**So, there's been a slight change of plans.** As you may remember (surely 2002 isn't too hazy yet), I serialized my most recent science fiction novel, _Old Man's War_, here in December, and this month I was going to put it up as shareware, a la _Agent to the Stars [1]_. Well, I won't be doing that. The reason for this is that, well, I kind of sold it. Instead of being available as shareware, _Old Man's War_ will be available either later this year or early next year in a hardcover edition from Tor Books [2], publishers of (among others) Orson Scott Card, Robert Jordan, Steven Brust and Teddy Roosevelt. Yes, really, Teddy Roosevelt. It's a reissue, I think, not one of those L. Ron Hubbard-eqsue “dictating from beyond the grave” situations.
Via InstaPundit [3], “John Scalzi's Whatever: Change of Plans [4]”
Further proof that making intellectual property available increases sales [5] of said intellectual property and I certainly hope examples like this will drive the point home (through the skull if we're lucky) of the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America).
Then again, perhaps we'll be lucky, they won't get a clue and implode instead.
One can only hope.
[1] http://www.scalzi.com/agent
[3] http://www.instapundit.com/archives/006504.php#006504