The Rittenhouse Saga’s publishing contract with Random House Publishing Group included a film option clause, and Columbia Pictures has announced plans to produce the motion picture adaptation of Mutt.
The film will be directed by Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth). I will be actively involved in adapting the screenplay, which is being written by Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, The Newsroom). Hugh Laurie, playing the role of the gateman Green, will anchor a cast of lesser-known talent (casting information will be forthcoming over the next several months).
The Rittenhouse Saga: Mutt will be filmed in Philadelphia’s Kensington and University City neighborhoods, which inspired the environments of the series. Columbia’s contract includes an option to adapt Stray and the series’ future books, pending box office performance of the first film.
In negotiations, Sorkin emphasized his enthusiasm for the project, which will cast the political themes of his other works in a radical new setting. “This book is just phenomenal,” he said of Mutt. “I’d like to think I know a thing or two about writing, but reading [Mutt] has shown me there’s always something new to learn.”
“Hell,” he added, “I wish I’d written it.”
The ebook version of Mutt is still free on Amazon pending its November re-release with Random House. Columbia Pictures’ The Rittenhouse Saga: Mutt is slated for a tentative Summer 2015 release.
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1 April, 2013 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: aaron sorkin, advertising, best new books, columbia pictures, dystopian, ebook, free book, guillermo del toro, hugh laurie, Random House, rittenhouse saga, science fiction, self publication, self publishing, YA, you promised you'd take me to see the king, You're Just A Mutt, young adult | 1 Comment »
Good evening! The wonderful Dayla has posted her review of Stray on Bookaddict24-7. From the review:
One of my favorite aspects of Stray is how the uncertainty, fear, and urgency is felt throughout the novel. We, as readers, are made to empathize with Emery as he races against not just the odds, but the clock. We cringe with him as he uncovers truths, and feel deep sadness for the past secrets he shares.
Just like Mutt, Stray has a fantastic series of heart-pounding scenes where Emery is tested beyond his limits, and where the story reaches suspenseful climaxes. Fuller has a skill for creating anticipation and delivering what the reader seeks with style.
Go check out the full review, and grab your copy of Stray on Amazon if you haven’t yet! And if you haven’t read Mutt, it’s still free for a very limited time (honestly).
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18 March, 2013 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: advertising, best new books, book review, books, dystopia, dystopian, ebook, fantasy, free book, google, guerilla marketing, how to publish, indie, indie author, marketing tips, mutt, philadelphia, post-apocalyptic, promotion, rittenhouse, rittenhouse saga, science fiction, self publication, self publishing, The Hunger Games, YA, you promised you'd take me to see the king, You're Just A Mutt, young adult | Leave A Comment »
Aside
Stray, the sequel to Mutt, is now available everywhere!
Get Stray on Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble
In the depths of winter, Emery is digging. Two months after the conclusion of Mutt, he is building an underground highway into the walled city of Rittenhouse to smuggle food and medicine to those living in the wasteland outside. When the gateman Green comes to him with news of a secret shipment and plans to intercept it, Emery sees a chance at redemption for his past failings. But as the search pulls him into a broadening web of conspiracy, his closest friends worry he is in too deep, determined find the shipment–or lose everything.
And remember, Mutt is still free on Amazon, so if you haven’t read it yet, check it out!
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22 February, 2013 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: advertising, barnes & noble, best new books, book cover, book review, divergent, dystopia, dystopian, e-book, ebook, fantasy, free book, harry potter, indie, indie author, mutt, post-apocalyptic, self publishing, stray, stray cover, The Hunger Games, YA, you promised you'd take me to see the king, You're Just A Mutt, young adult | Leave A Comment »
Aside
I’m sure a few of you remember that I did a Name Your Price week for Mutt on Smashwords a couple of months ago. Well, being negligent, I forgot to change it back to regular pricing. It was no big deal; the book’s Smashwords page doesn’t get many hits, so without the promotion nobody was paying attention.
Nobody, that is, except Amazon. Somebody on their site found the Smashwords promotion, and as per their policy, Amazon matched the price. I should mention here that I’ve been very sick* for the past couple months and have failed to manage my online presence, which includes checking my sales reports. Tonight, I checked Amazon on a whim and discovered that I’ve “sold” about 900 free copies of Mutt in the past few weeks.
Right now I’m baffled and laughing out loud (I should note here that, with daily, round-the-clock promotion, I gave away about 50 free copies of the book for Name Your Price week). Mutt, the dystopian fantasy novel that’s won love and adoring reviews from all over Tumblr, will be free until I can be bothered to fix the price, so go get your copy on Amazon now!
Pass the word along!
*I’ll update about this at some point, but know for now it’s nothing life-threatening.
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23 October, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: advertising, best new books, book review, books, divergent, dystopian, e-book, ebook, free book, how to publish, indie author, marketing tips, mutt, muttbombing, philadelphia, post-apocalyptic, promotion, promotion tips, rittenhouse, science fiction, self publication, self publishing, The Hunger Games, YA, you promised you'd take me to see the king, You're Just A Mutt, young adult | Leave A Comment »
THIS WEEK ONLY, get Mutt on Smashwords and name your price!
“If a trivial mistake messes up my Cure for Warts one more time, I’m going to throw down my laptop, find the nearest pharmacy, and just buy some of that acid stuff my parents used to use when we were kids and got them on our feet. Where am I supposed to find my wand, anyway… Oh, there it is. Who the hell buried behind all this other stuff on the counter? Alright… Wait, what the hell do you mean, I got it wrong? That was perfect, Snape. You’re just envious because I’m the Chosen One and you never got with my mom…”
-Me, during the Potions tutorial
It’s been a while since my last update about Pottermore, mostly because it’s been a while since I last got to spend time with Pottermore. I’ve completed the Philosopher’s Stone sequence, and since doing so, I haven’t felt any great draw to continue.
Admittedly, I’ve had some fun with the site. After being assigned to Ravenclaw, I became acquainted with its potion-making and spell-casting minigames. They provided some passing entertainment, as did searching for collectible items in the story moments. But overall, after exploring a full novel’s worth of content, I’ve come away with the impression that Pottermore isn’t entirely sure what it wants to do, and as a result, it spends most of its (and its users’) time half-doing things.
I’m sure the site is set up this way to avoid impeding progress for people who just want to explore the story, the Pottermore’s various game elements never gel successfully with the story or each other. Gameplay features are generally introduced once before being relegated to their own corners of the site; after the tutorials the Spells and Potions mechanics were not used in the Philosopher’s Stone again. Even the exploration can barely be referred to as such. The setup of the Moments suggests the possibility of a point-and-click adventure game a la Myst, complete with puzzles to solve and environments that can be seamlessly explored. But Pottermore is not the kind of game, if it can be called a game at all.
And to be honest, after all the time of spent on the site, I don’t know what it’s trying to be. All the behind-the-scenes description and other exclusive pieces of writing are interesting in themselves, but if I really just wanted to read them, I’d prefer a more to-the-point interface than this. And if it was supposed to be an actual game, it needs to decide what kind of game. I’d be cool with a Myst-type adventure game like the kind the Moments are suggesting, and equally cool with the kind of MMORPG that seems to inspire Diagon Alley and the Potions mechanic.
I’ll probably keep up with Pottermore for a bit longer to see if there’s something I’m missing, and I do like reading the bonus content. But for a really immersive experience of the series’ world, returning to the novels and films is probably a better bet. And for those really stuck on finding a good interactive version of Hogwarts, this game might be the closest you’re going to get.
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22 August, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: advertising, best new books, books, dystopian, e-book, ebook, free book, harry potter, jk rowling, mutt, philadelphia, Philosopher's Stone, post-apocalyptic, potter, pottermore, promotion, promotion tips, ravenclaw, rowling, science fiction, self publishing, Snape, sorcerer's stone, YA, you promised you'd take me to see the king, You're Just A Mutt | Leave A Comment »
This summer has been a great one for Mutt. The book’s first round of reviews has seen not one, not two, but seven glowing opinions. The unanimous praise from reviewers and overwhelming support from the book’s small but enthusiastic fanbase are more than I could have asked for. It’s time to take the next step–getting the book into as many hands as possible to spread the word. So I’m doing something unprecedented for the end of summer:
Beginning at Midnight (Eastern Standard Time), Mutt will be available as a Name Your Price book on Smashwords for one week.
Here’s what that means.
Q. What’s this Name Your Price thing?
It’s exactly what it sounds like. You choose how much you want to pay for the book. You can download it for free, pay something crazy like $100, or anything in between.
Q. So wait, I can get the book for free?
Yes.
Q. Is that, like, cool?
Yeah. If you download the book for free and decide you really like it, feel free to go back and pay for a copy! Anything you can spare helps. But my immediate goal is to get the book out there. So if you don’t have spare cash (or credit card access), this is your one-time chance to grab the book with no strings attached.
Q. If I really like the book and want to support it but don’t have any money, what can I do to help?
Just spread the word. Force your friends to read it through threat of violence, post about it on your blog, tell your parents to buy a copy for your little siblings. Whenever a new person is being exposed to Mutt, I’m doing better than I was before.
Q. Why isn’t the book free all the time?
Artists love to say they’re “not in it for the money.” While that’s a good sentiment, and while I write because I love to write, money is vital in two ways: it allows me to spend less time at my day job at more time writing, and it covers the direct costs of publishing the books. I’m still working toward regaining what I spent on Mutt, and once that’s covered, I’ll be raising money for the publication of Stray. The amount I raise from sales of Mutt will determine everything from Stray’s release date to whether and when a print version is available.
So without further ado, head over to Smashwords and grab your copy of Mutt beginning at midnight!
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19 August, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: advertising, best new books, book review, books, e-book, ebook, free book, free e-book, free ebook, how to publish, indie, indie author, marketing tips, mutt, philadelphia, post-apocalyptic, promotion, promotion tips, rittenhouse, science fiction, self publication, self publishing, YA, you promised you'd take me to see the king, You're Just A Mutt, young adult | 2 Comments »
Greetings, friends! Today I woke up to something wonderful. Alright, I really woke up to my good friend’s demonic cat, but shortly thereafter I discovered that Brianda at The Book Blabber has released a glowing review of Mutt. I’m linking to the version on my Tumblr because there were some spoilers and I wanted to mark them, but you should also go follow her on her blog.
For those who missed it, check out the first review of Mutt by Dayla at Confessions of a Book Addict. Some more reviews should be out soon. Remember, if you run a website or blog that reviews books and would like to give Mutt a read, e-mail me and we’ll work something out.
Thanks to you lovely readers, I’m also proud to announce that I’ve reached 1,000 views on this site. (Technically the count stands at 988, but it’ll be 1,000 by the end of today.) I’d like to offer my sincerest thanks to everyone who’s been reading, and tell all your friends! I feel good things aren’t too far off.
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1 June, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: advertising, blog, book review, books, e-book, ebook, free book, indie author, marketing tips, mutt, mutt review, promotion tips, review, self publication, self publishing, You're Just A Mutt, young adult | 3 Comments »
I can’t write copy. Or more specifically, I can’t write copy for my own book.
This was obviously a major problem when I was shopping agents for a traditional publishing route, and it’s an even bigger one now that I’ve decided to go indie. I’m trying to land bookblog reviews for Mutt, which is apparently pretty hard. Books take a while to read, and with so many people self-publishing these days, even lower-traffic blogs get loads of review requests. And I’m finding that if your description isn’t gripping, you’re immediately at the bottom of the pile.
I’ve only recovered about a fourth of Mutt’s publication costs so far–a slower start than I’d anticipated–and I don’t have cash to hire a professional copy writer. But of course, improved copy would help get me more expose and hopefully more sales. So we’re going to do this the fun way.
Below is the text from my book description pages on Smashwords, Goodreads, etc. Any suggestions for improving it are very welcome. But if you’d like to rewrite it from scratch, I’ll give you a download code for a free copy of Mutt if I end up using some or all of your version. Happy revising!
Centuries after most of humanity is wiped out, a new civilization is slowly constructed upon the remnants of the old.
Emery, a young man living in the walled city of Rittenhouse, has taken it upon himself to rescue “mutts,” as the citizens of Rittenhouse call the impoverished masses outside. When Timothy, a boy afflicted with a fatal illness, seeks Emery’s help, the two embark on a deadly errand to secure the medicine Timothy needs. This mission takes them from the safety of Rittenhouse into the wasteland outside it, where ancient superstitions are reborn and humanity struggles to survive amidst the ruins of a fallen American metropolis.
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6 March, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: contest, copy writing, dystopian, free book, giveaway, mutt, post-apocalyptic, rittenhouse, science fiction, self publication, self publishing, writing contest, young adult | Leave A Comment »
