So I’ve got something on
my mind I want to ask all of you out there. I am almost finished with a short
story that I have been working on for what seems like ages. I’m thinking it’s
going to end up being somewhere around 10,000 words and it is a Science Fiction
piece that is very close to my heart. Since I am almost done, I’ve been going
back and forth on how I want to publish it; traditionally or self-publish. If I
go with traditional publishing, I won’t have to worry about paying for a cover
or the editing (I don’t think so anyways. Please correct me if I’m wrong). BUT
I also don’t have anything else published yet which means that it could be a
little bit more difficult to place than I’m anticipating. Since it is such a long
piece for a short story, I’m also worried about where I would publish it,
because it would be way too long for a magazine. Maybe an anthology, but I don’t
know.
My second option which I’m
leaning towards the most right now is self-publishing. If I self-publish, I
will definitely need to spend the money to pay for a professional cover as well
as an editor. I’m liking this option more because I will have more control of
my work on this particular avenue, but here is the crux of the matter. I don’t
have anything else out there yet so I am currently an unknown and I don’t have
a decent work sample I can offer for free yet. Should I let this be my free
piece or should I put a price on it? I’ve worked so hard on it and right now I
could really use the money, but with paying for a cover and editing, I don’t
know how much to expect or if I should expect any returns all. I don’t know.
What do you think? How
did you publish your first piece and if, like me, you haven’t been published
yet, what avenue are you planning to use?
I will be coming out with my first eBook next year. It is a short story (way too long for a magazine, but not too long for an eBook.) I am publishing it with a Press, so my advice if you want to look further into traditional publishing is to find a Press that takes stories in your genre and word count range.
ReplyDeleteAnd about editing, the editor will go through your story and send you the edits back, which means you'll have to look over his/her suggestions and make your own changes. After that you'll have galleys to look over. If there's anything you want changed or fixed, you'll have to tell your editor. I personally didn't find this difficult because my editor was very understanding and supportive.
I don't know much about self-publishing, but you're right that everything rides on your shoulders. But even with traditional publishing, now-a-days the author has to do a lot of promoting to get their book out there.
Good luck with your decision!
Thanks for your advice Chrys! And congratulations on the release of your ebook! ^^ :D
DeleteAmanda
It's really about personal preference. I lean toward self-publishing ebooks. Promoting them is easy enough, and you're going to do that anyway. Plus, it's so easy to do these days. There are so many sites and apps available to help you. Networking is most important if you want to self publish, but networking is important when you publish a book anyway.
ReplyDeleteHi M.J. Joachim! Thank you for stopping by! That's one thing I love about the self-publishing avenue, that there are so many options available. And you're absolutely right about networking. It seems like it can almost be key to the success of your book!
DeleteThank you M.J.!
Amanda :)
Amanda, I self-published, and to make a long-long story short, that lead me to signing with my two publishers. I had 4 editors in toll, and bless their hearts. They were all different, yet added something very special to each book. Editors are available to self-publishing authors too. My distributor helped. My critique groups were invaluable. I had a lot of support. If I had to choose though, I'd prefer to have a publisher because distribution in Canada isn't easy. It's actually a nightmare.
ReplyDeleteOne thing, you need to show your bookcovers on your so everyone can see them. Celebrate your successes.
Hi Joylene! Wow that's great! It sounds like you had a lot of awesome supporters. ^^ That is so great! I have to say that I don't know what I'd do without my critique group. :] Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing! ^^ :D
DeleteAmanda :)
You can try entering it in the Writers of the Future contest first. It has a lovely $ prize.
ReplyDeleteYou could try submitting first to anthologies and the like. Some feedback from submission can be useful.
I love being an author/publisher. From experience, I can say that short stories don't sell as well as longer work. So it will take time to make your money back. We can talk more about that in person :) You can also try smaller publishers who often take novellas.
I usually try to sell my shorts first, but because of yesterday's incident, I'm putting all my stories into a collection and publishing them so I can get them all copyrighted.
Great suggestions Mary! Thank you so much for sharing! I will definitely try these. :) Thanks for stopping by and sharing! ^^ :D
DeleteAmanda :)
I think researching both avenues is best, know what you're getting into as much as you can and which is better suited for your story :)
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree. Thank you sjp and thanks for stopping by and sharing! ^^ :D
DeleteAmanda :)
Agree with Mary. Contests and or anthologies.
ReplyDeleteGood luck! :)
Thank you Melissa! And thanks for stopping by! ^^ :D
DeleteAmanda :)
I haven't published anything yet. When I do, I am leaning towards self-publishing. Maybe that's just the control freak in me but I know I'm going to want a ton of input on how it's done. Then again, I'm not looking to reach a mass of people just yet. I'm writing just to write. So, I may change my mind one of these days. =)
ReplyDeleteBest of luck to you!
co-host IWSG
Elsie
Hi Elsie! Thanks for stopping by! The nice thing about self publishing is that it makes being a control freak just another way of saying you have a strong vision for your work. ;) And the great thing about self publishing is that there are so many great options so it gives you free reign to create the look and feel that you want. Good luck in whatever you decide Elsie! ^^ :D
DeleteBest of Luck!
Amanda