# CYBERDROME: A High-Tech Science Fiction Thriller (FREE TODAY 10/5/13)



## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

*A disturbing glimpse into a digital future, not far from now.*

Mathew Grey is a brilliant scientist who accidentally unleashed a man-made plague 
that ravaged America's heartland, and now threatens the rest of the planet. Riddled 
with guilt and running out of time, he decides to use a dangerous technology to 
enter a computer-generated reality called Cyberdrome, hoping to unravel a mystery 
that could be the key to Earth's survival.

Alek Grey was an athlete whose career was cut short by a near-fatal accident. 
Now he is a software hacker with the unique ability to outsmart the best Artificial 
Intelligence programs of his day. When he is called in after one of his programs 
inadvertently attacks Cyberdrome, he is shocked to learn that both his father and 
ex-fiancée have become trapped inside the simulation, unable to be removed 
without risk of death.

Alek knows of only one way to rescue the people he loves, but will he risk all of 
humanity to save them?
*  
CYBERDROME 
by Joseph Rhea and David Rhea








*
United States: www.amazon.com/dp/B0012Q6G5Y
United Kingdom: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0012Q6G5Y
Canada: www.amazon.ca/dp/B0012Q6G5Y
Germany: www.amazon.de/dp/B0012Q6G5Y
France: www.amazon.fr/dp/B0012Q6G5Y
Spain: www.amazon.es/dp/B0012Q6G5Y
Italy: www.amazon.it/dp/B0012Q6G5Y
Japan: www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0012Q6G5Y
Brazil: www.amazon.com.br/dp/B0012Q6G5Y


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Joseph--

Welcome to KindleBoards and congratulations on your book and your first post!

I've added an image link to the Kindle edition of your book.  It looks really interesting.

We invite you to use your book cover as your avatar and have links to your book and website in your signature. Although self-promotion is limited to the Book Bazaar, most of our authors have found the best way to promote their books is to be as active throughout KindleBoards as time allows. This is your target audience--book lovers with Kindles!

Thanks for being part of KindleBoards! Feel free to PM us if you have any questions.

Betsy & Ann
Book Bazaar Moderators

_The fine print:
Please add to this thread when you have news about your book rather than start a new one, it helps the members who are trying to follow you. You may have a separate thread for each of your books. You may respond to all posts, but if there have been no member posts, we ask that you wait a week before "bumping" the thread by posting back-to-back posts of your own. And we ask that Amazon reviews not be repeated here as they are easy to find at your book link. Also, full reviews from other sites should not be posted here, but you may post a short blurb and a link to the full review instead. All this, and more, is included in our Forum Decorum. From time to time our site rules may change; be sure to check Forum Decorum for the current guidelines and rules. _


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Thank you for the warm welcome, Ann, and also for adding my Kindle book image.  
I am not here just to plug my book and am genuinely interested in helping all ebook and Indie authors with their pursuits. 
I see ebooks as the reading choice of the 21st century and I think the Kindle is the first, and best, step in that direction. 

Sincerely,
Joseph Rhea


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## Lynn McNamee (Jan 8, 2009)

JosephRhea said:


> 1) Just how important are "product tags" at amazon?
> 2) Regarding Amazon's rating system, is it better to have a hundred ratings averaging out to 4-stars, or a dozen 5-star ratings? In other words is a higher rating more important than more ratings?


1. I have heard that the 'tags' make your book come up higher on searches.

2. It's much better, IMHO, to have lots of reviews all over the spectrum. All 5 star reviews makes them appear to be 'fake'. I'm not saying that's true of anyone, just repeating what I have heard from other readers.


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

JosephRhea said:


> 2) Regarding Amazon's rating system, is it better to have a hundred ratings averaging out to 4-stars, or a dozen 5-star ratings? In other words is a higher rating more important than more ratings?


As a reader, I actually often prefer 4-star reviews to 5-star. So many 5-star reviews just say, OMG, this is the bestest book ever, everyone should read it!!!! I almost always look at the lowest-rated review(s) to see what that person didn't like about the book, and that is helpful information to decide whether or not _I_ would like the book. I would be much more likely to try a book that is a solid 4-stars with many intelligent reviews than a book with just a few 5-star reviews that don't tell me anything.


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## Carol Hanrahan (Mar 31, 2009)

Where have I been?  I just read the beginning of the first chapter of this.  It looks really good, and the writing excellent.  1-clicked!
(Now my TBR list is a little long, so I can't promise when I'll get to it)  

Might want to modify your thread title to reflect the 0.99 price.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Carol Hanrahan said:


> Where have I been? I just read the beginning of the first chapter of this. It looks really good, and the writing excellent. 1-clicked!
> (Now my TBR list is a little long, so I can't promise when I'll get to it)
> 
> Might want to modify your thread title to reflect the 0.99 price.


Thanks Carol!
JR


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Since I tend to avoid "direct marketing" of my book (preferring to just chat about writing and let others find me that way) I forgot I even started this thread - my first one here on KindleBoards. Also, since the moderators recommend you promote yourself once a week using your original post, I am about 8 weeks behind, so I'd better get started. 

So, I finally went to see *James Cameron's movie, "Avatar"* last weekend, and saw first hand what many reviewers have been telling me since it opened. There are so many similarities between Cyberdrome and Avatar that my chances of ever getting a film deal are nearly zero now. Anyone reading my film treatment will say, "been there, done that--by Cameron!"

Similarities include a protagonist in a wheelchair (who uses an avatar to escape his confinement and ends up wanting to stay in his new body), an interface room that is nearly identical in both design and function from what my brother and I created 10 years ago, and Pandora's inhabitants look like a cross between my Blue Sentinels and a cat-like creature I call a CeeAut. Other similarities include a aircraft called a Dragon, and a drop ship that is functionally identical to one of our aircraft. There are numerous others, but you get the idea...

Now, I'm not saying that James Cameron--or one of his CGI designers--ever read our book or even saw some of the many images we have had online during the past 12 years (at www.cyberdrome.org), but the existing similarities will kill a potential film deal unless I rewrite the whole thing. So, thanks Jim! Thanks a lot! 

So, to turn this thing around and make a bad thing into a good thing, if you liked Avatar, maybe you should give Cyberdrome some consideration. On the flip side, if you did NOT like Avatar, maybe you will like Cyberdrome, because, even with the technical similarities, the actual stories are quite different (and you read books because of the story right?) 

Anyone else faced a similar dilemma where a new book or movie featured elements of your own book, making your original story look like a copy of theirs? (*Thank goodness for copyright dates!*)


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

Ooh..._bummer!_ 

Y'know, though, this might help you in some ways. As Avatar fandom swells, many more readers might find you. I hope that's the case. Your story is no doubt very different, even though there are almost too many similarities for comfort. Fiddlesticks!

I think we all harbor fears that someone somewhere is coming up with the same ideas we are. You're right...thank heavens for copyright dates!

Well, WE all know you were the first!

'Cyberdrome--often imitated, but never equalled. Buy the original here!'


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

archer said:


> Ooh..._bummer!_
> 
> Y'know, though, this might help you in some ways. As Avatar fandom swells, many more readers might find you. I hope that's the case. Your story is no doubt very different, even though there are almost too many similarities for comfort. Fiddlesticks!
> 
> ...


Thanks for the positive words (again!), Archer.

I had a similar problem back in 1999 when I had an older version of Cyberdrome online when "The Matrix" first came out. During the next 6 months I had numerous comments calling my story a Matrix rip-off, which of course was silly, since I had my story online a year earlier. But, I dealt with it, and even changed my story to make it less-matrix-like. I guess it is my fault for taking so long to complete the book, but it's something I have learned to deal with. It is really weird however, how many things in Avatar look like they were copied (or "inspired") by images from my book, but whether it was or not, it is certainly not something I would ever peruse legally. That's not how I want to make a name for myself, if you know what I mean. Plus, when you put things online for everyone to see, you can't complain if someone important sees them, and is inspired by them. I have been inspired by every book I have ever read and movie I have ever watched, so I would be hypocritical to complain.

Also, as you say, maybe I can use the similarities to boost my own sales--not that I'm complaining since sales of the Kindle version of Cyberdrome have been averaging 10 copies a day for the past 3 months, which considering it's a science fiction Indie book (smaller readership) and priced at $2.99 (inexpensive, but not _giving it away for a dollar_), is something I'm quite happy with...

Anyway, thanks again for posting!


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

Well, you have LOTS of fans who know your work is original. I like scifi, and I'm going to add your book to my Kindle collection.
Too many people enjoy using the word 'rip-off'. You're exactly right...we are ALL inspired by those who have gone before. I'm looking forward to reading Cyberdrome!


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

archer said:


> Well, you have LOTS of fans who know your work is original. I like scifi, and I'm going to add your book to my Kindle collection.
> Too many people enjoy using the word 'rip-off'. You're exactly right...we are ALL inspired by those who have gone before. I'm looking forward to reading Cyberdrome!


Thank you again, Archer. 
I spent a year rewriting the first act to make Cyberdrome more accessible to a wider "non-SF" audience, so hopefully an established fantasy author like yourself will be able to enjoy it. Actually, I must have done something right, since one reader just last week told me that "parts of it felt like a fairy tale, rather than a more sophisticated scifi." I made a decision to write Cyberdrome as a classic "Mythological Hero's Journey" (See Joseph Campbell's "The Hero with a Thousand Faces"). As Carl Jung said, "The repeating characters of the hero myth, such as the young hero, the wise old man, the shape-shifting woman, and the shadowy nemesis, are identical with the archetypes of the human mind, as shown in dreams. That's why myths, and stories constructed on the mythological model, are always psychologically true." If you are familiar with this concept (and I'm sure you are), you will probably recognize each of these archetypes throughout my book.

I should also add here that I am in the middle of your novel, Elfhunter (Elfhunter: A Tale Of Alterra, The World That Is), and I have to say you have crossed the same boundary that I tried to, by writing a true fantasy novel that can be enjoyed by a traditionally hard-science fiction reader like myself. Kudos to you!


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## Guest (Mar 2, 2010)

911jason said:


> Of course! I stole it from http://forums.49ers.com/messageboard/misc.php?do=showsmilies


awesome ....!


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## cheerio (May 16, 2009)

heard this might be free coming up, im in for free


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## Emily King (Jun 9, 2009)

cheerio said:


> heard this might be free coming up, im in for free


It's definitely worth paying for, so go for it!  Seriously... it's only $2. Or, try a sample first to see if you like it.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

EKing said:


> It's definitely worth paying for, so go for it!  Seriously... it's only $2. Or, try a sample first to see if you like it.


Emily, 
I owe you (and Peter Salisbury) a great deal for your numerous kind words regarding the book.
Thank you again!
JR


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## Emily King (Jun 9, 2009)

It's really no problem - I genuinely enjoyed your book and don't mind telling people about it.  

I also have a hard time understanding why people want something for free, when it only would cost $2 in the first place.  That's half of a foo-foo coffee at Starbucks, or even loose change, for many hours of enjoyment (or more if you're a re-reader like I am).  

Out of curiosity, are there any other books in the works??


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

EKing said:


> It's really no problem - I genuinely enjoyed your book and don't mind telling people about it.
> 
> I also have a hard time understanding why people want something for free, when it only would cost $2 in the first place. That's half of a foo-foo coffee at Starbucks, or even loose change, for many hours of enjoyment (or more if you're a re-reader like I am).
> 
> Out of curiosity, are there any other books in the works??


Emily
Regarding other books in the works: Cyberdrome was written as the first half of a two-part story (that's why I left Alek and the other in the situation they were in at the end of the book (don't want to spoil it for anyone). The second book is fully outlined (in excessive detail) but not started yet and it will take Alek and Maya to places you can't imagine. I am also working on another novel and a short story, both taking place in the far future on an ocean-planet (a planet cover entirely by water), and also another short story taking place in a post-apocalyptic near future (this one I might also try writing as a screenplay.)

What I need is for Cyberdrome to become so popular that it will be optioned as a movie, so that I can afford to go on a 2-year sabbatical from my career job and finish all of these writing projects. Is that asking too much?


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## Emily King (Jun 9, 2009)

How much is it going to cost in iBooks? I know I can read it in the kindle app on the ipad but the shelf in iBooks looks so empty!


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

EKing said:


> How much is it going to cost in iBooks? I know I can read it in the kindle app on the ipad but the shelf in iBooks looks so empty!


Hi Emily
I am keeping all digital version of Cyberdrome as $2.99 across the board (though I may have a sale now and then). Also, both the Kindle version and Smashwords ePub version (for Sony eReader, Apple iPad, and most other readers) are near-exact copies of my paperback, including all section-break graphics and more importantly, the 20-page CGI image gallery at the end (for those who like seeing some of the machines and locations described in the book.) I think it helps to let people know that the book is the exact same price and the exact same "look" wherever you get it and for whatever eReader you use. That's just me...
Thanks for asking!
Joe


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## liannallama (May 29, 2009)

Thanks for making me smile and saving everyone a dollar so we can all have nicely-manicured hands!


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Hi Gang,
As I was doing my taxes this week I realized that I've already made more money off my book in the past 3 months than I thought I would make in the entire year (this was just supposed to be a pay-for-itself-hobby). So, I've decided to "give back" to the community who helped make this happen by lowering the price of Cyberdrome to *$1.99* for a while. If you haven't heard of it yet, it's a science fiction thriller that's been compared to a number of movies like TRON, The Matrix, and even Avatar, but it's actually quite different from any of them. Don't take my word for it--check out the reviews, download a sample, and see links below for more information.

Thanks all!
Joseph Rhea

Links: 
Amazon: www.amazon.com/CYBERDROME-ebook/dp/B0012Q6G5Y
Smashwords: www.smashwords.com/books/view/7021 ( use coupon code MH98T )
Website: www.cyberdrome.org


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

I got my copy a while back.
Have now started to read this book.
I am about a third of the way into it.
Very innovative and well-thought out.

Definite Tron overtones.

Will provide a review here when I am finished.

Just sayin......


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

geoffthomas said:


> I got my copy a while back.
> Have now started to read this book.
> I am about a third of the way into it.
> Very innovative and well-thought out.
> ...


I appreciate the comments, Geoff, and looking forward to reading your review.
With the new Tron sequel coming out this December, maybe it finally won't be so bad to be compared to the original movie! Although from the trailer I saw a few days ago, it seems like the sequel is almost a derivation of my book (hacker son enters cyberspace looking for his father, etc.) Luckily I have the copyright date to keep people from saying I copied the new movie as well.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

As I stated last week, I lowering the price of my science fiction thriller, Cyberdrome, down to 99 cents. This price is good for both the DRM-free Amazon Kindle version and the Smashwords Epub version (using coupon code WV76R). I am promising here in writing that I will keep it at this price until at least June (when the new royalty changes go into effect.) Go to www.Cyberdrome.org to see all the buying options (you can even buy a DTB version if you want!  )

Other than bumping this thread once a week or so (or stopping by just to chat), I won't be doing any more promoting on any of the forums, (going to be spending my tiny amount of free time working on the next project) so if you are one of the nearly 1,400 nice people who have already downloaded the book in the past 4 months, please tell others if you liked it. I will be returning the favor for all of my favorite Indie books as well!

Finally, I would greatly appreciate it if someone would take a moment to add my book the *Master list of free & under $1 titles available from Amazon* thread located at the top of this board (authors are not supposed to add their own books to the list). Thanks in advance.

Cheers all, and thanks!
Joe


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Hey Joe,
I finished the book.
Terrific read.
And one that leave plenty of room for future stories.
Have you a sequel in mind?

Just sayin.....


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

geoffthomas said:


> Hey Joe,
> I finished the book.
> Terrific read.
> And one that leave plenty of room for future stories.
> ...


Hi Geoff.
I'm glad you liked the book and I appreciate that you took the time to mention it here.
Most people don't, I think. Almost every week I stumble upon a website that lists my book as one of their favorites, and yet they never reviewed it. Then again, word-of-mouth and on-the-net "praise" is probably much better than just adding a quick Amazon review and then forgetting about it.

To answer your question, Yes, there is a sequel planned. When I originally outlined Cyberdrome, I also outlined (in detail) the conclusion of Alek's "adventures in cyberspace." I planned it as a 2-part story rather than the usual trilogy, simply because in most trilogies, the middle book is usually either a disappointing "filler" book, or just the first part of a long 2-part second book. In other words, the 2nd and 3rd books should be combined into one. I chose to be more "honest" and just complete the story in the 2nd book. *However*, if someone offered me a 10-book deal to write a series, I have literally hundreds of ideas for those happy "filler" books (there are nearly a hundred new worlds left to visit, after all) and wouldn't mind saving the concluding chapter until book 10. 

Thanks again for posting...


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Joe,
Thanks for the follow-up.
It is great to know that you will have another book in this series.

I am of the opinion that if you continue to write, just like Robin Hobb, you will find people who discover the series around book 6 need to go back and read volume 1.  

Just sayin.....


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

geoffthomas said:


> Joe,
> Thanks for the follow-up.
> It is great to know that you will have another book in this series.
> 
> ...


I was that way with Stephen R. Donaldson - someone gave me "The Runes of the Earth" (4th in the The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series) for my birthday back in 1980. Then I had to go back and read the first 3 books while waiting the the 5th to be published. Stayed with him until the end of the series (which apparently isn't over, now that he restarted the series in 2004).

Wish I had the spare time to be so prolific! I also have another major novel-series bouncing around in my head, plus two short stories I am trying to finish and get published this year... So many words, so little time!


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Joe,
Please write them......all of them.

Just sayin....


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

geoffthomas said:


> Joe,
> Please write them......all of them.
> 
> Just sayin....


I'll do my best 
and thanks again for posting, Geoff!

Still hoping someone will resubmit Cyberdrome to the *Master list of free & under $1 titles available from Amazon* at the top of the Kindleboards threads (authors aren't allowed to). It was there several times before but just needs to be resubmitted now that I've gone back to 99 cents.

Just go to http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,16096.0.html
and post something short like:

Please add the following to your list:
Cyberdrome by Joseph Rhea and David Rhea [Science Fiction Thriller]
link: http://www.amazon.com/CYBERDROME-ebook/dp/B0012Q6G5Y

Thanks in advance to anyone who does this for me!


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

I posted the message.
Happy to do so.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

geoffthomas said:


> I posted the message.
> Happy to do so.


Thanks again, Geoff.
I owe you several favors (or beers)!


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Just keep writing.


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## Imogen Rose (Mar 22, 2010)

Joseph, your Cyberdrome link doesn't work for me.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

I Rose said:


> Joseph, your Cyberdrome link doesn't work for me.


Thanks Imogen!
I'm a dork. Fixed the link above.
also here: Cyberdrome


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## kae (May 3, 2010)

I 1-clicked it.
Can't wait to read!


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

kae said:


> I 1-clicked it.
> Can't wait to read!


Thanks for the purchase, and the post, kae.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Over 1,700 ordinary people have been pulled into Cyberdrome this year!

Will you be next?










Winner of the 2008 PODBRAM Award for "Best Science Fiction Novel of the Year" and now
available in eBook format for the Amazon Kindle, B&N Nook, Sony Reader, Apple iPad, and
others. Go here to learn more.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

It's kind of odd that while I'm selling 8-10 copies of the Kindle version of Cyberdrome every single day, I still get really excited when someone buys the paperback.
It's not that I favor the DTB over the ebook, it's just that while I appreciate the fact that over 1,700 people have bought the Kindle version for between $0.99 and $2.99 since last December, it's just amazing that there are 5-6 people per month spending nearly $15 on the paperback (plus shipping). That's much more of a "commitment" in my mind, and the fact that most of my 16 reviews came from readers of the paperback (in fact, 10 of the 11 5-star reviews were from paperback readers) seems to confirm this.

Still, while I am making almost no royalty selling the Kindle version at 99 cents (about a dime per book after taxes and splitting the remaining profit with my coauthor) I do appreciate that almost all of my "free advertising" has come from Kindle owners (the book is on more than a dozen Amazon lists and almost 30 other personal websites and blogs according to Google Alerts). 

With all of this, is it bad that I still value those few DTB sales so much? Isn't a "sale just a sale" no matter who bought it and what they paid?


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

I wish I was selling 8-10 copies a day. Right now, I wish I were selling one a day.


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

Joe,

10 sales a day is 3650 a year.

That's awesome.

I like to see my paperback sell, too.  It scrapes along, selling 20-25 copies a month, and that's fine.  I'm continually shocked that it sells at all, because of its length / price ratio.  But I am much more pleased that the Kindle sales are bulking up my total readers.  

Think of it this way: when you release your next book, the Amazon recommendation engine will push that book at all of your existing Kindle readers.  So you might get a snowball effect.

I think that with your positive reviews you might be surprised at the staying power your title would show if you raised the Kindle price to $2.99.  My sales only fell about 20% moving from 99 cents to $2.99.  That would change your per-sale royalty picture quite a bit, particularly in July.  Then I think a lot of the distinction between Kindle sales and DTB sales in your mind might start to go away.  It's easy to think of the Kindle sales as being "not real" when you only get 10 cents for them.


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

Everybody's different, I guess.  For me the paperback sales are just the cherry on top of the Kindle sales. The fact I could put out a Kindle book on Amazon was what made me indie publish at all. That said, I'm reconsidering my thought of publishing other books only for Kindle and thinking about putting all future book out in both Kindle and paperback. The thing is that there is cost to even POD publishing of a paperback, but since I'm in the black now on having done it for my mystery (considering the POD venture separately there have been enough paperback sales to pay for everything I spent on putting the POD book out), it doesn't look so unappealing to do for other books.

As to the 8-10 a day thing - it's just human nature to always want more. For instance in my horse show experience, you start out just wanting to get in and out of the show ring without making a fool of yourself. Then you win your first ribbon and nothing short of winning a ribbon is enough. Then you win a first place and nothing short of a first place is enough. Then you win your first championship... you get the idea.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Thanks for the comments, everyone.
Kindleboards is one of the few place I post to these days, because I consider it one of the few remaining "safe havens" where writers can chat and not be accused of secretly trying to sell something just because you mention your book. We are writers, after all, talking about our books is what we do (when we're not writing them) 

Now, just to make it clear about my last post, I'm not actually being greedy and wanting more sales than what I am currently getting. 
My book has been out for over two years now and only in the past 6 months have sales taken off like this.

My point was more that I find it odd that I seem to care more about the few paperback sales per month than the many hundreds of Kindle sales, and I was wondering if anyone else felt the same. I don't think it's because I think physical books are more "real" and somehow selling them makes me a "real" author. I actually think it is just the difference in price. I know I "one-click" cheap Kindle books all the time--it's so fast and easy and maybe I will read those books, and maybe I won't (they only cost a buck, so no real loss). However, when I spend $15 or more on a paperback, knowing that I will have pay shipping and then wait several days for it to arrive, I think much more carefully about it. I am pickier about paperbacks, you might say.

Now, for those of you who have gone all the way over the the "dark side" and only buy ebooks, this might not make sense to you. 
I'm just not there yet. 

Anyway, thank for commenting and allowing me to blather on some more...


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## David McAfee (Apr 15, 2010)

Yes. You are crazy.

I'm averaging 3-4 sales per day. 10 sales in one day is actually my record.

So !


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

David McAfee said:


> Yes. You are crazy.
> 
> I'm averaging 3-4 sales per day. 10 sales in one day is actually my record.
> 
> So !


David,
The difference is that you are selling 33AD for $2.99, which is 3 times the price (and royalty payment) as my book. 
So, you are currently making as much, if not more, money than I am per day.

Also, this brings me back to my point, which is; does a higher priced sale mean more to you than a cheaper sale?
An extreme example would be this: Author "A" gives his book away for free and hundreds of people download it in the first week, compared to author "B" who charges $9.99 for his book and 10 people buy it during the same period. Who is more successful? More people "might" read author A's book, but that is not a given. However, you can bet nearly everyone who shelled out $10 for author B's book will read it. I also believe a higher percentage of the people who read B's book will like it, because it probably was NOT an impulse buy. As I stated before, nearly all of my top reviews came from people who paid $15 for the paperback, compared to very few from the 1,700 Kindle readers so far.


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## David McAfee (Apr 15, 2010)

It depends on your goal. If your goal is simply to be read, then the free books are a good way to go about it. However, I would like to someday make a living at this, which means I need to charge. I also think that $2.99 is a reasonable price, especially considering I paid* a lot * for my cover and need to make it back. I also bought a block of ISBNs, paid the printer for distribution, mailed out a ton of review copies (which I also paid for), etc. etc.

I also want to know if the book can compete at $2.99 in a world of $.99 and free books.


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## P.A. Woodburn (May 22, 2010)

I don't click on a book because it's only 0.99. True that is very little, but I don't want to clutter my site up with hundreds of TBRs. I don't really see much difference between 0.99 and 2.99. I do look at the genre and the sample . If the book is in a genre I never read I probably won't buy unless the author is a spectacular friend. I use the same decision making process for free books. I have only bought I think one free book so far, from JA Konrath. I have also paid for one or two of his books and even bought a hard copy of one.

When I buy JA Konrath books I'm not sure if I'm buying because I can't live without that book or because I want to see what's causing all the hype. Sometimes I do buy books because of hype. I agree that however many you sell you will want to sell more. There are many books that I intend to purchase and have not yet one so. I don't think I'm answering your question so I'll shut up.

A bit more - I in no way intend to offend Mr Konrath I have read a couple of his books that I couldn't put down and will likely read all in time. 
Ann


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

David McAfee said:


> It depends on your goal. If your goal is simply to be read, then the free books are a good way to go about it. However, I would like to someday make a living at this, which means I need to charge. I also think that $2.99 is a reasonable price, especially considering I paid* a lot * for my cover and need to make it back. I also bought a block of ISBNs, paid the printer for distribution, mailed out a ton of review copies (which I also paid for), etc. etc.
> 
> I also want to know if the book can compete at $2.99 in a world of $.99 and free books.


I think $2.99 is a perfectly reasonable price for an Indie novel, and that is what I have been calling my book's "list" price all year. Actually, it is still a "steal" compared to what publishers are charging for books of comparable size.

However, I noticed a few months ago that all of the Indie books that ranked higher than mine (in my genres of high-tech science fiction and technothrillers) were selling for $0.99, and I realized that I had to make a decision. Following the old adage, "if you can't beat them..." I finally decided to "join them" and went to $0.99 as well. I'm hoping that when the royalty structure changes at the end of this month, most authors will go back to that price, and we can all play in a more "balanced field," if you know what I mean. It would be nice if in a few months from now, the only Kindle offerings priced at $0.99 will be short stories and novelettes.


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## David McAfee (Apr 15, 2010)

Joseph Rhea said:


> It would be nice if in a few months from now, the only Kindle offerings priced at $0.99 will be short stories and novelettes.


I have 3 short stories I am going to put up on Kindle this month for free. They range in length from 1.5K to 3.5K so I just can't see charging for them.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

David McAfee said:


> I have 3 short stories I am going to put up on Kindle this month for free. They range in length from 1.5K to 3.5K so I just can't see charging for them.


David
It's usually considered "easier" to sell short stories to magazines than novels to publishers, so have you considered submitting yours (rather than putting them on the Kindle for free)? Not much money in it, but the exposure could be priceless if you get accepted! Just wondering...

I am in the midst of writing 3 short stories right now and I plan to go the magazine route when I finish.


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## David McAfee (Apr 15, 2010)

Joseph Rhea said:


> David
> It's usually considered "easier" to sell short stories to magazines than novels to publishers, so have you considered submitting yours (rather than putting them on the Kindle for free)? Not much money in it, but the exposure could be priceless if you get accepted! Just wondering...
> 
> I am in the midst of writing 3 short stories right now and I plan to go the magazine route when I finish.


All 3 of these are previously published by my former publisher. As such, very few magazines will even look at them.


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## Emily King (Jun 9, 2009)

Joseph, you already know I loved your book and I would definitely have paid $2.99 for it (I got it a while back when you had it for $0.99).

David, I just posted on your other thread about your book.  I haven't read it, but hubby enjoyed it.

I think free is great and more people will download your books, but frankly I can't remember the last freebie I read.  They're on my kindle, but certainly not at the top of the TBR pile. I always sample books before being, regardless of price. Formatting is a really big deal to me. I think there are different "classes" of Indie books. If you've done a fabulous job with your formatting, grammar, etc. then you can definitely charge a higher price. 

Both of your books are very well done and are fairly priced at $2.99. Actually, David, hubby's response when I told him the price of yours was, "Really? That's it?"

There... My opinion, for what it's worth.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

EKing said:


> Joseph, you already know I loved your book and I would definitely have paid $2.99 for it (I got it a while back when you had it for $0.99).
> 
> David, I just posted on your other thread about your book. I haven't read it, but hubby enjoyed it.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Emily!
And if David McAfee happens to stop by and read your post, I'm sure he will thank you too!


Nothing new to add to my once-per-week post here. The book is selling quite well with no help from me, so I'll just stay out of the way. 
New cover coming out at the end of the month, and I'll be curious to see how that affects sales...
All for now,
Joe


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## David McAfee (Apr 15, 2010)

EKing said:


> Joseph, you already know I loved your book and I would definitely have paid $2.99 for it (I got it a while back when you had it for $0.99).
> 
> David, I just posted on your other thread about your book. I haven't read it, but hubby enjoyed it.
> 
> ...


I gotta tell you, Emily, I LOVE hearing from you.  You're doing wonders for my ego.


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

I gave my dad an amazon gift card for father's day and he asked for sci-fi book recommendations from any indie authors I knew. I recommended your book as it sounded like his type of book and he's really liking it so far! Just thought you would like to know.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Jessica Billings said:


> I gave my dad an amazon gift card for father's day and he asked for sci-fi book recommendations from any indie authors I knew. I recommended your book as it sounded like his type of book and he's really liking it so far! Just thought you would like to know.


Thank you so much, Jessica!
To me, your word-of-mouth recommendation (especially to your own father) is far better than another couple of 5-star reviews.
You just made my day!
Joe


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Recent rumors of a "pending theatrical film option" for our science fiction novel, Cyberdrome, are just a rumor right now.
I'll let you all know if the situation changes. All I can say for now...

Cheers,
Joe

Update: I should mention that the Cyberdrome Novel is real, however, and still priced at $2.82 for the Kindle version (10% off list).
This too may change, so take advantage of the low price while you can.


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## Emily King (Jun 9, 2009)

Joe,

I didn't want to keep posting over in the iBook thread, so I figured I'd pop over here. I posted a review on iBooks for Cyberdrome. It took forever for the review to show up, but it's there now.  

My mom, sis, and I were all on a conference call tonight to discuss our books and your book came up.   We had been talking about our reviews and how "not good" the ones we write are, compared to my husband's (all on the same account, so same user name in order to show as a verified purchase). We all read a lot, so we often forget a book shortly after reading, which is what happened to my mom.  However, when I asked if they had both read your book, mom started RAVING about how great it was and went off to read your reviews... She was examining all of them and critiquing them (she did approve of the one I wrote  ). We think my husband would really enjoy it, so we've pushed him out of one book we wanted him to read and review and on to yours!

Thought you'd appreciate being discussed (in a good way, of course), though I feel I should mention that mom is chomping at the bit for another book. 

E


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

EKing said:


> Joe,
> 
> I didn't want to keep posting over in the iBook thread, so I figured I'd pop over here. I posted a review on iBooks for Cyberdrome. It took forever for the review to show up, but it's there now.
> 
> ...


I want to adopt your family, Emily! 
Not just because they like something I wrote, but for how close you all seem to be. I live across the country from my siblings and parents, and it would be nice to be able to discuss books and movies with them from time to time. I know there is always email, but it's not the same as live conversation...

Anyway, thanks for your help and your continued support for my little book. Tell your mom I'm working on the first book of a new series (takes place in the far future on a distant ocean planet) and also a post-apocalyptic short story. The sequel to Cyberdrome is also in the works as well. 
JR


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Cyberdrome: The Science Fiction Thriller read by thousands!

"read by thousands" - I guess I can actually say that now that the book has sold over 2,000 copies since last December (2,017 as I write)!

Since over 1,900 of this sales were Kindle versions, I have to thank all here on KB who purchased a copy over the past 7 months, and especially those who told family and friends about the book, or wrote about it in their blogs, Facebook profiles, and Amazon lists. Kindleboards is the only forum I participate in, so I have to believe that the people here played a large part in my book's success.

Thanks again, and keep reading Indie!
Joseph Rhea


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

Because it was outside of my reading-comfort-zone, I was assigned _Cyberdrome_ in the *Quasi-Official Book Game* by KB member EKing. Outside my comfort zone is actually an understatement, and at first I feared that I was going to be overwhelmed by the fictional science and virtual realty. But - you did such a good job of describing the "worlds" of _Cyberdrome_ that I was able to follow it easily. Great book. I really enjoyed it. Keep writing.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Jeff said:


> Because it was outside of my reading-comfort-zone, I was assigned _Cyberdrome_ in the *Quasi-Official Book Game* by KB member EKing. Outside my comfort zone is actually an understatement, and at first I feared that I was going to be overwhelmed by the fictional science and virtual realty. But - you did such a good job of describing the "worlds" of _Cyberdrome_ that I was able to follow it easily. Great book. I really enjoyed it. Keep writing.


Thank you very much, Jeff!
Coming from a prolific author (and a Renaissance man, judging by your background) I am quite honored.
Thank you also for the 5-star rating on Goodreads!
Sincerely,
Joe


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

When describing Cyberdrome in a single sentence, you could say, "Neo teams up with Tron in a new digital universe!"
Many have compared it to both TRON and The Matrix, but while much of Cyberdrome does take place inside a virtual world (actually, several of them), the similarities end there. Cyberdrome deals with cutting edge topics like nanotechnology, biogenetics, artificial life, and the "Technological Singularity," but also tackles even harder issues like life, death, and life after death (not in heaven, but inside a computer system).

Cyberdrome won a PODBRAM Award for Best Sience Fiction Novel of the Year, has been well reviewed on Amazon, and is now a huge success on Goodreads.
If you're not one of the over 2,000 Kindle owners who have purchased Cyberdrome this year, why not click here, download a free sample, and find out what you're missing?


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## Emily King (Jun 9, 2009)

Hey Joe! Where did you find the color kindle in your signature?


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Well, thanks to Kobo who has discounted my book by 20%, you can now own 
Cyberdrome, the SF thriller with over 2,100 copies sold this year, for just $2.39 at Amazon !!

Download a copy now while it's cheaper than a single gallon of gasoline!


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## Guest (Aug 31, 2010)

Now thats a cool cover!


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

M.R. Mathias said:


> Now thats a cool cover!


Thanks!
The cover was created by my brother who does 3D computer modeling in his spare time.
The full book jacket for the paperback looks even better (in my very-biased opinion):










At least it makes the book unique in that that no one else will ever have our cover.
We also trademarked the name "Cyberdrome" many years ago, so we own that too!
Indie publishing is all about total control of our products, right?


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## Jan Strnad (May 27, 2010)

Congratulations on your success!

My main question is: How do two people write a book? I'm just curious about the process.

We just saw _Avatar _ over the weekend. My wife loved it, it pushed all her buttons, but I have to say I had a mixed reaction. The imagery was stunning, but that story...geez, out of nearly three hours you'd think a plot twist or some tiny deviation from formula would creep in somewhere, if only by accident. Aside from reveling in the visuals, I thought it was pretty much of a snoozer. Then again, we did go see it and it's the largest-grossing movie of all time, so I guess that demonstrates pretty clearly how important "story" is.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Jan Strnad said:


> Congratulations on your success!
> 
> My main question is: How do two people write a book? I'm just curious about the process.
> 
> We just saw _Avatar _ over the weekend. My wife loved it, it pushed all her buttons, but I have to say I had a mixed reaction. The imagery was stunning, but that story...geez, out of nearly three hours you'd think a plot twist or some tiny deviation from formula would creep in somewhere, if only by accident. Aside from reveling in the visuals, I thought it was pretty much of a snoozer. Then again, we did go see it and it's the largest-grossing movie of all time, so I guess that demonstrates pretty clearly how important "story" is.


Thanks!

To answer your first question: Actually, I was the sole author of Cyberdrome, but since the universe behind the story was co-created by my brother and I over the past decade (including several computer games and a digital comics), and he also help me brainstorm through plot changes more time than I could count, I agreed to list him as coauthor on the book and split all royalties 50/50. I also included a 20-page image gallery of some of his designs at the end of the book ("movie" sets, vehicles, and robotic life forms from the story). The next few books I will release (non-Cyberdrome) will be back to sole author, though I will probably hire my brother to do the covers...

Regarding Avatar (which my book has been compared to--at least in terms of similar near-future technology) I have to agree with you. The visuals were stunning (especially in 3D) but I felt the story was incredibly predictable and the characters were completely black and white (in that the good guys were really good and the bad guys were really bad). The movie should have been called "Pandora" because the stunningly-rendered planet was the star of the movie.

It was surprising because I used to like all James Cameron movies, especially the older ones like Terminator, Aliens, and The Abyss. You know, big-budget movies usually follow a formula, but please! Veer away from it from time to time, okay? I wrote Cyberdrome following a "Hero's Quest" formula, but I didn't just go out and copy Star Wars or The Matrix (two well-known HQ stories) plot-point by plot-point. There are many paths to the top of the mountain, and I worked hard to make mine as original as possible. It's a bit disappointing to see Hollywood choose the most obvious path every time...


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## Emily King (Jun 9, 2009)

Hey Joe, my husband has been writing a blog to work on his writing experience and decided to review books on his wednesday entry... Yours was this week: http://jonslineofsight.blogspot.com/2010/09/wednesday-book-review-cyberdrome-joseph.html?spref=fb.

Thought I'd share it with you...


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Emily King said:


> Hey Joe, my husband has been writing a blog to work on his writing experience and decided to review books on his wednesday entry... Yours was this week: http://jonslineofsight.blogspot.com/2010/09/wednesday-book-review-cyberdrome-joseph.html?spref=fb.
> 
> Thought I'd share it with you...


Thanks, Emily.
I actually discovered Jon's review of Cyberdrome last week via Google Alerts.
It's a great in-depth review and I appreciate him taking the time to write it.
My thanks also to you for steering him (and your mom and sister) to my book.
You rock! 
Joe


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## Emily King (Jun 9, 2009)

You made his day by commenting on his blog post. And then having another author respond was icing on the cake. Just glad to help you get the word out.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

I'm trying out Julie Ann Dawson's suggested blurb this month - what do you think?

*As a deadly plague ravages humanity...
the survivors use an experimental technology to escape into a virtual world
with the hope of unlocking the code that may be the key to their salvation.
But when programmer Alek Grey's ex-fiancee becomes trapped in the very
technology that is supposed to save her, how far will he go to rescue the
woman he still loves?*

Also, last week Cyberdrome received its 12th 5-star rating at Amazon and its 
3rd 5-star rating at Goodreads, and it is now on sale for 20% off list price!


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## jackwestjr_author (Aug 19, 2010)

Great cover.  And I am a sucker for 'holding the loved one captive' stories!


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

jackwestjr_author said:


> Great cover. And I am a sucker for 'holding the loved one captive' stories!


Thanks, Jack.

In other Cyberdrome-related news, I added some new content to my web page www.Cyberdrome.org, namely a web-based preview of the first 2 chapters of Cyberdrome (here) and also some 3D test movies of life inside Cyberdrome (here). I was also featured on DailyCheapReads.com last Friday which resulted in about 5 times my normal sales over the weekend. Thanks, gang!

Joe


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Full website redesign includes an online preview of the first 2 chapters of Cyberdrome, plus lots of bonus material in the "extras" section.

Satisfy your inner geek at www.Cyberdrome.org


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

The book gained another 5-star review over the weekend (up to 13 now), which somehow resulted in a 10x boost in sales. 

Happy early b-day to me!


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

>> DELETED SCENES <<

Kind of like you get with DVD movies these days, I uploaded 7 DELETED SCENES from the Cyberdrome novel to the official website! These were scenes that I liked, but removed to speed up the first act of the book. Check them out!

Do be aware, though, that these scenes contain some spoilers (in case you haven't yet read the book.)

link: http://www.cyberdrome.org/extras/scenes/


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## Emily King (Jun 9, 2009)

Hey Joe,

Did you want me to change my account's review of Cyberdrome that I wrote (AM Brown) to the one that Jon wrote on his blog?  I'm trying to go through and do reviews and realized I didn't change the one on your book.  The alternative is that he posts the review on his own account (we all share my mom's account - and she's still raving about how awesome your book is - status on the sequel??).  The problem is that it won't show as a verified purchase.  Totally up to you.

Em


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Emily King said:


> Hey Joe,
> 
> Did you want me to change my account's review of Cyberdrome that I wrote (AM Brown) to the one that Jon wrote on his blog? I'm trying to go through and do reviews and realized I didn't change the one on your book. The alternative is that he posts the review on his own account (we all share my mom's account - and she's still raving about how awesome your book is - status on the sequel??). The problem is that it won't show as a verified purchase. Totally up to you.
> 
> Em


Emily,
It would be nice to have Jon's review on my Amazon page, in addition to your own wonderful review.  Good for the book and could also be some additional exposure for his blog (he could link to it in his review signature).

Thanks again for all of your support, 
Joe

p.s the sequel to Cyberdrome is fully outlined, with some rather shocking revelations about what really happened at the end of first book (why they couldn't get out.) All I need to do now is find the time to actually write it. Probably after I finish my current two short stories. I wish I could hire another writer to help me complete all the projects I have in the pipe (or just win a lottery so that I could write full time)!


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

In his very detailed review on Amazon, author/blogger John King calls Cyberdrome, a "Techno Thriller in the Style of Crichton" See his review here.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Someone named Peter Buck on Twitter just posted:

*"Read Cyberdrome Joseph+David Rhea - mix of Daemon & Avatar."*

Gotta love those tweets! 

p.s. new banners below - one for (me) and one for the (book)


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Go see *TRON:Legacy* this week, then come back and read *Cyberdrome*!

Both stories involve a young man being pulled into a computer-generated world and then struggling to save his father.
When you noticed all the other similarities, just remember that my book came out first (copyright 200!

Cyberdrome is available in all ebook formats as well as paperback from www.cyberdrome.org

And just in case you are wondering what the *Cyberdrome movie* might look like some day, check out the 20-page CGI image gallery at the end of the book. (color version here)


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

jackwestjr_author said:


> Great cover. And I am a sucker for 'holding the loved one captive' stories!


After Cyberdrome, you should check out Graham Sharp Paul's Helfort's War series....he had quite a bit of that. I just finished so that's why it came to mind.

Now on to Cyberdrome which has been in my TBR for too long


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Fellow Kindleboarder, Michael R. Hicks, wrote a very nice review of Cyberdrome on Dec 26, 2010 (Amazon)

Read the review here

Thanks, Michael!


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Another 5-star review of Cyberdrome on Amazon last week.

Oh, and click here to see the official KB Profile Page for Cyberdrome


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Early Feb sale: Award-winning SF novel, Cyberdrome, is now just *99 cents* (UK price just £0.86)!!!
Over 2,600 copies sold at $2.99 to $8.99, so download it now (or tell your friends).


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

I don't even remember what I paid for this book.
But if anyone hasn't read it yet, do it now!

Just sayin......


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

geoffthomas said:


> I don't even remember what I paid for this book.
> But if anyone hasn't read it yet, do it now!
> 
> Just sayin......


Thanks, Geoff.
I figured that I sold enough at "list" price, it was time to give a few thousand copies away for a buck. As I said, I don't need the money, so as long as people don't think I've got a crappy book because of the cheap price, I think this will fun..


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Well hopefully the "public" will appreciate the opportunity to get a bargain.
And then it will take a while to move along on their TBR list.

but eventually many of them will be back asking for the next book, like me.

Just sayin.....


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## Emily King (Jun 9, 2009)

geoffthomas said:


> but eventually many of them will be back asking for the next book, like me.


My mom hasn't bugged me about asking you about the next book in a while... so I figured I'd pipe up and bug you all on my own!


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Emily
Tell your mom that I'm working on it. 
I think I need to hire a writer to help me finish all the projects I have in my head...

Also, just found this, which ties nicely with my 99 cent sale. How cool is that?

http://ebooks-that-sell.blogspot.com/2011/01/cyberdrome-by-joseph-rhea.html?spref=tw


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## DAFAM (Jan 12, 2011)

One clicked over the weekend cant wait to read it.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Following the general format of some best selling thriller novels, I wrote a brand new Book Description for Cyberdrome.
So, does it work for you?

*A disturbing glimpse into a digital future, not far from now.*

Mathew Grey is a brilliant scientist who accidentally unleashed a man-made plague 
that ravaged America's heartland, and now threatens the rest of the planet. Riddled 
with guilt and running out of time, he decides to use a dangerous technology to 
enter a computer-generated reality called Cyberdrome, hoping to unravel a mystery 
that could be the key to Earth's survival.

Alek Grey was an athlete whose career was cut short by a near-fatal accident. 
Now he is a software hacker with the unique ability to outsmart the best Artificial 
Intelligence programs of his day. When he is called in after one of his programs 
inadvertently attacks Cyberdrome, he is shocked to learn that both his father and 
ex-fiancée have become trapped inside the simulation, unable to be removed 
without risk of death.

Alek knows of only one way to rescue the people he loves, but will he risk all of 
humanity to save them?


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Hey Joe,
I think that is a good description.
And I am still waiting for the next book (suble nag there).

Hope you sell a million.
Just sayin....


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

geoffthomas said:


> Hey Joe,
> I think that is a good description.
> And I am still waiting for the next book (subtle nag there).
> 
> ...


Thanks, Geoff. 
Many people are asking about the sequel. All I can say is, there is one, and it will--oops, almost forgot, I am sworn to secrecy. Nothing more I can say...
And selling a million copies would be nice, but I'm just hoping to break 3,000 by the end of the month. I only need a couple hundred more at this point (which is why the book is on sale right now!).


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Feb 25th Update: My 2-week $0.99 sale was supposed to end today, but due to a technical malfunction, Cyberdrome is still on sale for 99 cents only on Amazon.
This is supposed to be fixed within a day or so, but until then, feel free to tell your friends about the sale (Facebook, Twitter, text messages). But please don't wait because any moment the price will go back to $4.99 without warning and I don't want any unhappy readers out there.

(Also, I'm getting close to the 3,000th sale, so your purchase this weekend could help me cross that threshold.)

Cheers and have a good weekend everyone,
Joe


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

So, it's Friday March 4th and Amazon is still selling Cyberdrome for 99 cents I think I mentioned the reason earlier, that Sony's Reader Store still hasn't gotten the word from Smashwords about the price change (even after two emails from Mark Coker) so this is Amazon's price matching engine at work.

So, until the change finally takes effect, you can get my 292-page, PODBRAM award-winning, 4.5-Amazon-rated, action-packed, science fiction thriller, Cyberdrome, for less than a buck.

Let my pain, be your gain! 

Cheers again and have another good weekend everyone,
Joe


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Just a brief note to say that since I am now devoting all of my free time to my next WIP, I will be offering the world a final "*Authors Edition*" of Cyberdrome in a few weeks, which is sort of like a "Director's Cut" in the film world. It will have some revised text, along with a slightly different cover to distinguish it. The reason for the revision is that after Tron: Legacy came out I realized just how much my description of the Cyberdrome "Core" sounded like Tron's "Grid," so I changed some descriptions (including getting rid of the word "grid") to better distinguish the two. Not a big deal, but still a deal.

I also realize that over 3,000 people have purchased the book in it's current form, so I will spend a few months trying to get the word out about the new edition so that some of them will be able to upgrade their copy (through Amazon's antiquated CS or Smashword's much simpler system).

Cheers,
Joe


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## vrabinec (May 19, 2011)

Joseph Rhea said:


> Since I tend to avoid "direct marketing" of my book (preferring to just chat about writing and let others find me that way) I forgot I even started this thread - my first one here on KindleBoards. Also, since the moderators recommend you promote yourself once a week using your original post, I am about 8 weeks behind, so I'd better get started.
> 
> So, I finally went to see *James Cameron's movie, "Avatar"* last weekend, and saw first hand what many reviewers have been telling me since it opened. There are so many similarities between Cyberdrome and Avatar that my chances of ever getting a film deal are nearly zero now. Anyone reading my film treatment will say, "been there, done that--by Cameron!"
> 
> ...


I've been critiquing on-line for about six years now, and I can name about ten specific things I suspect were "plagierized" from sotries I critiqued. It's never the whole thing, or the plot, but it's cool little nuances that give the story penache. I know it sounds ridiculous, and published authors will scream that it's paranoia and who are we to think that some professional in Hollywood would steal from us, but the coincidences are striking, if that's what they are.

I suppose it could be that two people get the same idea at the same time, but if someone has a UNIQUE idea, I'd be very careful in where I posted it on line.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

vrabinec said:


> I've been critiquing on-line for about six years now, and I can name about ten specific things I suspect were "plagierized" from sotries I critiqued. It's never the whole thing, or the plot, but it's cool little nuances that give the story penache. I know it sounds ridiculous, and published authors will scream that it's paranoia and who are we to think that some professional in Hollywood would steal from us, but the coincidences are striking, if that's what they are.
> 
> I suppose it could be that two people get the same idea at the same time, but if someone has a UNIQUE idea, I'd be very careful in where I posted it on line.


I'm sorry I didn't see your reply until now. You know, things are even worse now that Tron: Legacy came out (in terms of having Cyberdrome made into a feature film someday). Below are some central themes in Cyberdrome that were used in Tron:Legacy (warning major spoilers for both ahead!):

1) Hero goes into a virtual world to rescue his father
2) Father ultimately sacrifices himself to rescue his son
3) Virtual space called "The Grid" (original Tron mentioned the "Game's grid" a few times, but not much else)
(note: because of this, I renamed my virtual space "the Core" in the newest edition)

Adding these to the following themes used by James Cameron's "Avatar":

1) Protagonist in a wheelchair (who uses an avatar to escape his confinement and ends up wanting to stay in his new body)
2) An interface room that is nearly identical in both design and function from what my brother and I created 10 years ago
3) Pandora's inhabitants look like a cross between my Blue Sentinels and a cat-like creature I call a CeeAut.

So, could a Cyberdrome movie ever be made in the wake of these two films? Below is what has NOT been "stolen" (yet):

1) Cyberdrome's Tron-like, virtual "Grid" space is just one small part of where the story takes place. Much of the story takes place in several earth-like worlds which have been "tweaked" in some way. 
2) Some of the action sequences in Cyberdrome take place between the hero and large robotic spiders and other bug-like machines, while others involve more down-to-earth dangers like escaping from a burning building and allowing yourself to drown in order to save you and your partner (reminiscent of a scene in James Cameron's "the Abyss")
3) Cyberdrome uses extrapolations of currently planned technology to realistically "trap" people inside a digital world (no fake lasers "digitizing" you).
4) Finally, Cyberdrome explores real SF themes like downloading a copy of your memories into a digital likeness of yourself in order to "escape" death--but is that copy really you? How much of what you consider "you" is just a collection of memories? For instance, if a person looses all of those memories (like with Alzheimer's) is that person the same? And, even if you could copy yourself digitally someday, would you? Should you? These are themes central to Cyberdrome that I hope might someday make it to the big screen...


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Well Joseph it just shows how creative you really are.
I know that I enjoyed your book and I hope that everyone else gets it and also enjoys it.

Just sayin......


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

geoffthomas said:


> Well Joseph it just shows how creative you really are.
> I know that I enjoyed your book and I hope that everyone else gets it and also enjoys it.
> 
> Just sayin......


Thanks for "just sayin..." those words, Geoff! 
Joe


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Just finished Cyberdrome and liked it. You clearly know way more about computer systems than the writers of either Tron movie. One of the the things I really liked was the soldiers with the identical units that can be rearranged. That would look cool in a movie.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

R. Reed said:


> Just finished Cyberdrome and liked it. You clearly know way more about computer systems than the writers of either Tron movie. One of the the things I really liked was the soldiers with the identical units that can be rearranged. That would look cool in a movie.


Robin,
Thanks for posting here and a huge "Thank You!" for the wonderful Amazon review. A lot of people tell me that they loved the book, but many never take the time to write a review. I appreciate all comments, of course, but well-written reviews are key to helping others find our books (as you know). I hope a lot of people mark your review as helpful (hint, hint) 
Again, thank you so much!
Joe

p.s. I tweeted about your review, and mentioned your book, "Xanthan Gumm" so hopefully it will help promote your book as well...


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## Brem (Jun 29, 2011)

Congrats on all the sales. I might have to grab myself a copy soon.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Brem said:


> Congrats on all the sales. I might have to grab myself a copy soon.


Thanks!


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## Steverino (Jan 5, 2011)

Joseph Rhea said:


> There are also 4 new computer wallpapers at the main Cyberdrome site featuring these same creatures. They come in all standard resolutions and all 100% free! Enjoy: http://www.cyberdrome.org/extras/wallpapers/index.htm


These are cool. And this book looks right up my alley. Thanks!


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Steverino said:


> These are cool. And this book looks right up my alley. Thanks!


Thanks for posting, Steve, and I hope you like the book! 
FYI: Some more wallpapers are coming soon to the website.


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## acellis (Oct 10, 2011)

This does look good. I'll have to check ir out.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

acellis said:


> This does look good. I'll have to check ir out.


Thanks, A.C. Hope you like it...
Joe


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

I haven't updated this thread this whole year (is it really almost September?), so I guess I should now. Over 5,000 sales and 53 US Amazon reviews so far with an overall 4-star rating. I can't complain.  

I'm concentrating on my new book, Novum, these days but if you haven't looked at Cyberdrome yet, please consider doing so now. Links to both books below.

Cheers all,
Joe


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