Amazon now allow anyone to publish to their store using ‘Kindle Direct Publishing‘ so I’ve uploaded a short story called ‘Into Great Science’ which I wrote last year.
“Fumbling, floating, he found the hammer, and headed for the window…”
In lean times NASA has gone into partnership with the Catholic Church, launching a ‘Voyager’-style probe which will be the first manned mission out of our Solar System. For the monk returning to his former career as an astronaut, the mission will be the ultimate hermitage: he will be in total isolation for the rest of his life.
But that may not be long. A violent solar storm has sent a powerful wave of radiation through space, shutting down Mission Control and preventing them from warning him of the coming danger.
In this tense and tight short story, theologian and technology-writer Kester Brewin explores issues of faith, doubt, abandonment and trust, all based on real data of the projected effects of a ‘mass coronal ejection’ similar to the ‘Carrington Event’ of 1859, which left machinery spontaneously combusting and telegraph operators thrown across the room.
You can get the UK version here for £1.41, and the US version here for $2.
Do I think this will replace traditional publishers? No. But what I think it will do is push traditional publishing back to its roots a little. In other words, they will publish less, but it will be far better. With the material I have written I would without doubt have published it too quickly if I was simply uploading to Amazon. Working with a publisher, working with good editors and readers pushes writers to greater height and depth. And this will be what traditional publishing will continue to offer that KDP simply can’t: quality editing.
That said, it looks like a great place to get writing out there and raise some profile. Hope you enjoy the story if you’ve not already read it.