How Do I Get Rich Quick? He Asks the Internet
Posted on a writing forum, an inspired soul asks:
I have a
wealth of short story ideas so instead of leaving them dormant in a folder on
my computer, I want to start publishing them on kindle.
I'll group 3
or 4 of them together, Use public domain images for the cover, start a website
and offer up some stories for free so if people like them they can read more of
my work for just 2.99 a month.
My friends
also have some ideas so I can work with them and we can create new interesting
stories together.
I love old
pulp novels and serials and really want to recreate that with my work.
I have a ton
of ideas, and I even have a few serial ideas so I can carry them through issues
to, hopefully, keep people coming back. If this becomes profitable I may even
start buying stories from people to put in the magazine.
I know I'm
just an amateur but I've written 2 novellas, I've tried writing full length
novels but I just can't get to that 60k word count so I think cutting my teeth
on short stories would be a much better fit for me.
Is there
anyone else doing something like this?
How much
would you pay for one issue a month? The minimum is going to be 2.99 because of
amazons royalty structure
What are
some good ways to promote my magazine and get my name out there?
What would
entice you to click BUY?
There’s a
lot of stuff here, so let’s go in order:
I have a ton
of ideas… but I just can't get to that 60k word count.
Ain’t it the truth?
A couple of years ago a blogger I love decided to
do National Novel Writing Month, but instead of an actual novel, he wanted to
do short stories. He failed pretty quickly. The next year, I decided to do the
same (unrelated), trying to buff up my Stories
of the Wyrd portfolio. I failed pretty quickly, having to speed out a the
first 50K of a novel in two weeks.
Writing short stories seems like it would be
easier than a novel, however, resetting all of the time can actually make it
harder to use the momentum in your favor.
And how many times have we heard aspiring authors
say, “I have a ton of ideas, if I could only write them down?”
After I started Stories of the Wyrd in 2014, I began to find it incredibly
difficult to get out a story a month. For reference, the year prior I had
written a 180,000 word novel in five months, the first 60,000 just that
November alone. I haven’t be as prolific as I once was for various reasons, but
writing a 2,500 word short story every four weeks can be surprisingly
difficult. That’s not to mention quality. Today I still struggle with having
the stories represent what I want Stories
of the Wyrd to be. I have a reliable editor, but she can only do so much
based on what I get her. Finding beta-readers can be a stressor in itself.
Sure, you might find that a monthly deadline helps push you forward, but it’s
pretty important to be dependable if you want to be taken seriously. You can’t
be skipping deadlines due to writer’s block if you want to make a business.
Is there
anyone else doing something like this?
There is always
someone else doing something like this. In fact, whenever you come up with
a ground breaking idea, it’s useful to ask yourself why don’t you see anyone else doing something like this: Either you
aren’t informed about your competition/audience (as in, they are, you’re just
naïve), or people have tried and failed. It is incredibly unlikely—I’d even say
impossible—that no one has come up
with something similar.
It doesn’t mean you can’t make it work, but it’s
useful to understand why it hasn’t been successful yet, as well as be aware if
other people are doing it and how they’re making it happen.
How much
would you pay for one issue a month? The minimum is going to be 2.99 because of
amazons royalty structure
Well, then I’m already priced out.
Market research, my friend. Many self-publishers
ask the internet what cost their books should be and are often disappointed in
the answers. I know. Your book is different than those “hacks churned out in a
week!” but maybe you should just sit back and really make sure you know what your
competition actually looks like. Why would I buy your self-published book for nearly
twice the cost I could of a successful, vetted novel?
I can get an anthology of 20 self-published short
stories for a buck. I can get an anthology of 20 award winning short stories
for seven bucks. You’re offering me a 4 stories:3 dollars ratio, which becomes
fifteen dollars for every twenty shorts. Depending on how long it is… maybe,
but from a man who admits he can’t focus on getting 60K out there easily, I
doubt the four stories would equal the nearly 300 pages of the 16 award-winning
sci-fi short stories I just saw being sold for the exact same price.
Just shop around. Treat yourself as one of the
masses, and be competitive. Truth is, there’s no way in hell that I would buy
four electronic short stories from an unknown self-publisher for three bucks
unless I somehow know it’s absolutely fantastic.
Which brings us to the problem of this whole
suggestion.
While as a pet project, it could be fun and
worthwhile, as a business he intends to make profitable, he’s asking the wrong
questions.
What would
entice you to click BUY?
An amazing pitch with an inspiring cover by a
known author at a competitive price of course!
This sort of route (self-publishing) is best
chosen for those who want to be creative and in control, not as a means to cut
corners. An anthology of short stories is not
easier to write than a novel. Hooking readers is not easier than hooking potential agents and publishing houses. If
making a successful magazine could be as easy as blitzing out a few short
stories every month, grabbing internet images for covers, and charging three
bucks a pop, why isn’t everyone doing it?
I’m an advocate for the nonconventional route.
Having vision and dedication will get you miles along a wide variety of paths.
Most people’s success came from unexpected places. But working outside the
system is appealing to a lot of people, so don’t assume that you have to stop
being competitive just because the gatekeepers aren’t as obvious.
Good ideas are important, but they’re not the only
thing to consider. Execution, showmanship, professionalism, and marketing all
play into how well a book sells. You can’t just be slapping things up online
and expect them to automatically do better than those who have put their blood,
sweat, and tears into it.
If you liked this post, want to support, contact, stalk, or argue with me, please consider...
Liking Charley Daveler on Facebook
Following What's Worse than Was
