Jeff Carlson tells SFScope of massive support for the Spanish language version of his first novel, Plague Year. Spanish publisher Minotauro—which released the book in hardcover last week as La Plaga—has launched a web site with multiple book trailers, reader contests, and all sorts of goodies.
Carlson writes, “One of the many web sites created for the book is http://www.scyla.com/laplaga, which boasts not only three book trailers made at Minotauro’s expense, the site also features a series of blog entries purported to be written by Ruth Goldman, the fictional nanotech researcher who is one of the novel’s main characters. In addition, the site features other blogs, a nanotechnology video and related biotech links, a Facebook fan club, fan forums, and contests with cash prizes up to €100, including one for the best story-related photos taken and submitted by readers.”
The most attractive feature of the sites, however, may be Minotauro’s partnership with travel site muchoviaje.com to sponsor a contest “in which, if readers correctly answer several questions about La Plaga, they will be entered into a raffle drawing. The grand prize is an all expenses paid, seven days, six nights vacation to Aspen, Colorado, because the Rockies are featured prominently in the novel as some of the only safe ground above a nanotech plague that devours all warm-blooded lifeforms beneath 10,000 feet elevation—or, in this case, 3048 meters.”
Ace first published Plague Year last year. Its sequel, Plague War, was released last month, and reviewed in this article. Excerpts from both books, along with free fiction, the author’s blog, and more are available on his English-language web site, jverse.com.