October Articles Available At Sci Fi - Arizona
Michael McCollum
SCI FI - ARIZONA REPORT
October, 1997
We offer this report as a public service for our regular visitors and for
everyone who is interested in science fiction and writing. You can now reach
us by typing http://scifi-az.com, or the usual http://www.scifi-az.com .
WRITER’S WORKSHOP
The Art of Writing Series: "Literary Rights" A 5000 word article that
discusses the evolution of intellectual property rights and reviews the
various rights that flow naturally from the act of setting words down on
paper. The article gives you advice on situations to avoid and talks about
strategies to follow in order to maximizes your writing income.
The Art of Science Fiction Series: "Building an Interplanetary Civilization:
Travel Between Worlds." We continue our multi-part series on building
an interplanetary civilization this month. This time we discuss the
orbital paths between worlds and the various technologies on which a science
fiction writer can build a believable interplanetary society.
WE NOW HAVE ALL OUR ARTICLES ONLINE IN THE ARCHIVE PAGE
Several times each month I receive emails from users inquiring where they can
obtain the earlier articles in "The Art of Writing" and "The Art of Science
Fiction" series. These are the articles that have been taken offline to make
room for newer offerings. And, of course, there is another reason why these
earlier articles are no longer available. Simply put, after spending eight to
sixteen hours each month writing them, I had hoped to eventually make some
money from my labors. The problem was that no practical funding mechanism for
selling individual articles has existed ... until now!
As with everything else related to the Internet, that situation has changed
dramatically for the better. Sci Fi - Arizona is proud to announce the
addition of the Micro Money Corporation iMicros payment system to our
repertoire of payment options. With iMicros, you no longer have to worry about
your credit card number falling into the wrong hands. All that is required is
that you visit the iMicros site and open up an account using a super secure,
encrypted data link. They will fill your account with "iMicros," electronic
money you can then use to purchase things at numerous sites across the web.
If you are interested in any past article, you can obtain it for the low cost
of $1.00 (100 iMicros) by merely clicking on the link in the Archive Page
http://www.scifi-az.com/archive.htm. Please visit and observe what commerce
is going to be like all over the Internet in the future!
FREE FICTION
We have added a FREE FICTION page that includes all of the short stories and
novel excerpts that can be downloaded for free from the site. The Free
Fiction page is in response of your suggestions that we make it easier to find
these resources.
Novel excerpts have been expanded to a minimum of three chapters
(approximately 10,000 words). Now you can be really sure that you like a
novel before downloading it or purchasing the hard copy book.
ART GALLERY
Since it went online in mid-June, the art gallery has proven to be our most
successful feature. Don Dixon's paintings of other worlds, both real and
imagined, have made it possible for many people to experience the beauty of
the universe. His spacescapes have graced over 60 book covers, scores of
magazines, and are in the collections of Ray Bradbury and Larry Niven. We are
extremely proud that he has chosen to exhibit his work in the Sci Fi - Arizona
Art Gallery. You can download images and use them for wallpaper, or else
purchase a high quality print signed by the artist.
The first thing I did as soon as we had the gallery operational was order one
of his prints. It is now hanging on the wall in my office, and has elicited
numerous comments from my coworkers. If you enjoy space art the way I do,
then you will want to see the nine prints currently in the gallery. And in
the coming weeks and months, we will rotate the prints frequently.
WE NOW HAVE REAL BOOKS!
We have something new and unique at our virtual bookstore -- REAL BOOKS! As a
result of numerous requests, Sci Fi - Arizona is now offering hard copy books
of the novels you have been downloading as electronic files for the past six
months. The books are similar to large format trade paperbacks in size, but
much closer to hard cover books in quality. If you find that you have trouble
reading your PC in bed, then we have the solution for you – a new miracle
material for pixel display called PAPER!!!
GIFT BOOKS UPGRADED
Our limited edition novels in which you specify the names of the characters
have also been upgraded. The gift shop books have improved art and binding.
They have also been reduced 50% from their original price.