In 2001 when my pal John Borland and I set out to write our book, Dungeons & Dreamers: A Story of How Computer Games Created a Global Culture, we made a decision very early on in the process that would impact what we’ve been able to do with that work.
The first was that we weren’t going to write a mainstream book. We weren’t going to focus on violence or big corporations or professional gaming (although we touched on that latter in our first edition.) Instead, we wanted to focus on the small, gaming communities that formed in the seventies and eighties that shaped the landscape of personal computing.
The second was that we were adamant about retaining our copyright after the initial printing because we knew we’d have opportunities with these stories in the future.
The first may have been a bad idea for two writers hoping to build a career, but the second was an absolute gem of an idea. We regained our rights in 2004, and since then we’ve gone on to write a second edition and partner with distributors that were both writer and reader friendly.
Which brings us to our announcement today. We’re thrilled to be part of StoryBundle’s Greatest Game Book Bundle promotion. You can read all about the promotion on StoryBundle’s blog, but here’s the highlight:
StoryBundle is a pay-what-you-want platform for independent authors to share their works with readers (and gamers) like you. Paying at least $5 will get you five books from the Greatest Hits Game Bundle, while paying $30 or more unlocks all 95 books.
You read that correctly. You can get five ebooks for a price you name. And for thirty dollars, you can download ninety-five books about games, culture, and the Internet. And, each book is DRM-free, which means you are free to share it with your friends.
Not a bad deal this holiday season!
As an added bonus, the first five Jam listeners who purchase the full bundle will get a free, signed paperback version of Dungeons & Dreamers.
All you need to do is make the purchase, use the contact form to let me know, show me a digital copy of your receipt, and I’ll drop a book in the mail.
