It's been a long time since I've posted anything on my blog. I've been busy with work (day job) , writing and publishing (my other work). I've not published anything new but I've been thinking a lot and writing a lot. I have -need to count- I've got 6 short stories finished, 2 are right now at an editor scheduled to be edited somewhere in august, another one I just got back from editing, I've one story I previously published opted at another editor to be line edited (it has some spelling/grammar issues).
I've thought a lot about publishing, with a lot of thanks to Dean Wesley Smith and his blog-posts (this one and that one)for guiding my trail of thought in the right direction. Writers often forget that they are running a one man production business. They often forget they are producing books which they try to sell. To do this and make a living it's essential to act like it's the business it is.
I'm faulty of this myself by lacking in producing enough (write more stories) and sell at a price I could make a living. I priced my work at $0.99 cent and gave a lot away for free with little return on my investment. I don't mind to give my work free to those following my work, but it should not be the main concern. My main concern should be to earn a profit so I can stay writing and have the income to improve my work (pay for more extensive edits).
I recently did something I should have done a long time ago. I made a compact business plan. I calculated what it cost me to produce a short story in initial monetary investment and time invested calculated in monetary value. I came up with a substantial amount that made me realize that the price-point I'm selling is totally unrealistic for any sane business to sell at that wants to thrive doing so. I decided from now on to sell my short stories for $2.99, but only after I've had it professionally edited. I believe myself only then justified to sell it for that price. Sure it will delay me publishing my work from coming, but I can then guarantee a certain quality to my work. It will then rest to readers if they'll like my work enough to buy it. (I hope so :D )
Another thing I've been doing is making book covers for my stories. I've been on fire lately crapping them out like I ate a laxative. They may not be perfect but I like them a lot. I'm showcasing them under here:
