Café Monday: Free Online Novels & Cyberbooks
Readers need authors. Authors need readers. So who does all the work to bring them together?
In the Brave New World of webfiction, there are a dedicated group who build, run and stock the shelves of web directories and ‘zines. The formats change, the genres vary, but each one is the result of hours of unseen effort; each one created for the purpose of bringing you, the reader, easy access to the wealth of fine independent online fiction.
This series of interviews is designed to introduce you to some of them.
The New World, of course, is not so new anymore, and our first featured directory is proof of that. Ace Starry’s Free Online Novels and Free Online Cyberbooks was certainly a pioneer.
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Ergo: Please introduce yourself.
AS: My name is Ace Starry, I wrote a novel called THE MAGIC LIFE – A NOVEL PHILOSOPHY. I created a webpage called Free Online Novels where independent authors could show their work.
Ergo: When and why did you decide to create Free Online Novels and Cyberbooks?
AS: I started Free Online Novels a long time ago, back around 1996, it probably was the first of its kind. Back then I was trying to find readers for my own book, THE MAGIC LIFE, which I had placed on the writer’s newsgroup in 1995 to see if anyone one read it. Back then people believed that nobody would read long text files. I proved them wrong as I published my book a chapter at a time.
It is believed by many that my novel may have been the first book ever published on the Internet. But then when web pages became prevalent, I began my own site “starry.com” which is after my last name. I put my novel up on it for a short period of time, before I got a literary agent. To get the agent I had included quotes from readers which I had online.
I found that being online was a great way to get feedback on my writing. And as I started to see other authors putting their works up, I decided that I was going to help them out, by making a directory where potential readers could find their work along with a description, link, and a representative book cover.
Ergo: How and where do you source your authors?
AS: I originally started the page and looked for authors on search engines, searching for “Free novel” or “Independent Author.” However as my page grew, I didn’t have to search for them, they came and requested me.
Ergo: Do you have any genre preference in the works you list?
AS: Free Online Novels is open to any genre. But they have to be novels, not short stories and they have to have a good looking and easily understood web page.
Ergo: Do your readers have a genre preference?
AS: As far as I can tell, no.
Ergo: Even if there is no general preference, do you find a tendency for authors who write particular genres to submit work to your directory?
AS: There are a lot of fantasy writers and sci-fi too.
Ergo: What formats do you list?
AS: The [works] have to exist as a separate web page. However from the webpage, I’ll allow [authors] to use a pdf download.
Ergo: Have you found a ready supply of high quality fiction?
AS: There are more and more available all the time, however once a book is discovered, they go into print and take the web pages down. That is when I know that I’ve been a success. My hope was to help the authors get into the main stream. There have been many authors who started on Free Online Novels and ended up published. Right now I see that an online novel called THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS, by C. S. Lewis is now a play on Broadway. I remember years back it was a Cyberbook.
Ergo: Can readers find access to the work of popular or well known print authors among your listings?
AS: Popular yes, well known, no.
Ergo: Do you service independent authors only?
AS: Yes.
Ergo: Do you have any editorial input/overview of the work you list?
AS: I do only list web pages which seem professionally done and the author has to submit a short description of the novel which is not self-serving. If they can’t do that decently, then I know they aren’t much of a writer and they will be denied.
I don’t rate or rank, as I believe how a person likes or dislikes a writer is pretty subjective.
Ergo: Your answers have given readers an idea of the role you would like your directory to play. If there are points you would like to make, links you would like shown, anything, in fact, that you feel is of interest to our and your readers, please feel free to elaborate.
AS: Currently I’m not able to update Cyberbooks page because of some software issues. However I’d like anyone who wants to know how to get a book listed to know the requirements. Please use the email link on there for details.
I would like to stress to people that this webpage has never made me a red cent. It costs me way more in time and money to try to maintain it and to host it than any of the small ads make. Yet people often write me almost violent emails demanding that I update a dead link, and often they don’t even say which it is. It’s so easy to criticize when we get something for free. I’m happy to keep it up, but sometimes an angry user will just turn me off.
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Information and purchase details for Ace’s novel The Magic Life – A Novel Philosophy are also available at starry.com.
The world of netfiction is growing. Fast. Without the directories and the efforts of the people who maintain them, authors’ work would be lost in the I’net swamps, and readers would be left with only journos to read. Imagine! These libraries, lists and blogs are holding us all together. Support them.
And play nice.