fact that this is not a `commercial'
book". What better reason for releasing the disk as Public Domain...?

 The following two paragraphs are from MEGADISK, an Australian on-disk
magazine for the Amiga (early 1993) and a review of "Deus Ex Machina":

@1
"..Unfortunately I am sure there is a lot more of this good quality
   work being produced that will never be published and maybe one day
   some clever soul will set up a "Teklanmeh" where all writers can
   place their non commercial writings for access by those people who
   would be interested, if they were ever published.

   For now, PD Suppliers should be encouraged to stock other such
   "novels" where authors who cannot get published for what are
   really $ reasons (profit vs art) as an incentive to produce
   further work.  The present incentive of being able to release "non
   commercial" software through PD Libraries has undoubtedly made a
   difference in the quality and availability of much of the Amiga
   software being used world wide..."
@3 
Unlike "Deus Ex Machina", the novel I have just released is not 
sci-fi and not quite as long. It does away with any standard text 
readers and uses its own, which I programmed myself using AMOS Pro.

It's called "The Glowing Red Man". An odd name, perhaps, but this is 
indeed an unusual production. Dark Portal III contains the first four 
chapters, as does the shareware version of the stand-alone novel, but 
to get the rest, you'll have to send me £3.00 or more.

But does it work? So far I have had three registration fees of £5.00, 
and this article is being written merely two weeks after Dark Portal
III has been released! Admittedly, two of the people who registered 
are "fans" (if I can call them that?!) of my work and are interested 
in fiction, but it does prove people are willing to pay up, as long as
the novel is well-written and rewarding enough.

What's so attractive about a novel? The whole success of a serious 
piece of writing (whether fiction or non-fiction) on disk depends on 
(a) the author - how well-presented, well-written and original he can 
make his disk, and (b) the user - has he got the patience to give the 
story a go? If it's not gripping (or at least, interesting) to begin 
with, the author is likely to lose his audience very quickly.

How much should an author give away, and how much should they charge? 
With "The Glowing Red Man" you get the first four chapters immediately
and quite long they are too. It is my hope that enthusiastic readers 
will care enough about my characters to warrant paying a small fee to 
find out what happens to them, how they come through. Books these days
are extremely pricey - typically £5.99 for a new paperback (!) - so it
is best to stick to a sum of around £3.00 minimum, but mention you'd 
appreciate any more if the reader thinks it's worth it.

How does a disknovel author give value for money? With my novel you 
get a specially coded, autobooting text reader, full of atmospheric 
graphics and moody sound, all of which is of course merely polish, but
it does make the "customer" feel as though they've spent their money 
wisely.
@3
I would like to start up a label of somekind, where new writers can
send me the first few chapters of their book and I'll code and design
graphics around it, and advertise their address. Copying and 
distributing the registered novel would be in their hands once they'd 
obtained the finished program from me, but the passing around of the 
shareware "demo" could be a joint effort.
Could it be a way into commercial book publishing? Certainly if the 
magazine reviewers took such productions more seriously (ie: reviewed 
and READ them!) then yes, I don't see why not, though obviously disks
made for the PC market are by far more likely to find their way into
an editor/publisher's office...

What do you think about the on-disk novel? Would you like to see the 
shareware version (or buy a copy of the registered disk) of "The 
Glowing Red Man" Have you read and enjoyed "Deus Ex Machina"? Perhaps 
you've got a lengthy story of your own and would like to discuss the 
Shareware novel alternative with authors of a similar mind?
@1
Write to me: Mr Andrew Campbell, 4 Alloe Field Place, Illingworth, 
Halifax, HX2 9ES, ENGLAND.