FT Novels

Self Publishing can work - there was a novel published last year that
made it 
into the SF top ten, the reviews I read said it was dross, so I didn't
buy 
it.

I think it was some Nazi alternate history thing. Anyway looking into 
forbidden planet (SF bookstore) they seem to have loads of copies of the
next 
two sequels so it made enough money to do that.

I think that you can get relatively small runs of paperbacks published
for a 
reasonable cost these days. Distribution is the issue but people do seem
to 
do it for themselves via the major specialist chains. Just don't be too 
ambitious, a print run of 5000 would probably be more than enough.

I think an anthology of space battle type stories in various universes
or in 
the FT background in a similar vein to the way Hammers Slammers
background is 
woven in, would be ideal. This would appeal to the military SF fan which
form 
a reasonable market. Baen and other military SF specialist publishers
seem to 
be doing well enough.

Here we would use the FT game to simulate the battle and decide the
outcome 
in a pseudo realistic way. As suggested, characterisation in *very*
important 
rather than just clashing metal.

Tom Clancy used the Harpoon game to simulate a lot of the action in his
navy 
stories which have the right balance of people and action.

Sincerely
Tim Jones