New Media: November 2007 Archives

My favorite podcaster/author, Mur Lafferty, has launched her superhero novel "Playing for Keeps" today, and I was able to read the first few chapters, and it is excellent.  Here's the description of the novel:

Playing for Keeps is a free novel delivered via podcast in audio and PDF form. It tells the story of Keepsie Branson, a bar owner in the shining metropolis of Seventh City: birthplace of super powers. Keepsie and her friends live among egotistical heroes and manipulative villains, and manage to fall directly in the middle as people with powers, but who just aren't strong enough to make a difference. Or that's what they've been told. As the city begins to melt down, it's hard to tell who are the good guys and who are the bad.

I have been following this novel via the podcast "I Should Be Writing" since Mur began writing it.  She shared the experience writing, editing, and submitting it to agents over the last year.  When it wasn't picked up, I was secretly glad.  While a publishing deal would have been amazing for Mur, I feel that her audience is going to get a truly marvelous experience through the simultaneous publishing of the book as an audio book and text through podcasting/RSS.  The revolution to independent open media is upon us, and this is going to be another shining example of what can be done out side of the traditional publishing/studio system.