April 14, 2012
First the bad news - last month Geobra Brandstatter contacted me about my book, and I was hopeful they would reconsider licensing it, as the approach was informal and friendly. After a series of meetings however, it was apparent they did not want me to sell the book. Thomas Swift Productions is therefore now a non-commercial venture, and I'm unsure I'll ever be able to complete "The Doomsday Tablet". I am now back in full-time employment, and timewise and financially, it is too massive an undertaking to take on in my spare time. Geobra's decision is therefore a devestating blow to my hopes of making Playmobil my career.
The good news however is that this now means my book can be made available for free to everyone. I decided the best way of doing this - now that books and e-downloads are no longer available, was to convert the book into an audio-visual slideshow to post on Youtube
The other good news is that a friend from Chile has very kindly offered to translate the book into Spanish - making it available to many more Playmo fans. There's a limit to the size of blog entries, so I will give details of how to read the book in my next blog!
Posted by Nic. Posted In : Books
April 13, 2012
Not Thomas Swift related, and not even Playmobil related! Just want to get views up on this video that I uploaded ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5EexwsCEGQ
Posted by Nic. Posted In : Recommendations
April 4, 2012
An exciting day - I've uploaded the test version of Chapter 1 of "The Green Man". The first chapter should be available for everyone to read soon - in English, German, French and Spanish! Expect something new ;)
Posted by Nic. Posted In : On-line Video
March 28, 2012
I promised in the post below that I would give more details about why sales of "The Green Man" have been halted. Unfortunately I'm not yet in a position to report back, but thought I owed everyone an update. Sales of my books are unlikely to recommence, but there are some exciting developments with regard to making the story available to everyone for free on-line. Watch this space!
I hope those of you who have purchased either the printed copy or the download from Ave! Comics will not be disapointed. The money you have spent has helped towards the high costs of making "The Green Man", and you own 'rare' items! Ave! Comics will continue to support those of you who have purchased the electronic version of the books.
I'm also sorry to disapoint those of you who were waiting for the reprint. It may still happen, but in the meantime you'll be able to read "The Green Man" - "L'Homme en Vert' - "Der Grune Mann" on-line.
In terms of the future adventures of Thomas Swift, these are now in doubt. Certainly "The Doomsday Tablet" seems unlikely to come to fruition as I am returning to full time employment, and both funding and time for such an ambitious project are in very short supply! Shorter adventures may ensue, and I'm sure you'll enjoy the new incarnations of "The Green Man".
Posted by Nic. Posted In : Books
March 1, 2012
Both electronic and printed sales of "The Green Man" are on hold for the forseable future. I will have more details at a later date.
Posted by Nic. Posted In : Books
February 24, 2012
Two US sellers have got "The Green Man" for sale on Amazon at £87-£90. I just wanted to say don't break your piggy banks - more copies of the English edition should be available later in the year ;)
I'm not sure what it says about the book, but I'll pretend that if they didn't like the book, they'd be selling it at close or below what they paid for it ;)
Posted by Nic. Posted In : Books
January 30, 2012
A new resource for Playmobil customizers - a gallery of PLAYMOBIL HAIR !
I've focused on bare headed styles, and the list isn't yet comprehensive... but getting there ;) Just klick on the link :)
Playmobil Hair
Posted by Nic. Posted In : Website
January 24, 2012
Find the third in
the series of articles covering basic photo editing techniques in the
'Odds and Ends' page. See how you can make Playmobil car doors open ;)
Posted by Nic. Posted In : Website
January 19, 2012
Although the printed English edition of "The Green Man" is not currently available, there are many French and German versions in stock (- "L'homme en vert" and "Der Grüne Mann"). I've made my first sales since Christmas of those editions in the last few days. Get your orders in!
For those of you who can't wait for a reprint of the English version, remember it's available as an electronic download for your mobile phone / device / tablet. At £3.50 / €4,99, it's very good value. Just follow the links on the shop pages. :)
Posted by Nic.
January 10, 2012
Readers of French may like a humourous children's book written by Estelle Demontrond-Box, who translated "The Green Man" for me. It tackles the subject of bullying and is aimed at 9-12 year olds. It's called "Le Pacted des Bouffons":-
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/le-pacte-des-bouffons/4361689?productTrackingContext=search_results%2Fsearch_shelf%2Fcenter%2F2
It's available both as a paperback or an electronic download, and you can get 25% off if you order before 31 January 2012 using this code:- LULUBOOKUK305
Posted by Nic. Posted In : Recommendations
