New Doc Silence short stories, new format to read them

So ever since the Indestructibles first launched, I've loved the idea of short stories about the characters, based on the "one-shot" style supehero comics I read growing up. Outside the continuity of the main books, these shorts let me as the writer (and you as the reader) get to know more about the characters when they're on their own, or before they joined the team, or just a piece of their story the main book doesn't have time to tell. 

We've published two short stories like this, the holiday story Gifted and the Dancer-centric story the Soloist on Amazon before. This worked out pretty well, but a lot of readers weren't thrilled with these stories being Amazon-only (though there is a free app that will let you read them without owning a Kindle--I don't have a Kindle myself, so I use that app to view these stories as well). And so when I wanted to share some of Doc Silence's backstory in a short story, I researched other methods for releasing them that weren't tied to a specific company or reading device. 

And so, to make these short stories more universally accessible, I've created a Patreon page to share them through. The previous short stories were $.99 on Amazon, but Patreon allows you to basically pay whatever you'd like for the stories. It works not unlike Kickstarter, but instead of funding a project so it can be completed, with the Patreon page the product is already finished, ready and waiting... I'll never offer a story on Patreon that isn't already written, edited, formatted, and ready to go for readers to check out. The stories will come in a PDF format, no DRM, so you'll be able to read them on any device you choose (provided it can open a PDF, which is almost any device these days, even phones). 

For the first story release, I'm also including the prologue to Book 4, Like a Comet, coming out in February/March of this year. I'll also include a .jpg, textless version of the cover art just for fun. Also, if you donate more than a dollar you'll be invited to vote on which character is the NEXT featured character in an upcoming short story. If people seem to like this format, I'd like to do an Indestructibles story every month, sometimes about the main team, and sometimes about those minor characters who could use more screen time but aren't the focus of the main series. 

NOTE: If you do donate through Patreon, you'll be able to view a page right here where the files will be permanently available (so if you accidentally delete your copy, you can always go back to get a replacement version). 

And lastly, if you're not comfortable using a site like Patreon, you'll be able to buy it directly through this link right here. Just include a note in the message box that you'd like the January Doc Silence story package and it'll be emailed to you ASAP. 

So: all of this being said, the books themselves will continue to be published the same way, in all e-book formats and in print, so nothing's changing there, and we'll publish stories via Amazon too as time allows. But this first Doc Silence story is a test run to see if people like a more universal, direct way to get Indestructibles stories in the future. Let me know what you think in the comments below, or on the Patreon page itself. I'm open to ideas and suggestions!

And now, back to work on Like a Comet... I can't wait to get the latest novel out in print as soon as possible as well. 
-Matt

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