Best products from r/nerdist

Hey Nerdist!
Thanks for all the great podcasts and web content. You guys are more than just entertainment, you're making the world a better place with your nerd-dom!

I've just self-published a comedic novel called Come Join the Party under the name Lionel T Duncan. It's written like a novelization of a never-made 1930's screwball comedy about politics; imagine if the Marx brothers were on a yacht in the ocean with Trump and Sanders supporters, and you get the idea. My characters, Lutsey, Missink, and Dr. Elgo T Sackenhacker are enlisted to watch over a meeting taking place to decide a party's presidential candidate, when activists and opposing politicians come on board, and the ship they're all on heads out to sea and starts sinking. Add a fast-talking, big city lady reporter named Toddy Drummond who's on a tight deadline, and who's father is the Congressman party leaders are trying to get to run, and you've got the perfect read for the summer of 2016. Topical and entertaining; for old movie and comedy lovers; with a rapid fire succession of political and observational jokes, and looney characters whose antics will make you laugh, check out this literary crazy cruise on Amazon and have a great time!

https://www.amazon.com/Come-Join-Party-Political-Screwball-ebook/dp/B01G7X9A1I/

Self Published Children's Book - I'm Bringing Home a Baby Bumble Bee ...and a few friends!

So I made a thing (and it only took me slightly over a year) and self-published it. Kind of a new twist on an old classic kid's song "I'm Bringing Home a Baby Bumble Bee". As you might remember from the original song, the situation escalates rather quickly after the "Ouch! It stung me!" part. I found myself not wanting to sing anything past the first verse to my daughter, even though she loved the song. Until one day I made up a brand new rhyme with a baby ladybug, which she loved. That's how the idea for this book came about. You and your child will learn about the various bugs (and even one mollusk) the baby is bringing home to Mommy!

This rhythmic book targeted at children aged 6 months to 3 years. A new twist on a classic rhyme that will appeal to children as different, yet familiar.

You can get it here:

• as a Kindle eBook
  
• or as a real book on CreateSpace - better royalties for me =c)
  
• or on Amazon - more convenient for you =c)
  
  Honest reviews would be much appreciated! Just a note though, Amazon frowns on reviews if you didn't buy the book.
  
  You can go read the whole book here.
  
  It'd be supremely helpful to share/like/re-tweet and all that other fun social stuff:
  
  
• Facebook Page
  
• Twitter
  
• Main Site
  
  Happy to answer any and all answers about how I did it, in case someone else is contemplating it.

Taking it back old school (and right around again to modern) my first board game, Swamped was recently published by Bellwether Games!

Ye Olde Picture

Swamped is a semi-cooperative game of adventure, peril and treasure in which players move through a swamp searching for a rare herb that can cure diseases. Each player takes a turn steering the boat to find the herb. But the swamp has many other treasures as well, so players may try to steer the boat away from its intended goal to increase their own wealth.

Swamped is a game for 2-4 adventurers that plays in about 30 minutes and expands the vibrant world of Antidote. In addition to a one-of-a-kind theme, there are five core elements that make Swamped incredibly fun and a surprisingly unique gaming experience:

• Player shared pieces.
  
• Secret and shared objectives.
  
• Player controlled game length.
  
• Surprise ending.
  
• Big game, little box, small price.
  
  All that shoved into a $15 box that will fit anywhere your other really small games fit.
  
  Publisher Website
  
  BGG site
  
  Freaking Amazon!

Hi!

My name is Sean McKenzie, and about a year ago, I drove 13 hours each way to a buddy's wedding. One of the other groomsmen was just getting into self-publishing, and urged me to take a swing at it, as I've always wanted to get my work published, but have had trouble getting my foot in the door.

On the way home, I was binge listening to The Nerdist podcast, having only been recently introduced to it by a colleague. Listening to Neil Gaiman, Joss Whedon, and so many others talk about their crafts really helped push me into finally making my thing(s).

My first book, Dicing with the Gods, went live on May 7. It's the story of an AD&D style barbarian named Grug Smash that has had all of his stats weighted toward physical attributes and is a little...challenged in his intelligence stats. When he finds a magical amulet that gives him incredible intelligence, he starts to see the cracks in his reality and has to struggle with the possibility that the gods are playing with his life.

Getting started as an author isn't easy, but I'm going to take my best swing at it. If you could encourage people to head over to Amazon and search "Grug Smash," I would certainly appreciate it!

Good news, everyone

I made a thing! If you enjoy Stephen King, Twilight Zone, and Stranger Things, you have great taste! You might also like [Outer Demon] (https://www.amazon.com/Outer-Demon-David-Leavenworth-ebook/dp/B077NW8RSH/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1511449709&sr=8-3&keywords=outer+demon), a short story of the supernatural dangers of emotions unchecked.

To thank the community for checking it or my other [Amazon Kindle books] (https://www.amazon.com/David-Leavenworth/e/B00GXV1MMA/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1511450925&sr=1-2) out, for each download of any of my books between now and the end of 2017, I'll donate $1 to the [City of Hope] (https://www.cityofhope.org) cancer research hospital. And for every review--good or bad--I'll add an additional $1 donation.

City of Hope is an organization that does great things in the fight against cancer, and I've supported them for many years. The books are cheap, quick to read, and will support a great cause.

Thanks in advance, and enjoy your burrito!
David Leavenworth

Hello! My name is Al Romero and I've been writing a book for the past 20 years. It's finally finished, and It's called The Tail of the Order of the Blue Maiden. It's a medieval fantasy which can best be described as a slightly more edgy Redwall with some scifi twists thrown in. If you liked the Disney Afternoon as I did back in the day, you will like this book. It is currently available for FREE on iTunes or on Amazon for 99¢ for a limited time.

UPDATE: Due to an error on my part, the book was not previously free on iTunes. However, it is FREE now. Many apologies! Please enjoy!

Summary: Mieu Notra is young sorceress on a mission to free Cacco, the wolf god from captivity. Ayan Brewerson is a stable boy with dreams of becoming a knight. When Mieu escapes the cruelty of her grandmother, the Countess of Cortuna, by absconding with a group of thieves, Ayan sets off to rescue her, only to find that she would be the one to rescue him from the clutches of Griol, a cruel god of war. Thank you!

Hi Nerdist Community! I wanted to promote my good friend's new book. His name is Jeff Gephart and his new book is called "Accidental Adulthood: One Man's Adventures with Dating and Other Friggin' Nonsense". It's a hilarious, coming-of-age tale about a guy named Mick who owns a run-down motel in Sacramento, CA. He navigates through various (and hysterically funny) dating disasters and a crazy family, all the while trying to keep his motel afloat. It's chock full of colorful characters and will definitely have you laughing out loud. If you've ever had trouble 'adulting', you should definitely read this book.

The book is available in paperback and kindle on Amazon and you can check out more information about Accidental Adulthood as well as Jeff's other books (which are also awesome) at his website: http://www.jeffgephartwriting.com.

You can buy the book or kindle here: https://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Adulthood-Adventures-Friggin-Nonsense/dp/0998071749/. Please, please check it out and if you read the book - make sure to review it on Amazon! Thanks! -- Abby

Hey fellow Nerdist fans! I just wanted to officially announce my humor book to this community about growing up Indian in America. I hope you guys like it! Chris, pretty please give me a shout out on the pod! Enjoy your tandoori burrito, everyone!

Are You Indian?: A Humorous Guide to Growing Up Indian in America. http://www.amazon.com/Are-You-Indian-Humorous-Growing/dp/0578116138/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354441890&sr=1-1&keywords=sanjit+singh

Hi All,

My name is Evan Crean. I'm a film critic and podcast in Boston, MA. I'm here to share the book that I co-wrote with my friend Bryan Krull. It's called Your '80s Movie Guide to Better Living, Volume 1, and it's the first in a series of lighthearted self-help books for film fans, pop culture junkies, and anyone obsessed with the 80s.

Wondering about life after college, romance, or getting ahead in business? Films from the '80s have you covered. They can also help you deal with ghosts, avoid the perils of time travel, or survive a horror movie. Through tireless research, we've distilled advice from '80s movies on how you can tackle many of life’s challenges into Your '80s Movie Guide to Better Living, Volume 1.

If our book sounds up your alley, you can find it on Amazon in paperback or on Kindle. You can also find it on Amazon's [CreateSpace] (https://www.createspace.com/6472331) publishing tool.

Hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading!

The third book in the Tarbabies series is now available on Amazon. The first book, the Shadow Man of Ichabod Lane, chronicles the rise of a new kind of monster. Inspired by the lethal doll from the Uncle Remus stories, the Tarbabies are best described as a cross between a zombie horde and the Blob. Book 1 tells of the monsters overrunning a small town in the Hudson Valley. Book 2, the Siege at Friendly Haven, follows the residents of an assisted living facility as they attempt to keep the creatures from oozing their way in.

In the newest installment, Book 3: the Honey Pot of Defiance, the Tarbaby plague has spread as far as the Rockies. As our heroes struggle to make their way out of the infected zone, they come upon a group that holds the secret to what the creatures really are. The answers they discover come just in time to witness the next step in the monsters' evolution.

All three books are available now at Amazon. Prime subscribers can read for free via the Kindle Unlimited program.
Book 1: http://amzn.com/1518874959
Book 2: http://amzn.com/1519151772
Book 3: http://amzn.com/1519322844

I hope you enjoy!

Hey nerds! I want to quit my job so, I just released my very first eBook, Project Saturn, on Amazon. It is a dystopian sci-fi about a disgraced scientist who seeks redemption through his next great project, building a device that unifies the laws of physics. He's unorthodox, rude and horribly flawed. Oh, and his best friend is an android named Bob.

Anyway, I loosely based the main character's struggles with alcohol on my own experience a couple of years back. Overall, the book has a pretty positive message, even if it is set in a pretty bleak future. With any luck, some readers struggling with addiction can find some sort of hope or release out of it as much as I did while writing it.

Love the podcast and keep up the good work!

Trevor

Hello there all, my name is Joseph and recently (on April 7th) I self published my first children's book Daydreaming Danny and the Green Dragon. Along with writing the story, I also did all of the art work in the book as well. The book is targeted at children ages 6-9 for self reading and my 3.5 year old loves to have it read to her as well. My book is currently available for purchase on Amazon at the following link:

https://www.amazon.com/Daydreaming-Danny-Green-Dragon-1/dp/1544712278/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1494092381&sr=1-1&keywords=daydreaming+danny

I hope you take a minute to check it out. Thank you for your time and all of the awesome content that you all provide!

Hello,

I wanted to promote my podcast - The Pop Culture Abstract Podcast. I interview interesting people, my friends, and pretty much anyone that wants to talk about stuff they are passionate about. I've already talked baseball, beer brewing, movies, and much more. This week's episode is the writer and illustrator of a kids book called Where a Booger Goes. There is a new episode each week.

Thanks,

Eugene Tierney

"Could Bigfoot be hiding in plain sight? Color the possibilities of Bigfoot roaming freely in our quirky human domain -- behind the "redwood curtain" of Humboldt County, California. From chilling on the Arcata plaza to rolling with his woodland creature buds -- Bigfoot is keeping it real at his favorite local hangouts."
This is my first published coloring book with CreateSpace & for purchase on Amazon. Most of this book was drawn while listening to the Nerdist (your former name). Pretty sure the words "make your thing" seeped into my subconscious & TA DAH! Thank you ALL hosts & guests...your stories make great drawing companions. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692069321

My co-author and I, after years of talking about it, went out and made a thing. We wrote a book about the adventures of a group of adventurers that uncover a ancient relic, and unleash a terrible power upon the world. Now they must work together to find out the full extent of what they have unleashed, and how to save their world. The story is based off a 7 month D&D campaign and was the most enthralling story we had been a part of.

There is a full world map, character illustrations of the party at Level 1 and at the end of the book when they reach level 5. The book is available on Amazon for as little as a $1, or free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers. If you like tabletop gaming, this will be right up your alley. Happy Reading.

https://www.amazon.com/Mages-Monsters-Judgments-Saga-Book-ebook/dp/B01CM9M0GS?ie=UTF8&keywords=of%20mages%20and%20monsters&qid=1463399497&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1

Hi nerdist nerds!
I'm Tyler Beck, a longtime listener, and I recently (finally) finished my first short novel, Undergrad Elementalist. It's a story of a young woman named Emma who is just beginning her studies at a university, and weird stuff starts happening. She is recruited into a magic users club on campus, and they start to teach her the art of "elementalism." Soon, though, she realizes that magic isn't all fun and games, when students start dying.
The book is available on Amazon Kindle and print, and right now I'm doing a promotion, giving away a few copies to a few lucky people who share it via Twitter. Check out the giveaway here: https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/9217d5b02dc0253e/?ref_=tsm_4_tw_p_tw#ln-dei
Or just buy the book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074LD83D1/?ref_=aga_h_cl_dashboard_pl
Thanks everyone!

Hi everyone!


I wrote a book! It's called The Infinite Death of the Sun and is available on Amazon in hardcopy and Kindle version.


It took me a year living in Alaska and two in Florida (with a short detour in the Middle East for an Air Force deployment) to finish it, but it is finally here and exists somewhere other than my mind. You can read more of a synopsis on the Amazon site, but in short it is about a family in Oklahoma, agents infiltrating command and control nodes/militaries/communication networks across the globe, and a scientist at NASA who bears witness to the mind control of his coworkers to create an unfathomable feat of engineering.


It has elements of science fiction, southern family drama, and international subterfuge. Again, it can be found here and below is my favorite passage from the book. I hope you like it!


The dark side of the Earth, in all its terrestrial glory, hung stoically silent atop invisible Atlas’s shoulders, emblazoned on its hazy edges by the rear-illuminating Sol, an incandescent stellar fusion revealed subtly around circumventing atmosphere gently embracing the onyx mass of Terra gripped in semi-night, populated by an intermittent staccato of light pollution from various population centers and nodules of humanity pockmarking an indifferent world, seemingly unmoving but hurtling elliptically around an otherwise indifferent star, which in turn was thrust by the vicissitudes of randomness around a galactic body of mass and light and energy, granting it no bias and enforcing its anonymity. And yet the resolute figure of the planet seemed to whisper life and in its revolution the Sun rose from the depth of obscurity and immolated the blanketing atmosphere. Stalwart oceans teeming with magnificent azure reflections and burning callouses of desserts intermittently percolating the chartreuse tapestries of heterotrophic tendencies called land defied the death rattle of night once more and burst forth from the womb of dawn to be reborn as Day, reincarnated once more until fatal Night returned. To the inhabitants of that lonely, indiscriminate terrestrial body, eternity manifested itself as an infinite birth and death of the Sun.

Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!

Here are your smile-ified links:

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B074LD83D1/

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^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly bot