Thanks everyone for the help and comments, I’ve taken everything I read seriously, and changed a lot of how the main character thinks about EA topics due to it — I am now looking for more readings that are specifically aimed at finding stuff that might accidentally offend people before I send it out into the world. So if anyone knows a non-ea friend who might enjoy reading something like this, and who is willing to leave comments about what bothered them, I would find that really useful.
Otherwise, my current plan is that in a few weeks I’ll start publishing it through Royal Road, Spacebattles forum, my own website and Amazon (though I’m undecided between the 2.99 price point or the .99c price point) for publication.
I am still actively looking for other places to publish it, and if anyone can help with promoting this book, that would be useful.
Also if you haven’t yet read it, but do want to comment and tell me what definitely needs to be changed, here is the shared google doc.
Blurbs
Also, here are three possible versions of the blurb that I’ll be using when I publish it. What do you all think about them? I think it is important to include in the blurb that I received some support while writing this novel.
===
After Isaac died and woke up as a powerful cultivator in a fantasy world, he wanted to do as much good as he could possibly manage.
But it turned out to be hard to figure out what actually was the single most useful thing to do.
And the guy whose body he now occupied, wasn’t actually dead, and he had his own goals that weren’t the same as Isaac’s…
Note: While it is supposed to be a fun story, a major goal of this novel is to describe the ideas of Effective Altruism, and I received a grant from an EA associated organization to help write it.
===
I’d died in a car crash, and woke up as a powerful cultivator in a new world.
Honestly, this was pretty awesome, even though there was a war coming to the island that I’d woken up on, which I wanted to have nothing to do with. I wanted to help as many people as I could, as much as I could, and dying in a war that I had nothing to do with wouldn’t help anyone.
I really didn’t want to die again.
But it turned out that the cultivator whose body I’d found myself in wasn’t dead, and he was absolutely determined to fight and probably die.
Note: This novel was partly written to promote the ideas of effective altruism in a fun and fictional context, and I received support from an Effective Altruist organization to help me write it.
===
Dead after being hit by a van.
Then not dead.
Isaac had wanted to help other people and do as much good as he could when he was alive in our world. Now that he had woken up in the body of a powerful cultivator in a fantasy world, he still wanted to do as much good as he could.
Unfortunately figuring out what is the best thing to do, especially when everything potential has unintended consequences is hard.
And then it turned out that the guy whose body Isaac had woken up in still was alive, still had control of the body half of the time, and he mainly wanted to die heroically, and bravely in a doomed battle to defend his homeland.
Isaac really didn’t want to die again.
Note: I’m trying to promote the idea that most of us should both donate more money to improve the world, and try to make sure we are donating to the most effective or useful causes with this book. I received a grant from an Effective Altruist organization to make it possible for me to write this book.
Possible Titles
If anyone wants to help me brain storm possible titles (and even more significantly subtitles) for the novel, here is my current plan.
The Split Summon: A Cultivation novel about trying to do the most good
Thanks again, everyone, and here another copy of the link if you want to read it!
Thanks everyone for the help and comments, I’ve taken everything I read seriously, and changed a lot of how the main character thinks about EA topics due to it — I am now looking for more readings that are specifically aimed at finding stuff that might accidentally offend people before I send it out into the world. So if anyone knows a non-ea friend who might enjoy reading something like this, and who is willing to leave comments about what bothered them, I would find that really useful.
Otherwise, my current plan is that in a few weeks I’ll start publishing it through Royal Road, Spacebattles forum, my own website and Amazon (though I’m undecided between the 2.99 price point or the .99c price point) for publication.
I am still actively looking for other places to publish it, and if anyone can help with promoting this book, that would be useful.
Also if you haven’t yet read it, but do want to comment and tell me what definitely needs to be changed, here is the shared google doc.
Blurbs
Also, here are three possible versions of the blurb that I’ll be using when I publish it. What do you all think about them? I think it is important to include in the blurb that I received some support while writing this novel.
===
After Isaac died and woke up as a powerful cultivator in a fantasy world, he wanted to do as much good as he could possibly manage.
But it turned out to be hard to figure out what actually was the single most useful thing to do.
And the guy whose body he now occupied, wasn’t actually dead, and he had his own goals that weren’t the same as Isaac’s…
Note: While it is supposed to be a fun story, a major goal of this novel is to describe the ideas of Effective Altruism, and I received a grant from an EA associated organization to help write it.
===
I’d died in a car crash, and woke up as a powerful cultivator in a new world.
Honestly, this was pretty awesome, even though there was a war coming to the island that I’d woken up on, which I wanted to have nothing to do with. I wanted to help as many people as I could, as much as I could, and dying in a war that I had nothing to do with wouldn’t help anyone.
I really didn’t want to die again.
But it turned out that the cultivator whose body I’d found myself in wasn’t dead, and he was absolutely determined to fight and probably die.
Note: This novel was partly written to promote the ideas of effective altruism in a fun and fictional context, and I received support from an Effective Altruist organization to help me write it.
===
Dead after being hit by a van.
Then not dead.
Isaac had wanted to help other people and do as much good as he could when he was alive in our world. Now that he had woken up in the body of a powerful cultivator in a fantasy world, he still wanted to do as much good as he could.
Unfortunately figuring out what is the best thing to do, especially when everything potential has unintended consequences is hard.
And then it turned out that the guy whose body Isaac had woken up in still was alive, still had control of the body half of the time, and he mainly wanted to die heroically, and bravely in a doomed battle to defend his homeland.
Isaac really didn’t want to die again.
Note: I’m trying to promote the idea that most of us should both donate more money to improve the world, and try to make sure we are donating to the most effective or useful causes with this book. I received a grant from an Effective Altruist organization to make it possible for me to write this book.
Possible Titles
If anyone wants to help me brain storm possible titles (and even more significantly subtitles) for the novel, here is my current plan.
The Split Summon: A Cultivation novel about trying to do the most good
Thanks again, everyone, and here another copy of the link if you want to read it!