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Why Independant Publishing?

Authors work hard, with little acknowledgement, begging publishers to pluck them from the mob and tell them their work is valuable. So it is understandable that recent stories of ebook millionaires and how Barry Eisler, an established author, turned down half a million dollars to self-publish is a beacon of hope. We could be in control? And be paid for what we love?

Those eBook and Kindle stories, such as Amanda Hocking (who now has a 4-book deal), are accompanied by a lot of disagreement and, to be blunt, arguing. Traditional publishers feel threatened. I’d still love to use them, but I also am incredibly pleased that authors have more options.

But hearing about the option didn’t make me truly understand it. How does the market work, and if I choose to put my book up will it be difficult to format? To price? To understand it better, did a dry run with a previously aired short story to which I still own the rights. Reselling a short story doesn’t bring much money from a magazine, so I’m not taking a huge risk. Before publishing, remember to ask yourself what your goals are. Self-publishing may bring in money if you are willing to promote it, but it can make selling to a publisher much more difficult.

Publishing on the Kindle

Now, if you haven’t tried this, publishing to the Kindle is far easier than you may think. Assuming that you have a cover and a polished text it takes only the amount of time needed to create an account, write up a blurb, and upload your cover and word document. Simple, but you do have to wait up to 24 hours for the book to appear online. It’s so easy, there’s a five minute youtube video you can follow along while you submit.

Publishing on Smashwords

Submitting to Smashwords took much more preparation and time. I followed the instructions in a very long guide to format my document according to their specifications. My story was simple text with very little formatting. I cannot imagine the headache of books with elaborate tables or special fonts. I’m especially glad I tried this with a short story and not my novel. After a few struggles, I loaded my story and it entered a queue to be formatted that took several hours. Still, Smashwords will make the story available on many markets (e.g., .pdf, Mobi, ePub) so I consider them well worth the time. See it here.

Pricing my Ebook Short Story

For me, the hard part was pricing. Should I offer Undergrowth, my science-fiction/horror short story, for $0.99 or something higher? I chose the lower option, even though it makes only 35% royalties, since this was my first work and relatively short. Even so, I had self-doubt and second thoughts. Had I been pricing my novel, I know my qualms would have been much worse. Debates rage in online forums and over twitter about pricing. Are authors devaluing their work? Will a lower price get more downloads and therefore a higher income, or at the very least drive enough sales to move you up in the ranking? But aren’t royalty percentages lower at low prices? In other words, the same questions that have driven markets since time immemorial.

Putting a single short story on Kindle for $0.99 isn’t going to have much of an impact on my income, but if it goes well I’ll use stories I already have for an anthology. And hopefully that will lead readers to the important purchase, my next novel. I’m working on it now, and I value it highly.

I hope others will also.

Fractured Horizon H.E. Roulo cover alternate

Artwork

Apparently I love to post when I have new images, and this month is no exception. Here’s another take on the Fractured Horizon book cover. Keep in mind, it’s a virtual book so the cover can be anything I want. How do you think this one compares?

Re-opening the Fractured Horizon Archive- Short stories coming up! 

The universe of Fractured Horizon, populated by feisty genetically engineered Adams and ambitious mystic Royals, along with our struggling heroine Kay, has been sadly neglected recently. But I’m booting up my ancient laptop, pulling up the old folders, and sorting through it for a hidden gem. I need just a small idea for the Podioracket Presents-Glimpses anthology. This is the second anthology we’ve edited, and this one will be available in both audio and ebook formats.

I haven’t settled on what story I’ll contribute to the anthology. I have a lot of material already available, including scenes from the near future when Kay awakens, when she sees David in the future (oh please, that isn’t a spoiler, you have to have expected it!) and about the rift and Ants. Alternately, I could explore side-stories with some of the other characters. Want to hear more about the Adam encampment? A particular character’s history?

If you have a preference, speak up now!

New Horror Short- Shockingly out there

I’ve been working on short stories for the last year, and it has been very rewarding. I’ve gotten published, and I’ve expanded my range. The latest piece, which will air on HorrorAddicts.net for their Valentine’s Day special was a huge stretch. It’s a shocking tale, intended for mature audiences, and may not appeal to all listeners. Feel free to check out this graphic horror story, or wait and know that I’ve got more of the sci-fi that you love coming soon.

Cover for Stripping the Zipper by H.E. Roulo

Here’s the blurb: Stripping the Zipper is the tale of an everyday woman who submerges herself in a world of latex and hidden obsessions only to discover that once she sees beyond prescribed normality even she isn’t what she thought.

I asked Devlin Donnelly for a cover in the new, minimalist style he’s adopted, for Stripping the Zipper and he really delivered. I think it’s very stylish.

Reader Response

I had a few GREAT comments come in, and your interest in Fractured Horizon makes me turn my attention back to that project as well. Thanks so much for taking the time to come to the site and comment. This comment by Robin I’m going to quote in full because it makes me so happy:

Heather, I just finished reading/listening to Fractured Horizon. I have to give you MAJOR KUDOS!!!

I’m usually disappointed by Sci-Fi novels written by women…not sure why, mostly I just feel they’re not technical enough & perhaps a bit too ‘mushy.’ But NOT YOU.

I love, Love, LOVED this book!!! I AM very excited to see you are considering a sequel. I will be EAGERLY monitoring your sight watching for it!

Thanks for sharing Your Talent,
Robin

Oh Robin, that’s music to my ears! I wrote Fractured Horizon to please myself. There have been, and will be, more changes as I come to accept the market that I’m writing for. It has been suggested that I need more of the ‘mushy’ stuff so that the reader understands what motivates Kay on her journey. I happen to like sentiment, and I’ve written several short stories for romance anthologies, but I want to make sure that it is appropriate. Fractured Horizon is, first and foremost, a sci-fi adventure.

You guys rock! I’ll be bringing you more as soon as it is ready. Keep reading.

Heather
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The worthy Rhonda R Carpenter was crowned the new Most Wicked. It’s great to pass along the honor and responsibility to my fabulous Podioracket.com partner. I’m sure she’ll have a blast running next year’s contest. Congrats, Rhonda!

This year’s contest inspired fan art for my winning story from a year ago, and I don’t want to miss a chance to post this great image by Devlin Donnelly.

If you remember, my story was about a guy who keeps re-burying a coffin which may or may not contain his lovely wife– a woman who sent heart shaped sandwiches and Twinkies in his lunchbox.
I like the art. What do you think?

You may also have noticed that on October 17th I added a short story to the Fractured Horizon Novel feed. It is the short story Great Asp & Little Death, which first appeared on HorrorAddicts.net. I thought I’d add a little fanfare and mention it here, in case you missed it on Horror Addicts and aren’t subscribed to the novel.

In the fantasy story Great Asp and Little Death, Death stalks a woman-warrior of near mythic proportion fresh from battle and dealing with her husband’s death and her own imminent demise. Will she achieve hero status and be made immortal? Or will the wounds to her heart and body give her over to Death first?

Waiting to hear about the new stuff? I’ll do another post before the end of the year talking about upcoming projects and responding to the FANTASTIC COMMENTS some of you have left. Love it!

The Pirate gives you sci-fi with a sense of fun. Much more optimistic than the horror shorts you may have heard from me recently.

The Blurb: What do you do when you are born in a paradise, that has never heard of the profession you born into?  You go with it, you play it to the hilt and you live you life by no ones rules but your own.

Want to know more about Flagship? Here’s how the editor, Zach Ricks, explain what they’re looking to put together:

With our first magazine, FlagShip, I wanted to hearken back to what some have called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. The people we regard as the grand masters of genre fiction, or a lot of them anyway, got their start writing in the “pulps”. There was a sense of optimism and hope in those old stories that I miss in more recent science fiction. Fantasy has been largely immune from this trend, so far as I know, but I worry about the negativity, the cynicism, and the pseudo-sophistication of the culture. In response to that, I have some specific things I want to accomplish.

He goes on to list 3 goals.

I love the optimism and the pulpy goodness of past masters and knew I had the perfect story. I’m glad that Flagship Magazine agreed.

The magazine is $1.99 for audio or etext versions, and $2.99 for both.

Horror Addicts Ep 44

Episode 44 of Horror Addicts is out and my short story, Great Asp and Little Death, is available as audio.

My story begins about 45 minutes into the program.

In Great Asp and Little Death, Death stalks a woman-warrior of near mythic proportion fresh from battle and dealing with her husband’s death and her own imminent demise. Will she achieve hero status and be made immortal? Or will the wounds to her heart and body give her over to Death first?

I completed an interview for Horror Addicts about myself and the story http://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2010/06/18/13-questions-with-h-e-roulo/. I like this quote from the article, “I always want to be growing and trying new things. I had already given Horror Addicts a sci-fi piece and a contemporary piece. I’d used sound effects. So for the new story I chose a historical fantasy setting and, for the first time, added another voice and a musical score.”

In other news, I sold a story to Flagship magazine. Watch for more information when it releases!

P.G. Holyfield will also be creating a clean, edited audio version of the story in the next month or so. I’ll see if I can add that to my feed as well.

Thank you to anyone who attended the reading.

Listen to my story Graveyard Shift (and Re-shift) as well as the three other stories contributed by Rhonda Carpenter, Arlene Radasky, and Michele Roger. All the stories are at HorrorAddicts.net

Vote for the story or stories that you liked best by emailing the host, Emerian Rich at emzbox@sbcglobal.net.  Write ‘WWW’ in the subject line. Include 1) The name, number, or author of the story you want to vote for 2) Your name or handle 3) Your mailing address (Only used if you should win).

This will be a tight race. Your vote is very important, and one lucky voter will win the prize box. It contains autographed books, audio cds, t-shirts, key chains, and other book-themed paraphernalia.

Undergrowth cover by K. Siegenthaler

Guilt and Pruners Don’t Mix:

Torsten is a xenobotanist whose specialization in dangerous plants has already meant hideous death for someone he loved.

The Lumentera is a beautiful specimen whose hallucinogenic and luminescent qualities make it an invaluable commodity. But when the Lumentera blooms, the bait is set in a mind game whose outcome is as uncertain as Torsten’s sanity.

In the planet of Scillia’s uncultivated forests, amputation, lost love, and unrequited desire play out. But is Torsten strong enough to grab hold of the new happiness offered to him? Or will guilt own him forever?

Where to Get It:

My newest short story, the horror sci-fi piece entitled Undergrowth, airs on Emerian Rich’s Horror Addicts podcast. I think the audio adds to the story, so definitely consider listening to the half-hour podcast story within her podcast. Be warned, some of the news stories prior to my interview are pretty gruesome.  If you love horror, listen to the whole ep. My brief interview starts 42 minutes in and the story is the last half-hour of the podcast.

You will love it!

I think that the audio is the finest I’ve done, I even took the time to add sound effects in the podcast, but I am also offering the text of Undergrowth on the Kindle for you to read (newly available as of March 24, 2011!). Check it out and let me know what you think. If you try both, I’d love to hear which you prefer.