I’ve released three short stories since I published my first novel. For those of you that enjoy my shorts, you have a fourth to look forward to in February. I’ll be releasing “Revealed: Story 4” mid-February. “Revealed” shows us Max’s abrupt introduction to the world of magic via his long-time friend and Texas Pack member Chris Langford.
I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Shorts don’t actually sell terribly well in comparison to novels–for most authors. And even when they do, the price point is so much lower, there’s still not a lot of actual dollars involved compared to novels. Each author’s mileage will vary, but that’s my experience. Especially when you consider expenses, some of which are impacted by the shorter length of the story and some are not. For example, a cover is a cover whether for a 300 page book or 10 page short. But my editors are kind enough to price my shorts lower than my novels =)
So, naturally, all of this info begs the question: why shorts? Here’s why:
- I like to write them.
- I like to give free stuff away, and shorts work well as swag. (I hope you, dear reader, agree.)
- Series fans seem to love backstory, and my shorts have it. There’s always a little, and sometimes there’s a lot.
- I’m pretty excited to package them up as a collection. Taking all the stray shorts, herding them, and lining them up–just thinking about it gives me that same feeling as having done every bit of laundry in the house. And folded it.
- Did I mention? I like to write them. That one gets extra credit 😉
But here’s the real reason for the post. Okay, the third reason for the post. The first was the sneaky cover preview op. The second was giving you a heads up that current newsletter subscribers will receive the opportunity to download a free copy of “Revealed” for a limited time before it goes live on Amazon. Oh yeah, almost forgot that bit, didn’t I? Don’t want to miss the occasional free stuff or Kate-related news, then sign up here: http://eepurl.com/WD6UD A special newsletter with instructions for Revealed will go out prior to publish.
Back to reason #3. I’m changing the look of my covers–just the shorts. I’m going a different, and simpler, route for the shorts so that I can continue to offer them for sale and even occasionally give some away for free.
Let me know what you think about the Revealed cover. You can comment on my FB Author page: /KateBaray or by email via my contact page: www.katebaray.com/contact-kate. I don’t think I need to say that I’m quite fond of it =) Also, if you have thoughts on free short stories, share them there.
Happy Reading,
~Kate
