FAQ 1: What sort of book store is this?

 ANSWER 1:  Sci Fi - Arizona is an experiment in which all of you are taking part.  Not since the printing press put the traveling minstrel/storyteller out of business has it been possible for an author to reach the public directly.  Historically, anyone with the money to pay a printer could have their book published, but generally all a self-published author ended up with was a garage full of books.  The problem, of course, was that once a book is printed, it had to be distributed.  Book distribution has always been the purview of a few large corporations.  This meant that fewer and fewer authors were reaching the public as publishers and bookstores went for the guaranteed sale with big name writers.

The development of the INTERNET changed all of that!  The World Wide Web gives individual authors and readers direct access to one another.  No longer is your access to an author's work controlled by a few editors and bottom-line-oriented publishing executives.  No longer are your choices limited by the big bookstore chains' ordering computers.  With the advent of Sci Fi - Arizona and Amazon.com, you are able to read what you want, when you want!  As for writers, if our books don't sell, it is because we've written a bad book, not due to the publisher's sales force concentrating on "this month's best seller."

FAQ 2:  Aren't you afraid that people will duplicate your books and distribute them all over the world?

ANSWER 2:  Deathly afraid!  If people treat the ebooks they receive from Sci Fi - Arizona as having no value because they are electronic files rather than words printed on paper, then I will be put out of business and you will find your choices limited again.  If, on the other hand, I receive a fair return for my wares, then other authors will follow this same path and your choices will be multiplied immensely.

You can help.  There are two kinds of fiction to be had in this virtual bookstore. There are the short stories you download for free in order to see whether or not you like my style.  These are intended to be distributed widely as a form of advertising. Feel free to make as many copies as you want and distribute them to whoever (and wherever) you like.  Just make sure that the copyright notices and the Sci Fi - Arizona address remain intact.

The other kind of fiction are the novels and short story collections for which you pay money.  As it says in the copyright notice and software license, these are for the use of the purchaser and may not be duplicated or distributed.  When you purchase a book from Sci Fi - Arizona, you are actually purchasing the right to have one copy of the literary work in electronic form and one additional copy that you have printed on your local printer.  You can even make a second copy of the file for archival purposes or to use on a second computer.  You do not purchase the right to go into the publishing business for yourself, making unlimited duplicates to spread around the planet.  (I will be more than happy to sell you that right, but it will cost considerably more than $7.50.)  I ask you to agree to these restrictions when you purchase my products.  If you feel that you cannot agree, then I ask that you not proceed with the transaction. I respect your right to make up your own mind on the matter, and hope that you will respect my right to the fruits of my labors.

"But my friend wants a copy of your book!" you tell me. Fine.  I want your friend to have a copy.  I want every human being on the face of the Earth to have a copy!  I also want to eat.  There is no reason why we all can't have what we want.  Tell your friend where to find this site and how to download a copy of the book for themselves.

There is another way you can help.  If you become aware of unauthorized copies in either electronic or paper form, email me and tell me about it at mccollum@scifi-az.com.

Question 3:  Why should I download novels here when I can buy a real book in a bookstore?  Besides, I prefer "real books with covers" to electronic ones.

Answer 3:  If you can find what you are looking for in your local bookstore, by all means, buy it!  The folks who publish, distribute, and sell books are good people and they need your business, too. One thing to note, however.  The books you find in this and other virtual bookstores are generally not available on the shelves at your local mall (almost by definition).

We sell "real books" here, along with our ebooks.  Each of the books on Sci Fi - Arizona comes in both electronic and trade paperback editions.  Our books are 8-1/2 inches tall by 5-3/8 inches wide and are similar in size to the larger paperback books you find in bookstores. 

Question 4:  You don't think anyone will read a novel on a computer screen, do you?

Answer 4:  I am one of those who long maintained that no one would read a novel on a computer.  All of the novels and stories on Sci Fi - Arizona have been specially formatted for easy reading on laptops and other computers, as well as the new Sony eBook Reader.  If you click on a text column, that column will immediately expand to fill the screen with letters big enough that even my old eyes can read them. When you reach the bottom of the screen, click anywhere on the text and the screen will automatically move to the next unread section. In this way you can "click" your way through an entire novel.

Question 5:  Are all of your books online and available at Sci Fi - Arizona?

Answer 5:  Yes, all of my books are online and available for purchase.  In addition to the books that I wrote for Del Rey in the 1980s and 1990s, I have three books that were published here for the first time.  These include ANTARES VICTORY, GIBRALTAR EARTH, and GIBRALTAR SUN. 

So please, feel free to visit our Writer's Workshop, download some free short stories  and  purchase  novels or books on writing. You'll probably feel better for it, and I know I will.  When you leave, remember to come back to www.scifi-az.com.

And, oh yes.  WELCOME TO THE REVOLUTION!