[Poll]: ePub Short Stories

[JediSoth]

I've recently thought about self-publishing a few of my short stories as ePubs, through iTunes for iPads and such, and maybe Amazon for Kindles.

So, here's my question for those of you who utilize eReaders: How much, if anything, would you be willing to pay for short fiction? Nothing too long, just something that could be read during a morning commute (<5,000 words).

 

[cdrcjsn]

From an unknown author, one I've never heard of before? Nothing.

I might check out some free stuff. But a new author has to compete with dozens of free online content out there already.

It's a strange market to enter into. You won't sell stuff unless you're known. But you won't get known unless people read your stuff. But people won't read your stuff unless they buy it, or you give it away free. Very rarely, someone well known might link to you, but that's like winning the lottery. You can't exactly plan for it.

For an author that I'm familiar with, I'll probably pay about the same as an itunes download for a short story (i.e. less than a dollar). I subscribed to Eric Flint's Grantville Gazetteer, for example, for a year for $50, but it was published every month with a dozen stories at a time by different authors and you get access to all previously published updates.

Your best bet is to set up your own website with some free samples of your work. Then provide some premium options for those who subscribe. You can distribute through the itunes, kindle and other outlets concurrently.

 

[Mark]

Most publishers, print or online, expect to have first rights for submissions. The problem with putting anything up online yourself is that it loses the "first rights" bargaining chip no matter if it is free or for sale, and probably even if you only sell a single copy. If you are going to give up first rights on a piece, you'd better be sure to get enough from that piece (in money or exposure) to offset that loss.

 

[Deset Gled]

I'm also in the "nothing" category.

The first big issue is that you're talking about short stories. I have never, and probably will never, pay for a single short story. I will buy collections of short stories. I have many, and I love them. But I do not buy story singles. There's simply no way to know which short story in a bunch you're going to like (especially from a new author). I highly suggest getting a full package of stories together in a collection if you want to get traction. Also, note that the price per story in a print collection is generally extremely low - well under a dollar each.

Which brings me to your second issue: competition. Amazon literally has an entire section of the Kindle store for free books - not including the stuff that's free because copyright has expired. There are also numerous websites and newsgroups where you can get short stories for free. The comparison of free stories from known authors vs. paying for short story from an unknown author does not bode in your favor.

From what I've seen on Amazon, there are two methods of getting free books to result in sales: 1) Release the book as "Free for a limited time" to get it to rise up the bestseller lists, then switch to charging for it after interest has been generated. 2) Release the first book in a series as free, and charge customers for the later ones in the series. #2 would obviously be difficult with short stories.

The writing industry is rough to break into, and I wish you luck. If you ever decide to go with method #1 above, be sure to post about it here and I'll do my best to help by downloading a copy