Author Archive for liam

Publishers Weekly features Media Meltdown

Published on October 22, 2009 in Media Meltdown and Press. 0 Comments

media-meltdown-pwWhen we decided to offer Media Meltdown as a free download, we hoped it’d catch some attention. In one week, we crashed the server and at last count have given away over 25,000 free downloads. This week, Publishers Weekly ran a great piece on Media Meltdown, calling the free download an “online feeding frenzy”.

They also spoke to Orca Editor Andrew Woolridge about the whole thing:

Unlike some authors who remain wary of undermining sales with free digital releases, Wooldridge said the the Graphic Guide creative team approached him about doing the free promotion: “The author asked us to give the free promotion a try,” said Wooldridge, who was encouraged by the gesture. “There’s a hunger for material like this,” he said. “Teachers see the book online or see the Web site and it all leads to book sales.” Indeed, while Orca is conservative with its print runs, Wooldridge said the first three books have averaged sales of about 25,000 copies.

Read the whole story at Publishers Weekly.

12,000 Media Meltdown downloads melt website

Published on October 10, 2009 in Media Meltdown. 0 Comments

dl-mm-4-freeWhen my publisher and I started offering a free full download of Media Meltdown, the latest Graphic Guide Adventure last week, we figured it’d generate a bit of interest. We didn’t figure we’d burn through our bandwidth and break the website in the first week!

Since October 1st, http://mediameltdown.net has had over 52,000 visits and over 12,000 copies of Media Meltdown have been downloaded. When an average new Canadian children’s book is published, there usually only about 5000 copies printed, so these numbers not only melted our server they melted my head too! I couldn’t be happier that so many people are reading Media Meltdown and meeting Pema, Bounce and all the other characters for the first time.

And we’re not done yet. You can still get your free copy of Media Meltdown by heading over to http://mediameltdown.net and following the links.

Just try not to break the server. Okay?

Media Meltdown free download a hit

Published on October 3, 2009 in Media Meltdown. 0 Comments

mm_freeSince Thursday’s launch of the free download of Media Meltdown, hundreds of people have grabbed their very own copy of the latest Graphic Guide Adventure. Kids, adults, educators, grandmas, grandpas and probably a few raccoons are now roaring their way through Bounce and Pema’s latest adventure. And you can too! One click will get you a free copy of Media Meltdown. And when you’re at mediameltdown.net, check out the media quizes, games and other free stuff that’ll make you a media master.

Download Media Meltdown for free

Published on September 27, 2009 in Media Meltdown. 6 Comments

mm_free

I’m totally excited to announce that on October 1st Media Meltdown will not only be landing in bookstores across Canada but also available as a free download to anyone who wants it.

We’re not talking just a few chapters or a sample of rough work, it’s a FULL free download of the final printed edition for you to enjoy, keep and share. You’ll have to wait until October 1st to download your free copy, but for now you can preview the full graphic novel and get started on the adventure. If you like what you read and want your own papery copy, then head over to Orca Books and fill up your cart.

At the heart of Media Meltdown is a battle for control of the messages we all see and hear every day. It’s a struggle between young upstarts who want to get the truth out and the power holders who like things just the way they are.

I think it’s a fun story (I wrote it, so I am a bit biased), but it’s also a very important message that is crucial to the ongoing struggle for control the media that we all own. To help this message reach the most eyes and ears, myself , Mike Deas and the great folks at Orca decided to release Media Meltdown into the mediascape for free to see where it goes and who finds it and in hopes that it inspires other media makers to jump in and take part in the meltdown.

Enjoy!