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By trhickman, August 26, 2010 8:47 am

As we’ve been working on the Dragonsbard project, we’ve been acquiring quite a bit of experience (actual experience rather than those meaningless points one acquires in so many games) in this new field of Serial Publishing.

Serial Publishing sounds like a crime but is actually the revolutionary concept on which Dragonsbard was built: publish like the Dickens — literally and literarily — so a group of elite subscribers and provide them with the book at the end of their subscription. It is a concept pioneered by Laura and me (which has meant that we have taken our share of the arrows, as they say) and which has many people in the literary publishing field very interested. Taking on traditional publishing has been daunting but our growing success (modest though it is right now) is turning heads.

But for us the most exciting part is that we can teach other writers how to not only duplicate the system that drives dragonsbard.com … but how to make it work for their books as well. An author experienced with our system can actually have a new novel distribution system set up and operating in a single day … but the most important part – promotion – takes much longer.

That’s why I’m announcing our Scribe’s Forge Publisher Workshop. I’m in the process of writing a workbook for Scribe’s Forge Publisher which I hope to have ready for the fall. In the meantime, however, as I am developing the workbook, I’m willing to share all I have learned about online Serial Publishing with you at a 1/3 discount to our anticipated Workshop price. If you’re curious, you can read more about it on the Scribe’s Forge website.

Believe me … this is NOT a ‘get-rich-overnight-tell-your-boss-off-and-buy-an-island-somewhere’ program. However, if you’re a writer who would like to find a way to get your work not only in print but being READ while making money commensurate with your success, you may want to make the investment. Check it out!

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By trhickman, August 9, 2010 1:42 pm

Laura Hickman, Felcia Day and Tracy Hickman in the top secret XDM booth (#1921)

This year’s  Gencon Game Convention held August 5th through 8th in Indianapolis, Indiana, was another smashing success with hundreds of new recruits to Dragonsbard Eventide and XDM, the release of our ‘Quest for the Tavern’ adventure module and visits with celebrities!

Felicia Day, star of ‘Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog’ and her web series sensation ‘The Guild’ made a special effort to visit our XDM booth. She regretted not having been able to make our Killer Breakfast and was delighted to find time in her extremely busy schedule to make her way over to our booth for a visit. After a few moments of mutual geeking out (we appear to be fans of each others work) we presented her with her own copy of XDM: Xtreme Dungeon Mastery which will now personally grace either her library or the back of her storage closet depending on how things go. One thing is certain: Felicia is one of the warmest, genuine and most charming individuals I think I have ever met anywhere.

Bupu and Raistlin visit XDM

Of course, not everything at the convention is all fun and games … well, OK, mostly it IS fun and games since it is primarily a game convention but NOT for us hard working XDM Ultimate Grand Masters! Much of it was about explaining just what is an XDM to game players from around the world who would stop and stare at our booth in wonderment.

These aren't the games you're looking for..."

Thursday was the first day of the convention and was largely occupied with time in our top secret XDM booth which was located on the main aisle and directly across form the Wizards of the Coast booth (thus making us the easiest of the top secret booths to locate). There we had available for the first time the incredible ‘Quest for the Tavern’ adventure module which will soon be available to you for ordering online from our XDM store. We were also giving away Dragonsbard Eventide Bookmarks and signing up new subscribers in the booth through our ‘Where’s Laura?’ special discount program. Howard Tayler spent his time ‘defacing’ everyone’s book and module by drawing a custom character in the back of each on a page left blank especially for the purpose. That evening, Laura and I celebrated in our favorite way … dinner with R. A. Salvatore and his wonderful wife, Diane.

The Top Secret Booth at Gencon (booth #1921)

The members of the Eventide lunch gathering at Gencon

Friday was time to get right down to business with the enthusiastic committing of commerce in our secret booth all morning and a writing seminar as well as the recording of a podcast in the afternoon for DragonHearth. I also managed to take the gathered early subscribers from Dragonsbard Eventide to lunch that day … and it was a delight to relax, talk over the story and get to know each other.

Friday night Laura and I made an appearance at IUPUI (that’s Indiana University – Purdue University Indiana) in Indianapolis where we did a short Killer Dinner and presentation … then tried to get some rest before the big final day at the con!

Saturday brought the premiere XDM event: Killer Breakfast! With a sold-out house of 860 tickets, Howard Tayler on the art board and Laura Hickman hosting the show — we were prepared for a very special Killer Breakfast. This year’s theme was a cross between a December Holiday celebration and a PBS pledge drive. We called it, ‘It’s a Wonderful Gaming Carol.’

Howard Tayler	Killer Players for Breakfast
Grand Master XDM at work. (Photo by Candice Haase)	XDM Laura encourages the mob. (Photo by Canidice Haase)
The Killer Mob (Photo by Candice Haase)	The view down the table. (Photo by Candice Haase)
The family that dungeons together ... (Photo by Candice Haase)	Santa (Frank Mentzer) tells the XDM he is on the 'naughty' list. (Photo by Candice Haase)

An XDM proposal on stage at Killer Breakfast

There were many great moments during the show but perhaps my favorite was when (by secret and special pre-arrangement with the XDM masters) a young XDM’s girlfriend’s character was killed and he leaped up from the table, asking that I kill HIM instead of his girlfriend. proposed marriage to his girlfriend right in the middle of the game. I called them both out in front of the table to consider this act of selfless sacrifice in the middle of Killer Breakfast. I asked the young woman why I should kill her instead of her boyfriend. She said something about suing me. I then turned to her boyfriend and asked why I should kill him instead of her. (This being his cue) he said because I love her and want to marry her!

At which point, as you can see, he knelt down on stage, pulled out the open box with the ring in it and asked her on the spot.

Careful study of the photo will reveal that she has, just moments later, already gripped the box and is responding in the affirmative.

Now, I cannot say that XDM is responsible for gamers actually being able to not only date but actually MARRY beautiful women … but I think that there is evidence here to support that theory.

We finished the day with our XDM seminar where we even showed some secret materials from our XPC: Xtreme Player’s Codex — to secret to share here just yet! All in all … it was a wonderful convention and we are already planning next year’s improvements to make it even better!

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By trhickman, June 15, 2010 3:06 pm

Dungeon Crawlers Radio out of Salt Lake City is a local broadcast/podcast. They graciously allowed me to come and talk with them for what is probably the longest interview I’ve ever done! It was a great deal of fun … and the interview is available both on their website and here for your listening enjoyment!

Dungeon Crawlers Part 1

Dungeon Crawlers Part 2

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By trhickman, May 25, 2010 8:29 am

A Special Invitation…

Available nowhere else! New York Times Best-selling author Tracy Hickman with his wife and partner Laura Hickman, world-renown fantasy authors for over a quarter of a century are writing a fantasy novel exclusively by subscription only!

Dragon’s Bard is an ambitious new project created especially for you by Laura and me. Dragon’s Bard is a series of fantasy novels which we will present directly to you in serial form. Here is how it works…

For less than you would spend on two dates to the movies, you can own something unique. When you subscribe to Dragon’s Bard: Eventide you will receive:

• A new chapter each week! You can look forward to watching the story unfold each week as you receive a download file containing the edited and formatted text of a new chapter written exclusively for our subscribers.
• Private Updates and Insights: What are the challenges and rewards of writing a serialization of a novel? Gain insights into the process through special communiques from the authors via an exclusive ‘subscribers’ only website and forum.
• … And the signed & numbered limited-edition hardback publication of the book! When the book subscription is complete, you will receive your own hardback, limited-edition copy of the book — each one numbered and signed personally by the authors!

This subscription offering is the first of three separate subscriptions which will complete this series. We have prepaid and five-installment subscription plans for both United States and International subscribers. (The only difference between Domestic U.S. plans and International plans are the shipping costs of the book at the end of the subscription.)

Subscribers to this first book will have a priority opportunity to acquire positions in later book subscriptions in this series, thus insuring that when you subscribe now will be able to acquire the complete three-book set.

Order now … once the subscription is sold out this offer will be closed.

The first book, Eventide, will begin with one chapter per week over twenty-plus weeks beginning June 5th. Our plan is to have the finished hardback book in your hands by Christmas — making Eventide a unique holiday gift as well. This subscription is LIMITED … we have a cap on the number of books we can produce, sign and ship. This means that the book you receive at the end of the subscription will be highly collectible — a unique memento of our journey together.

In some ways this is a very old idea brought into a new medium. Charles Dickens wrote his books in a ‘serial’ format very much like this and, if he were alive today, I think this is how he might be writing again. So, we will ‘write like the Dickens’ and produce a unique gift for you. We think YOU should become our publisher and that we should right directly for YOU.

Join us for Eventide … and own a unique gift of fantasy.

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By trhickman, May 10, 2010 7:12 am

My friend Richard Garriott was good enough to share this video with me … and I’d like to share it with you.

Space Monkey from Leo Burnett on Vimeo.

It’s a beautiful message approached in a unique and thoughtful way.