marysipe

in 2010 I finished my second novel. Unlike the first, I went back over it and over it, editing and polishing. I was thinking of using Blurb to print a few copies for family/friends while I sent out query letters but then I found a print-shop in my hometown that printed them for cheaper than Blurb (which is the cheapest I could find: no upfront and low unit cost). These were just promo copies though. Wasn't planning to go the self-published route but, since I probably have a while to go before my query gets traction, I thought about something else: I was previously also submitting a ton of short stories I wrote to magazines and decided that a) It's annoying to work hard researching various magazines and have to deal with their rejections when it's not really a goal and b) the payout from acceptance is so low I might as well self-publish all my short stories and forget about the magazines. So I think that's now the plan: I'm gonna promote a free ebook (because who would pay for short stories by an unknown?) collection through my website. It's about 100 pages, which is a good size, I think and it'll build me a small audience while I wait to get published. So, yeah: that's my two-cents on the subject.

That's a good idea kongming, but you'll still have to do a little promo (but not here, against the rules).

I'm considering it. I'll have to hire an editor, but I think I can do the rest. We'll see, though, maybe not.

Good luck if you do.

Interesting approach. I have been writing the odd short story and sending them off but no luck as yet. I agree that tailoring stories for particular publications is a little tiresome and potentially doomed to fail if you are trying to shoe-horn something you've written into their template of what they accept. On the other hand it can show if the writer has the scope within them to write something specific and maybe outside of their comfort zone ...anyway. In terms of credibility though, I still reckon it's a good idea to have some short story publications under my belt so I intend to persevere. Good luck with your plans.

Well, I don't really work that way, (not that I'm some kind of unrecognized genius--although the unrecognized part I'm pretty solid on.) Once upon a time I spurned the "free" magazines, but for exposure, they have an existing audience and following and there is non-obvious monetary value in that.

As to all that market research? I regret to say I don't really do it. I mean I send Fantasy stories to Fantasy publications, but as to buying copies and reading their magazine and all that? I don't. I figure it takes them about five seconds to figure "no" if it's a no, and if they read the rest, well, then they're the ones to decide if they want it. (Somewhere in Bova's Sci-Fi writing book is a comment from an editor--how dare you reject work from my magazine was the argument).

So.

But lately if it's not a theme issue or a major magazine, I've not been submitting. Not that this has produced a 100% sell rate.

I think were I to give something away it would be on a web site (and quite likely here on SFF world as a kind of thanks to the operators, not punishment....). As Allison Hewitt is Trapped demonstrated, a large enough following on a web site is not a guarantee the work will not be considered for publication. Self-publishing it will fairly guarantee it won't, although there is always 1 Dead in Attic to rebut that argument.

So...

What was the question?

--Brian.

Originally Posted by kongming

So I think that's now the plan: I'm gonna promote a free ebook (because who would pay for short stories by an unknown?) collection through my website. It's about 100 pages, which is a good size, I think and it'll build me a small audience while I wait to get published. So, yeah: that's my two-cents on the subject.

I think that's a good idea! Have you looked into publishing it as an ebook? I've seen new authors put their work up for .99 cents (as ebooks), which seems to really work for them. I know several authors who are new and selling well at that price! Good luck with your anthology!

Originally Posted by tmso

I'm considering it. I'll have to hire an editor, but I think I can do the rest. We'll see, though, maybe not.

Good luck if you do.

I've decided to do it. I can do the cover art myself, and the formatting is easy. I'm undecided about hiring an editor, though. Hmm. We'll see. Thanks! And to you!

Originally Posted by Eddy Gemmell

In terms of credibility though, I still reckon it's a good idea to have some short story publications under my belt so I intend to persevere. Good luck with your plans.

I'm going to self-publish a novel. I have some short stories published, and a novella of mine was just accepted by a small press, but I want to get my novels out there and I think this is a good way to do it! Good luck to you, too!

Originally Posted by expatrie

I think were I to give something away it would be on a web site (and quite likely here on SFF world as a kind of thanks to the operators, not punishment....). As Allison Hewitt is Trapped demonstrated, a large enough following on a web site is not a guarantee the work will not be considered for publication. Self-publishing it will fairly guarantee it won't, although there is always 1 Dead in Attic to rebut that argument.

Yeah, self-pubbing will mean that this book won't be traditionally published, but that doesn't particularly matter to me. What matters to me is getting it out to readers. You know? And I can do that if I self-publishing it as an ebook. It's not like this is the one and only book I will ever write, and if it does well--Yay! If it doesn't, self-publishing will let me tweak elements (cover arts, price, etc.) so that I can make the most of it. There will be promotion, but I'd have to promote it anyway, even if I went with a traditional publisher. So... Yeah.