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cover artwork © John Howe *** cover layout: Asni

PRE-ORDER "TRAVELS IN MIDDLE-EARTH CD Update: I have been able to raise some private funds to cover the shortfall I still have on subscriptions, and will be able to put the cd in production in January, to be delivered in February. CD's can be paid for directly now, please use the Paypal function below. Subscriptions close strictly on 5 January 2008 - get in quick if you still want to qualify for your subscription special little extra! - Of course you can continue to order the cd after that date. :-) Update 16/1/08: The cd went into press today! :excited: - I will pick up the proofs on Friday and then hopefully it will be all go for the release as scheduled in the first week of February. I also found while browsing this article/review? in Polish: czytaj.elendili.pl - I don't read Polish so I don't know what it says but the site looks beautiful and I've had a couple of orders from Polish people since, so it can't be too bad. ;-) Also, I said it before and I say it again, the people at TheOneRing.net ROCK! They've posted my banner both on the Hobbit movie news page and on the Top Tolkien Stories of 2007 page!! How's that for exposure. We talked about rotating banners so they may not be there permanently, but check the pages out anyway! Still the best and freshest in Tolkien Fan news.

My new cd production Travels in Middle-earth is now ready for the press. The master tape is completed, the cover design is done. We had a creative time in the studio, editing and mixing the sounds of my various harps and Alistair Fraser's magical taonga puoro (traditional Maori instruments) with 100% pure New Zealand nature sounds which I'd recorded on my trip to various "Lord of the Rings" filming locations. I'm really very happy with the result, and the people who've got to hear it so far have been really enthusiastic and supportive. I am also particularly happy to be able to use one of John Howe's beautiful illustrations for the cover.

Listen to sound clips from the new cd

The problem that now poses itself is how to raise the funds for sending the cd to the press. The original idea was to launch the cd at John's fantasy festival in Switzerland, which would likely have resulted in quite a few sales and helped me recover the production costs. But that trip did not happen, and now I find myself more than halfway through a recording project which has already cost me a substantial sum of my own money (studio time does not come cheap), but without the funds to finish the production and put it out for sale.

So I have been putting my thinking cap on and tried to figure out how to raise the NZ $ 3,647.00 or thereabouts for pressing the cds, and licensing fees for the copyrighted music. Rather than sitting around waiting for some funding, or another such miracle, I decided to take the self-help approach and raise the money through subscriptions.

To cover the sum I've quoted, I will need to get 120 subscriptions. I will also put all income from sales of my 700 Years of Pop and Rent a Nightingale into the cd production fund (one cd sold equals one subscription), and a percentage of the intake from photo sales. And you are most welcome to make a donation towards my cd production as well! It will speed up the process.

Current tally – 16 January 2007 Subscriptions: 82 Other cd sales: 6 Number of subscriptions to raise: 30 Additional funds from photo sales or donations: NZ $ 147 funds raised: NZ $ 2,702.00 still to raise: NZ $ 945.00

And this is how it will work: please pre-order your cd here stating how many copies you would like to pre-order. I will update the tally regularly so you can follow the progress of the fundraiser.

Once the required number of subscriptions is reached, I will send out an email asking people to pay. The price will be NZ$ 30 / US$22 / Euro 16.50 plus shipping expenses. Payment will be by credit card through Paypal, or if you prefer you can transfer the money directly into either of my bank accounts in Germany or New Zealand. It is very important that everyone who pre-orders a cd will pay me at this stage – please do not send me a request for subscription if you do not intend to pay. From that point on, allow approximately two months for the production and delivery of your cd – if I can raise the money by the end of October, this will be in good time for Christmas.

What is in it for you?– First of all, you will get a beautiful cd which I will only be able to produce with your support. Secondly, every subscriber will get a signed copy of the cd and a little personal extra (you never know, it might turn into a coveted collectible one day and fetch high prices on Ebay).

Thirdly, you are in for a chance to get the cd at a cheaper subscription rate. I have also applied for some funding to produce the cd, and although competition for grants is fierce, if my application does get accepted I will offer all subscribers who have pre-ordered a cd before 27 October a reduced price – this being the date when the outcomes will be known. And if I have enough subscriptions by then, I will still be able to produce the cd even if I don’t get the grant, and have it ready in time for Christmas - so everyone would be happy.

Lastly, I would be very grateful if you would pass this information on to your friends. If you have your own website, or a blog, or regularly post on an internet forum, please mention it there and post a link, or direct people to this page (copy-paste the url in the header to post a link). If you have already bought one of my other cd’s, perhaps you could play it to friends on occasion…. If you refer other subscribers to me and let me know about it, I will publish your name in the cd booklet with my warmest thank-you’s for your support.

Arohanui, Asni

last updated: 16 January, 2007