Hollow Reign is a free, illustrated online web serial project, written by Volta Volgate and illustrated by Rowan Westmoreland. It’s primary intended audience is queer-identified young people, but all are welcome to read and enjoy the artwork here. This is not a novel or a webcomic. Hollow Reign is a little bit of both — part visual, part text, all fun and action-packed space adventure. We hope it finds its way into the hands of those who need it most.
Where did this story come from?
Volta had a weird dream about sixteen years ago and they’ve been tinkering around in the Worlds of the Lumerian System ever since (no, really). Rowan came aboard about ten years ago, and the duo have been working on the project ever since in varying capacities. The story and format have changed a lot over the years, but the core is very much still the same.
Why a website?
We wanted the story to be free, accessible (both in terms of cost and for folks using adaptive technology like e-readers), and in a format that can be easily disseminated. The mixed-mode nature of the story (part text, part art, sometimes comic), and the serialized nature of the work function better in a digital environment. As creators with complicated work and family commitments outside of Hollow Reign, the online format and posting schedule permits us to pursue our passions and get this story out without having to take on aspects of the traditional publishing process or front the costs of self-publishing a large, illustrated paper book.
Do you make any money off this project?
If anything, between hosting fees, advertising, social media programming, and paying Rowan a paltry sum for his work, Volta loses money (and time, and sleep…) off of this project. They don’t mind. They do have a Ko-Fi, though.
Can I buy a copy as a book if I don’t like reading online?
At this time, the story is only available through this website. If there is interest and support, we may one day run a Kickstarter to create a hardcover copy when the story is complete.
What’s that ‘Creative Commons’ thing?
Hollow Reign is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Derivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). This means that while you’re welcome to share the story, you should credit the creators if you reproduce our work in any way (like, if you print it out and share a chapter in a class), and you shouldn’t sell commercial fan products for profit.
When is the next update?
Updates are posted the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month, at midnight in the Eastern Time Zone.
Hollow Reign 