David Bell's Blog - Posts Tagged "adventure"

So much work to do- writing the new book, illustrating the old one, teaming up on other projects, preparing presentations. No wonder this is only my second blog. But when I get my finger out, it's good fun trying to get it out there. It being the book.

‘The Dog Hunters’ was published as an eBook in July, and due to demand, came out in Paperback shortly afterwards. I was surprised to see the pricier ‘real’ book outsell the digital version by five to one, but that just made me work harder to get it out on the local market.

An outing at Armageddon, NZ’s pulp culture expo, saw a burst in sales (seen by 60,000 attendees), and when I started doing ‘live drawings’, the inevitable question was ‘Will there be an illustrated version?’ This evidence of potential demand coincided with the NZ launch of Kickstarter, the crowd-funding phenomenon that helps creative types get their projects up and running. I was quick to seize the opportunity and many people have already jumped in with pledges to help get the illustrated book, and we should make our modest goal.

From the in-your-face sales experience at Armageddon to amorphous blur of social media, it’s been a fascinating insight into the marketing process on a near zero budget. It’s hard work, and an incredibly steep learning curve, and I’m hoping it all will push the ‘Dog Hunters’ to the next level.

But even if it doesn’t, I’ve made friends with thousands of people round the planet, and maybe I’ll be able to write a new book on self publishing in the digital age.

But first things first- I need to get on with finishing a hundred plus new drawings!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/d...

http://www.davidnbell.com/The_Dog_Hun... - http://www.davidnbell.com/The_Dog_Hun...

http://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=66...

I've just released a part illustrated version for Kindle. I called it 'The Dog Hunters Illuminated', because it lights up! Also to avoid confusing it with the real deal. It features some of the best pics, but by no means all, as the file size would have been too big for the eBook format. You could say it is merely bait for the full bore paperback, but I couldn't possibly comment. However, it is significantly cheaper and faster to get hold of.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NG5TOLW

There is a similar edition available for the iPad through Smashwords, but with the old cover, and it's called 'The Dog Hunters'. You'll find that through iBooks or http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...

Should be live shortly- Illustrated book, text only edition, unique original art and other stuff. Watch this space!!

"You describe The Dog Hunters as ‘the epic retelling of the legend of Gelert the Wolfhound’. Tell us about this legendary dog and why he captured your imagination..."

When I was 6, I read the legend of Gelert the faithful wolfhound on his gravestone in Beddgelert, North Wales, and bawled my eyes out. Gelert’s master, the King, had slewn his old dog thinking he’d killed and eaten his baby, Prince Llewelyn, only to discover that Gelert had killed a ravenous wolf, saving the toddler, who belatedly crawled out safe and sound from under the bloody bedcloths. The legend has it that, having slaughtered his oldest and most loyal friend, the King never smiled again, and the story certainly ruined the rest of my holiday. Years later, I’d been tinkering with a story about a Chinese Emperor who had dogs of different sizes and shapes bred ‘to order’, but I was looking for a more meaningful and personal hook to the story. That’s when it struck me that if the Emperor had heard of the Legend of Gelert, surely he’d want to get his hands on the world’s greatest dog’. It meant rewriting Gelert’s grisly end (yay! I saved Gelert!), but from then on, the story wrote itself and now Gelert has a human protagonist, Prince Llewelyn, now 14 years old, to play with.

http://booknotes-unbound.org.nz/david...

I know I know I know- two years is an awfully long time between books, but it's the drawings that take the time! Plus, Book Three is pretty much finished as far as the writing's concerned. So I'll probably get that out sharpish and then crack on with the pics. Meanwhile, here's the blurb:

The Dog Assassins
The Adventures of Llewelyn and Gelert book Two By David Bell
The Emperor’s finally got his dog:
Rescued from their Jiang kidnappers, Gelert the legendary Wolfhound and Llewelyn Prince of Wales are rushed across the Chinese Empire to witness first hand what absolute power really means: a fearful nation bending to the erratic whim of a reclusive tyrant. The dark corridors of the Emperor’s palace are soon awash with blood, but who’s really in charge, the eunuchs or the generals? And with plans already in place for the invasion of Jiang, will Llewelyn help Feiyan pull off her outrageous plan to assassinate the Emperor? Join our two friends as they meet astonishing new dog breeds, unearth fresh mysteries, and brave the terrors of Gelert’s increasingly rancid farts in this, the second book of the epic adventures of Llewelyn & Gelert.