It is always good to be involved with a successful project, and I wish the energetic folks at CHBB all the best. I hope it is just the beginning of their popularity as they share more exciting work with readers in the coming months. Hopefully Dark Light will whet the appetites of a solid fan base for whatever comes next!
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| Whose Sinister Shadow is That...? |
Of course, I have also just launched my newest stand-alone short story 'Family Secrets' on Kindle in the past couple of weeks. Check it out and tell me what you think! http://www.amazon.com/Family-Secrets-ebook/dp/B007D8TLP2 This was about my getting more of my work out to the readers of course, but it was also another step forward for myself as an Indie. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on formatting a product that would only be selling for .99 cents, so I set aside my usual terror of technical matters and figured it out on my own. I'm happy with the result-- and that means I will release a few more singles in the next few months since I can keep the overhead costs down. When the time comes to bundle them into a larger anthology with some previously unpublished stories, I will likely use my formatter again... maybe. I am trying to do as much as I can for myself. I will always use an editor and a cover designer-- I think authors owe it to themselves and their readers to present a slick and polished book, whether you are going Indie or following the traditional path to publication.
I have a healthy back-list of short stories, many of which have been published in anthologies and chapbooks over the years. Kindle gives me a great opportunity to give new life and a second chance to my little gems. If you are an Indie author and want to do the same, I say go for it... but do make sure that the rights for your story have reverted back to you. Short stories are a good, cheap way for people to check out your writing style if they are too tentative to take a chance on a full-length novel. They make excellent calling-cards.
Now the pressing question is... which story comes next? Stay tuned!
I shall be so pleased if the short story is making a come back. Some of my most enjoyable reads have been short stories. A much under-estimated form.
ReplyDeleteI've been working on some short stories of my own lately, so appreciate your take on them. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments, folks-- yes, short stories can be wonderful. There is an art to them that's unique to the form, and they're a good way to hone writing skills without feeling overwhelmed.
ReplyDeleteI love short stories and writing them. I am pleased as well to see they are making a comeback!!! And half way through your book and I am on awe. It's amazing.
ReplyDeleteThanks TJ-- glad to hear you're enjoying Base Spirits!
ReplyDeleteI downloaded it to my kindle. It's next in line. ;0)
ReplyDeleteOh- thank you, Kimmie! It's a quick and creepy read... actually a new reworking of my first ever published story. I hope you like it!
ReplyDelete...'Family Secrets', that is. 'The Transformation' in the Dark Light collection is another animal entirely! Well... it's creepy and dark, too. Just in a different way!
ReplyDeleteI'm finding that I prefer to read shorter works on the Kindle. Novels are for at home, in my reading chair, with plenty of time to get lost in a sprawling, detail-rich story. Novellas and short stories are easy to read on the go - waiting in lines, stuck in traffic, doctor waiting rooms, and as mentioned above, a great way to discover new writers. I am very much looking forward to future short works from Ruth Barrett.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Barrymore-- I concur. I find that having a Kindle loaded with short stories is a good companion for public transit. I don't feel-- as many seem to-- that physical books are doomed. There is room for both formats in this world. (And I hope to have another story out before too long... !)
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