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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.

My short story, Undergrowth, will be released on Podioracket Presents-Visionaries as story #15 in the anthology. The final story, #16, will be a new piece by Phil Rossi. Then the anthology is complete! Check it out at www.podiobooks.com if you want to hear short stories by Podiobooks.com authors.

I’m announcing it here first– there will be a live Blog Talk Radio show for the last 8 authors in the anthology and we’ll be offering book give-aways to promote the show and running a contest to get more comments on the stories. The show will air, LIVE, on Thursday, May 27th at 6pm Pacific/9pm Eastern. More details will be available on Podioracket.com in the coming weeks. I will also be talking with Brian Holtz about whether we want to announce a new anthology.

Conventions

I am planning to attend Baycon at the end of May. I will be joining Emerian Rich, the host of Horror Addicts. There will be a Podioracket table for us to offer materials from the various Podiobooks.com authors. Let me know if you will be there!

Fractured Horizon the novel

I heard back from Dragon Moon Press, and the book Fractured Horizon has not been picked up. They suggested changes, such as making the love story more prominent. I will consider it. I like the revised version that I sent them (I had to edit it down to 120,000 words) but I will likely not release a new audio version here or on Podiobooks.com.

None of the changes I made should affect the sequel.

Projects for Others

Working creatively for other people adds to the complexity of every project. Unfortunately, since this is a side business for most of us, it means that life gets even more in the way.

I have inquired about the script that I wrote for Necropolis Studio Production’s Omega Road Chronicles, but I haven’t heard back. I’ll let you know more once I hear. I believe that all the voices were recorded according to my script. I’m sure the story will be released eventually. It is too good to let die.

The short story that I wrote for The Tales of the Children also has taken a back burner following the live reading. I am not sure whether P.G. Holyfield plans to release an edited audio version in the future. I know he is very busy with the print release of his book, coming in May.

Coming up?

HorrorAddicts.net has had a theme this season of old-school style monsters. I will be writing a story about Death for release in June.

I will also be hosting the Wicked Women Writer’s challenge this year. We’re hashing out the details now. And I’ll shamelessly plug myself by mentioning that last year’s winning story high in the running for Best in Blood, which is awarded to the story that gets the most downloads for the year. If you haven’t listened to it, help me out and download Graveyard Shift & Reshift.

I have a humorous sci-fi piece I am submitting to magazines. It is about a man who born to a small colony who is mistakenly given the dedicated career of pirate– in a world without open water or crime. That’s A Pirate Stranded in Paradise.

I also have a sci-fi/horror piece called Shadow Plagued about a planet where underdwellers come out when darkness falls. An alien species strategically creates an unexpected eclipse that sends the planet into shadow, leaving the people to fight enemies from above and below. Strange alliances, games of strategy, and one historic sacrifice may bring mankind back from the brink of extinction.

Sound interesting?

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.

If you’d like to hear how pleased I am, I give a small indication in my Podioracket.com ongoing podcast: Download Podioracket Mini- EP02.

I spoke with Everyday Jones, the indie band that does my intro/outro music (Here I Am, On and On, and All You Said) and they have agreed that I may use their music for the downloadable audiobook version of Fractured Horizon that will be offered when Podiobooks 2.0 is ready. A big thank you to them!

Podioracket.com has been a thrilling success and the most enjoyable time-sponge that I could imagine. Rhonda R. Carpenter, author of The Mark of a Druid, is great to work with. It’s a small but significant step in my growth as an author because I’m putting myself out there every week, talking to inspiring writers and improving my podcasting skills. I’ve never said, ‘no’, to an interview.

In a rare reversal, Emerian Rich of Horror Addicts interviewed me for her August 2nd show. My short story, Undergrowth, will play. It’s a sci-fi horror piece, a little darker than listeners might be used to from me but I absolutely love it! Check it out. I’m really proud of this one. If you aren’t familiar with my writing it’s a quick and easy way to see what you think. And if you are a fan, then enjoy it – because I’m not so sure when I can get the sequel to Fractured Horizon out. I’m working on it!