Math, Guns, and Snark: SLHuang's Self-Publishing Thread

Old Hack · Mar 16, 2014

This is a brilliant thread.

slhuang said:
The first book is titled ZERO SUM GAME (I'm starting with Book 0, hahaha! <-- nobody thinks that's funny except me)

It made me laugh.

My mathsy son did a sort of squiggle with his face when I told him. I'm not sure if it was a laugh or a grimace but he's a man of few words.

Kylabelle said:
I do know some folks who will assert that God is Math.

My aforementioned mathsy son was told this once:

Biologists think they're biochemists; biochemists think they're chemists; chemists think they're chemical physicists; chemical physicists think they're physicists; physicists think they're god; and god thinks he's a mathematician.

V JVFU LBH GUR IREL ORFG JVGU LBHE FRYS CHOYVFUVAT RAQRNIBEF, FYUHNAT, NAQ UBCR LBH FRYY URNCF BS PBCVRF.

Anyone struggling with the binary code earlier in the thread could look here; anyone struggling with my coded piece could think about the number 13.

Good luck on your journey, slhuang.

onesecondglance · Mar 16, 2014

I'd wish you luck, but I don't think luck is a mathematical concept... so here's hoping the balance of probabilities falls in your favour!

(seriously, good luck!)

Polenth · Mar 16, 2014

Hope it goes well for you! Getting featured on a blog already is great.

eqb · Mar 16, 2014

Oooooo, I love that cover, and the blurb makes me want to buy the book RIGHT NOW.

Also: "353665707*225814+1" (gratuitous quote from my book)

kkbe · Mar 16, 2014

sl, I am so, so happy for you! I wish you instantaneously glorious, spectacularly perpetual success.

P.S. 01000001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01001111 01101100 01100100 00100000 01001000 01100001 01100011 01101011 00100111 01110011 00100000 01110010 01101001 01100111 01101000 01110100 00111010 00100000 01110100 01101000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01110100 01101000 01110010 01100101 01100001 01100100 00100000 01101011 01101001 01100011 01101011 01110011 00100000 01100001 01110011 01110011 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01110011 01101111 00100000 01100100 01101111 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00101110

girlyswot · Mar 16, 2014

slhuang said:
Hee, thanks everyone!

OH! I forgot I wanted to add one other bit of news, which is that Ana of The Book Smugglers featured me on her "books on my radar" post this morning!

http://thebooksmugglers.com/2014/03/on-the-smugglers-radar-158.html

The Book Smugglers is one of my favorite review blogs in SFFdom, so needless to say, I was thrilled! I haven't really promoted the book much at all yet and didn't even know *anyone* knew about it, let alone one of my favorite review sites. Eep!

I saw her tweet about it a couple of days ago, too! She sounded really excited about the book. That's great news!

SWest · Mar 16, 2014

Old Hack said:
...

V JVFU LBH GUR IREL ORFG JVGU LBHE FRYS CHOYVFUVAT RAQRNIBEF, FYUHNAT, NAQ UBCR LBH FRYY URNCF BS PBCVRF.

...

JR ERNYYL FUBHYQ CHG HC OBBXFURYIRF...

Mutive · Mar 16, 2014

Oooh, awesome! I will be looking forward to it being all launched and readable.

It's exciting to see that it's nearly out!

slhuang · Mar 16, 2014

Aaaaa this thread is amazing!! You guys are amazing! *hugs you all*

Old Hack said:
It made me laugh.

My mathsy son did a sort of squiggle with his face when I told him. I'm not sure if it was a laugh or a grimace but he's a man of few words.

Ha! I'll take it.

You can tell him that I'm the only mathy person in the world who still thinks the abelian grape joke is funny.

V JVFU LBH GUR IREL ORFG JVGU LBHE FRYS CHOYVFUVAT RAQRNIBEF, FYUHNAT, NAQ UBCR LBH FRYY URNCF BS PBCVRF.

SWest said:
JR ERNYYL FUBHYQ CHG HC OBBXFURYIRF...

LBH THLF NER JBAQRESHY! *FAVSS*

Thank you! :heart:

Mclesh · Mar 16, 2014

Mr. Steve gave his stamp of approval to your cover. "It's a good cover."

And thus it was written.

Little Ming · Mar 16, 2014

*raises hand timidly*

Um, I have a question. Like a real one.

Do you have any way to keep track of how many copies of your book will be downloaded free ("pirated")? In other words, will you know how big the pizza is getting?

buz · Mar 16, 2014

Little Ming said:
*raises hand timidly*

Um, I have a question. Like a real one.

Do you have any way to keep track of how many copies of your book will be downloaded free ("pirated")? In other words, will you know how big the pizza is getting?

If it gets to a point where I can't eat it all in one sitting, it's been pirated a lot.

P.S. YYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY PENCIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLL

JournoWriter · Mar 16, 2014

I love the cover. Math isn't my thing, but I'm rooting for you,

Literateparakeet · Mar 16, 2014

I'm so excited for you. I love the idea of a mathematical novel for adults (I have read them for kids). I can't wait to read this...I'll even pay for it, no pirating.

Good luck, I look forward to your updates!

Lookinglass · Mar 16, 2014

Let me just say the cover is very professional and you've done an incredible job with the blurb. Congratulations on the launch and I can't wait to read the book

Izz · Mar 16, 2014

Looking good, SL!

RedWombat · Mar 16, 2014

Best of luck!

Old Hack · Mar 17, 2014

NALBAR JUB JBAQRERQ JUNG JR JRER GNYXVAT NOBHG VA GUR NYY-PNCF OVG PBHYQ CREUNCF PYVPX BA GUVF YVAX... BU! V FRR GUNG LBH QVQ NYERNQL! UN!

bearilou · Mar 17, 2014

HERE! TAKE MY MONEY!

:yessmiley

usuallycountingbats · Mar 17, 2014

Look, stop talking about publishing it and just do it. I am sick of being left out of the conversation. I want to buy it and read it so I can join in. Or steal it legally. Or whatever.

KateJJ · Mar 17, 2014

Good luck!

For(int i = 0; i < 1000000000000000; i++)
{
sellCopy(lisasAwesomeBook);
}

slhuang · Mar 17, 2014

Eeeek! You folks are quite, quite wonderful.

Omg, thank you for making my SP thread such a geeky delight! And for all the marvelous support and good wishes!

Little Ming said:
*raises hand timidly*

Um, I have a question. Like a real one.

Do you have any way to keep track of how many copies of your book will be downloaded free ("pirated")? In other words, will you know how big the pizza is getting?

That's a good question! One that . . . I do not know the answer to!

I shall look into it and let you know what I find. I, er, do not actually upload any books for piracy in real life (respect for the authors' wishes for their own books trumps my personal philosophies on it), so I have no idea if there are any stats available on the torrent sites for things like that. But I shall try to find out . . .

The MOST interesting question, I think, is one that will be impossible to get an answer to: how well my book would've done without the CC license, and what the paid/pirated numbers would be then. Unfortunately there's no way to have a control group here.

(And I don't think it's unreasonable to hypothesize that piracy might have a positive (monetary) effect on some media and a negative one on other media, so I don't know if we'll ever be able to say for sure whether this ends up helping my particular book . . . I suspect the very most my book might be is an interesting case study, but it would be very cool if it did become that.

)

ElaineA · Mar 17, 2014

*wonders how it is that the pencil-lurking puppy hasn't commented on this thread yet*

LEEEESSSSAAAAA! So much congrats on the wonderful advanced buzz ZSG is receiving. I cannot wait to buy...If you don't release this by March 30, I will gnaw your woody exterior to slivers. :evil

Little Ming · Mar 17, 2014

slhuang said:
That's a good question! One that . . . I do not know the answer to! I shall look into it and let you know what I find. I, er, do not actually upload any books for piracy in real life (respect for the authors' wishes for their own books trumps my personal philosophies on it), so I have no idea if there are any stats available on the torrent sites for things like that. But I shall try to find out.

There are. But I would guess the hard part is controlling if other people upload your book to another site without your knowledge. Or possibly direct downloads from other sites that don't have stats.

Here, I was hoping you had some super-mathematical-omniscient-internet-spy program. Or something. You've disappointed me, Lisa.

But seriously, how will you release your book for piracy? Direct download? A specific torrent site? Do you have any plan for tracking if others might be uploading your book elsewhere? And is it still "piracy" if the author gives permission for others to download for free?

alexaherself · Mar 17, 2014

slhuang said:
It's what I call "mathematical fiction," but since nobody knows what that is I'm going with "speculative thriller" instead on the advice of people here. It's about a protagonist whose superpower is being really, really good at math.

Wonderful idea (and title).

You have a customer waiting for it, here (and I know at least a couple of others who will buy it just on that description and having seen your website).

Good luck and good wishes!

Math, Guns, and Snark: SLHuang's Self-Publishing Thread

Such a nasty woman

pretending to be awake

Mushroom

I write novels

Huh.

In the garden...

Blissfully Clueless

Inappropriately math-oriented.

It's too hot

edits all posts at least four times

Just the facts, please

Nerdy Budgie

And your little dog, too

Doing the Space Operatic

Runs With Scissors

Such a nasty woman

DenturePunk writer

Procrastinating on the net.

coffee and pistols at dawn

Inappropriately math-oriented.

All about that action, boss.

Wordsmith and shoechick