World’s First Laundromance “Heavy Load” by Biff Mitchell Now at Fictionwise

“You could almost say that Fictionwise has done for ebooks what Gutenberg did for the popularity of reading,” said author Biff Mitchell whose novel “Heavy Load (a laundromance) ” (ISBN: 0-9732799-1-5) has just been picked up by Fictionwise. “Exposure through the world’s most prestigious distributor of ebooks will most certainly boost sales of the book,” said Mitchell.

Touted as the next big “killer app” a decade ago, ebooks were expected to bring publishing to the masses, with some early proponents claiming they would replace physical books within a generation. But the ebook movement became mired in proprietary technologies, poor marketing, content protection issues, and lack of acceptance by the reading public. “Just the act of finding ebooks was next to impossible,” said Mitchell. “Mostly, they were available only on the publisher’s web site. If you were an Internet novice, finding the publisher could be difficult.”

“Then along came the PDA and online publisher/distributors like Fictionwise,” said Mitchell. “PDAs provide portable devices capable of downloading and storing dozens of ebooks and displaying them on a screen that’s much more comfortable and accessible than a desktop computer. Finally, readers could curl up in bed with an ebook.”

“Sites like Fictionwise make it easy to find ebook titles,” said Mitchell. “They provide a clearing house for titles from a variety of publishers, including original titles published exclusively through Fictionwise. This makes it much easier for readers to connect with their favorite writers and explore new ones.”

Fictionwise has also generated renewed interest in ebooks by publishing individual short stories, usually sold for under a dollar and available for immediate download. “This is especially appealing to people with busy schedules, or who may be in transit and in need of a quick, inexpensive read.”

“Heavy Load” is Mitchell’s first novel. It was originally published in the late 90s as an ebook at eBookStand in the US. In 2000, it was re-published in ebook and paperback formats by Jacobyte Books in Australia. In 2004, Mitchell decided to self-publish the book and distribute it through a variety of ebook portals.

“Heavy Load” has been well received by critics. Cynthia Penn in WordWeaving called it “a creative masterpiece.” Deborah Fisher in Tregolwyn Reviews recommends it to anyone who believes in “the unfashionable idea that ordinary, everyday life is worth observing.”

In “Heavy Load,” two men and a woman bring their laundry to the Washing Green laundromat on a Saturday morning. Each is at a turning point in their lives and, through as circle of interest that grows between them, they help give each other new direction in their lives. This is done without any of them speaking a word to each other during the entire story, which is narrated by the laundromat itself.

The laundromat is sentient, a story-teller that goes into the minds and bodies of its customers and watches the drama of each person endlessly re-enacting their lives from baby to adult. “The themes are appropriate for adult readers,” said Mitchell. “Because the stories are play-by-play enactments in which every detail it still intact, the language and action gets very gritty at times.”

You can purchase Heavy Load (a laundromance) at: http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/eBook32552.htm

“Heavy Load” is Mitchell’s second title at Fictionwise. His first, “The War Bug” (Double Dragon Publishing) was a best-seller at EPIC. Two novellas, “Smoke Break” and “The Baton,” published by Echelon Press will also be released at Fictionwise in the near future. This summer, Fictionwise will publish Mitchell’s first non-fiction book, “eMarketing Tools for Writers.”

Biff Mitchell lives in a server at www.biffmitchell.com. You can visit him there.