The following article appears in the new issue of Focus, the BSFA’s magazine for writers:
What I Learned From My First Book Launch
By Gareth L Powell
Elastic Press published my first short story collection, The Last Reef, in August 2008. Now, a year and a half later, I’m looking back at the process of releasing the book, and the lessons it taught me. Continue reading “What I Learned From My First Book Launch”
Following my recent experiment in online short story selling, I am now in a position to offer you a PDF copy of my first short story collection, The Last Reef And Other Stories.
In order to get a PDF copy of the book emailed directly to you from me, simply click on the big yellow button on the right (you may need to scroll up or down a bit).
This will take you to PayPal. All you have to do then is enter your payment details and decide how much you’d like to pay.
Yes, I’m putting the ball in your court. You decide what you think is a fair price for a 60,000 word book, pay me, and I’ll email you a copy.
It’s that simple.
I put a lot of work into this collection and I’m glad to now have the opportunity to make it available to a wider audience.
And as a special bonus, when you order a copy of The Last Reef, I’ll throw in a PDF copy of my short story “What Would Nicolas Cage Have Done?”, which isn’t normally included in the book.
So when placing your order, please remember to include your email address and state whether you’d like me to send you the PDF versions of the book, the short story, or both.
Today, I was told by the manager of the Forbidden Planet store in Bristol that my short story collection reads like “JG Ballard on Prozac”. He meant this as a compliment, and it’s made me determined to read more of Ballard’s work, as this is the second time we’ve been compared.
Yesterday’s email brought with it the first royalty statement from Elastic Press for my short story collection, The Last Reefand Other Stories. Going through the figures, I’m pleased to see that over the past 12 months, the book’s sold out in hardback, and almost sold out in paperback, with only a few copies of the paperback left in the publisher’s warehouse.
My only regret is that Elastic Press have ceased trading, which means there won’t be a second printing.
It’s exactly twelve months since Elastic Press published my collection The Last Reef And Other Stories in hardback and paperback – and so I’m launching a little competition to mark its first birthday.
I have a copy of the book sitting on my desk next to the keyboard as I type, and I’m still incredibly proud of it. Seeing it in print for the first time was the realisation of a lifelong ambition, and the fifteen stories it contains represent the highlights of my journey from unknown writer to Interzone regular, and include some of the best writing I’ve ever done.
I’ll be autographing copies of The Last Reef And Other Stories at Bristolcon in September. If you haven’t already got a copy, this could be one of your last chances to buy one, as it’s almost sold out.
There are a few copies of the paperback in the distributor’s warehouse, so it will be still be available on Amazon for a while – but once those last few copies are gone, that’s it. Elastic Press is closing down, so there won’t be a reprint.
The book will still be available as an eBook from Fictionwise and as an audio book from www.audible.co.uk – but if you want to buy a paper copy, you’d better be quick!
Last year, Eran Cantrell provided the cover art to my short story collection, The Last Reef and Other Stories – which then became the masthead of this website. Now she’s gone one better and illustrated an entire book – this time, the perennial favourite by Lewis Carol. I’ve seen some pages online and they look magnificent.
Writing on Facebook, Eran says:
“I can’t tell you how exciting it is to publish a book for the first time. After several months of working in the margins of my busy school and work schedule, it’s finally available on lulu.com for $9.95. I’m still trying to earn enough money for my final year’s tuition in college, so any revenue is greatly appreciated! I hope you all enjoy how it’s turned out.“
THE LAST REEF
By Gareth L Powell, Elastic Press £5.99
Reviewed by Nicholas Thorburn
Neatly collected for the first time, Gareth L Powell’s short stories quickly invoke a different kind of science fiction, one that is far removed from the likes of Arthur C. Clarke or other “hard sci-fi” contemporaries.
Replacing the cold vacuum of space with dusty vistas, seedy bars, and realities closely resembling our own, Powell instead rallies around his skill at succinctly developing detailed and believable characters.
In this respect the anthology is equally a treatise on both characterization and its exploration of the bizarre. Certainly, The Last Reef is a triumph of identifiable, realistic protagonists. There is of course the typical tech-noir genre fare: weather-beaten archaeologists, cyber-upgraded hackers, homicidal ex-cops et al but each remains accessible and believable.
Structurally centred around several sign-posted stories (concerning the titular Last Reef) involving the odd reoccurring character, Powell’s stories run the gamut from far-flung space adventures (Six Lights off Green Scar) to near-future takes on internet viral-culture (Ack Ack Macaque). The writing is imbued with a faint longing melancholy yet varied in narrative style and arrangement, supporting each new world as it comes whilst keeping things fresh, tangible and fascinating.
Reasonably priced at just over a fiver, I can’t recommend it enough.
This review appears in the latest issue of the British Fantasy Society magazine Prism. Thanks to Andrew Hook for drawing my attention to it.
Following my 
It’s exactly twelve months since 
Last year, Eran Cantrell provided the cover art to my short story collection, The Last Reef and Other Stories – which then became the masthead of this website. Now she’s gone one better and illustrated an entire book – this time, the perennial favourite by Lewis Carol. I’ve seen some pages online and they look magnificent.
