Lightspeed Has Been StoryBundled!

The June 2013 issue of Lightspeed is part of the new “Sci-Fi StoryBundle” ebook deal, which features a pay-what-you-want model, and includes 8 science fiction novels, curated by bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson. Here’s a bit about the project from the StoryBundle website:

Science fiction can take you from one side of the universe to the other, and an infinite number of ideas in between. That all can’t fit in one StoryBundle—but this new set, available July 2 through July 23, covers a broad landscape of ideas.

StoryBundle’s Sci-Fi Bundle is curated by #1 international bestselling SF author Kevin J. Anderson, and includes his own novel Hopscotch, which he considers one of his best novels. “SF has often dealt with the idea of two characters swapping bodies and dealing with the consequences,” Anderson says. “But imagine a future where everybody can do it, all the time, changing bodies and lives like changing clothes.” Anderson is best known for his work in the Dune universe with Brian Herbert, in the Star Wars, X-Files, Batman & Superman universes, as well as his own original epics Saga of Seven Suns and Terra Incognita. He set the Guinness World Record for largest single-author book signing.

Those six novels comprise the Sci-Fi Bundle. Name your own price, and get a large chunk of the imaginative universe. But those who choose to pay more than a minimum of $10 receive two bonus novels as well: The Stars in Shroud, a hard-to-find early novel by SF master Gregory Benford, who has won or been nominated for multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards, and an amazing find—High-Opp, a never-before-published complete novel by Frank Herbert (author of DUNE), an edgy dystopia of class warfare.

Anderson, who put the bundle together, says, “I picked one of my own best, then tracked down a cadre of innovative bestselling and award-winning writers to make this a damned impressive showcase.”

The initial titles in the Sci-Fi Bundle are:

* Hopscotch by Kevin J. Anderson
* In Hero Years…I’m Dead by Michael A. Stackpole
* On My Way to Paradise by David Farland
* Santiago by Mike Resnick
* Swarm by B. V. Larson
* The Disappeared by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

If you pay more than the bonus price of just $10, you get all six of the regular books, plus two bonus titles, which include:

* High-Opp by Frank Herbert
* The Stars in Shroud by Gregory Benford

The bundle is available for a very limited time only, via StoryBundle, and allows for easy reading on computers, mobile devices and Kindles via file transfer, email, or other methods, with multiple DRM-free formats (.epub and .mobi) available for each book.

It’s also super easy to give the gift of reading with StoryBundle, thanks to our gift cards—which allow you to send someone a code that they can redeem for any future StoryBundle bundle—and timed delivery, which allows you to control exactly when your recipient will get the gift of StoryBundle.

Why StoryBundle? Here are just a few benefits StoryBundle provides.

* Get quality reads: We’ve chosen works from excellent authors to bundle together in one convenient package.
* Pay what you want: You decide how much six fantastic books are worth to you. If you can only spare a little, that’s fine! You’ll still get access to six thrilling titles.
* Support indie authors: StoryBundle is a platform for indie authors to get exposure for their works, both for the titles featured in the bundle and for the rest of their catalog. Plus, when you’re supporting indie authors you’re supporting the little guy or gal.
* Give to worthy causes: Bundle buyers have a chance to donate a portion of their proceeds to charity. We’re currently featuring Mighty Writers and Trees for the Future.
* Receive extra books: If you beat our bonus price, you’re not just getting seven books and magazines, you’re getting ten!

StoryBundle was created to give a platform for independent authors to showcase their work, and a source of quality titles for thirsty readers. StoryBundle works with authors to create bundles of ebooks that can be purchased by readers at their desired price. Before starting StoryBundle, Founder Jason Chen covered technology and software as an editor for Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com.

So if you want to check out a bunch of great SF for cheap, hop on over tostorybundle.com and pay-what-you-want for it!

And Speaking of Bundles…

In the Lightspeed ebookstore, we’re actually featuring a couple of Bundles of our own. We currently have the following Lightspeed ebook bundles available:

• Lightspeed (Year One) – $14.99

• Lightspeed (Year Two) – $19.99
• Lightspeed (Year Three) – $29.99
• Lightspeed Mega Bundle (Years 1-3) – $59.97

Buying a Bundle gets you a copy of every issue published during the named period. So, for instance, the Year One Bundle gets you a copy of every issue we published during our first year (June 2010 – May 2011), etc. And then there’s the MEGA BUNDLE, which nets you a copy of every issue published during our first three years. (And buying the Mega Bundle saves you $5 off the cover price of buying the other three Bundles individually!)

Don’t Forget About the Lightspeed Reader Survey!

Last month we failed to make note of it, but our June issue was actually our third anniversary issue! So happy birthday to us. But given it’s been three years now, we thought it was about time to do another reader survey. If you’d like to participate, we’d very much appreciate it, and to thank you for taking the time, one lucky (i.e., randomly selected) participant will win a free one-year subscription to Lightspeed. To fill out the survey (which should just take 10-15 minutes), please go to:lightspeedmagazine.com/survey. The survey ends July 31, 2013.

Seeds of Change edited by John Joseph Adams

The original 2008 edition of Seeds of Change is now out-of-print, but the good news is that the new revised & expanded 2nd edition is now available. It is currently available in Kindle format, and is coming soon in other ebook formats.

The 2nd edition includes an afterword to each story from the author, corrects some errors and typos, and features a beautiful new cover. Otherwise, it’s the same Seeds of Change you all know and love. So check it out, and tell a friend!

Learn more about the anthology at johnjosephadams.com/seeds-of-change. Or you can go read the first story in the anthology, “N-Words” by Ted Kosmatka, which was recently featured on io9!

Thanks for Reading!

We couldn’t publish the magazine without the loyal support of readers like you. So we here at Lightspeed salute you, and would like to thank you for your continued patronage.

Well, that’s about it for this installment of the newsletter. Thanks again for reading. Meanwhile, for more, visit www.lightspeedmagazine.com. See you next month!