Why Two Versions?
As much as I would personally prefer to release everything under the same version, the realities of publishing make it difficult to both have my book available on major platforms and still offer a free version under permissive licensing. To resolve this, I’ve created two versions of every book: a paid Retail Version, which helps support the ongoing development of the series, and a free Creator Version under a permissive license. Both versions have their own ISBNs and contain the same core story content, with differences in available formats and licensing.
Retail Version
This is the version you can buy in stores under traditional copyright. The primary purpose of this version is to support the ongoing development of the series, in addition to having it in a conveniently accessible manner or (if you’re like me) prefer having a physical copy. In addition to the same story content you have in the Creator Version, I include some “bonus features” for you to give you a little something extra for your money.
Formats Available
- EPUB (or similar): The digital publishing format used by the retail sites.
- Physical: Hard or soft cover versions of the books, usually print on demand.
- Audiobook: A version of the book you can listen to.
Bonus Features
See behind the scenes for my books. I talk about the history of each book and how developed over time to become the version you now hold in your hand, in addition to insights into my processes, methods, and writing techniques.
Creator Version
The same story content as the retail version, you’re not missing out on any part of the world here. This version is released for free under a different ISBN with a permissive license attached and is available in a number of digital formats. This also includes a Markdown version which serves as the “source code” for my series as that’s the format I write everything in.
Formats Available
- EPUB: A digital publishing format meant for eReader applications and devices.
- PDF: A common format often used for printing, not intended for editing.
- ODT: An open alternative format to Word documents, ideal for rich text editing.
- MD: The original plain-text Markdown files my books were written in, the “source code”.
Why Creative Commons?
My goal is to let you enjoy my world in whatever manner you like. Tell stories, make artwork, write fan-fiction, whatever you want to do. Creative Commons licensing allows me to have a “copyleft” version to give you that right, so long as you release under the same Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA 4.0) license that is included with the Creator Version or a compatible license. I know how fun it is to play around with my favorite sci-fi settings, so I want you to have the freedom to do the same and even profit from it should you wish. Have fun!
Why Markdown?
Mostly a personal preference, as Markdown allows me to write in plain-text without having to worry about keeping an unwieldy document file from undoing my formatting ever five seconds when I make a change. But beyond the simple efficiency and low storage costs, Markdown is a plain-text markup language which means any computer with a text editor can read it. This makes it universally compatible as you can view it in something as simple as notepad or vim or use something more specific to Markdown formatting like Obsidian or Standard Notes. Releasing my books as a Markdown version lets you work with my files the same way I do, or convert them to whatever you like.
