The Write Stuff

I just finished reading Danny Trejo’s memoir. It’s an incredible story of redemption and how he went from shooting up heroin to shooting movies in Hollywood. I’ll tell you how I got it for $2.

Meanwhile, my own Felicity and Mitzi fiction series continues to roll along. Not a day goes by without an email or message from a reader. I couldn’t be more grateful. Book Three will come out on October 8.

Recently, I was struck with an idea for another story. I followed where it lead me and it was clear early on that it wasn’t going to be a full novel. It ended up being a novella. It’s longer than a short story but shorter than a novel.

My question for you, dear reader, is how would you prefer to consume something that’s about half the length of a typical novel? I’ve purchased novellas before as stand-alone stories. But I wonder whether it would be more appealing to have a couple or three of them together in one volume?

It’s Also the Money, Honey –Yours

Not only do I want to entertain, I want to provide value. I’ve seen too many writers increase their prices once they get popular. Or the price rises as more books in a popular series come out. I don’t want anyone to feel that, say, 99 cents for a novella isn’t worth it. After all, it’s a pretty quick read. But I’m also finding that some people love that. They want to digest it and move on.

And listen, I love Cher and I have been her fan since the 1970s. But there is no way in heck I’m paying $25 for her e-book. That’s ridiculous. If an author has already created a hard cover or paperback version of their story, creating the e-book is simple and cheap. Who knows where this decision was made, at the publisher’s or the author’s desk? But it’s pure greed.

To that end, if I haven’t mentioned it, Bookbub is a free daily newsletter of e-book sales. I’ve been getting their alerts for years. You select your genre(s) and every day you’ll get an email with which books have been discounted. Sometimes the sale only lasts one day. That’s how I got Danny Trejo’s terrific book and many, many others for a buck or two.

Back to the Novella

Again, I pose my question: Is a novella on its own as an e-book a good idea? Or should I gather more stories for a collection and also offer it in print? Please let me know what you think in the comments. It’s not a commitment to buy, just your opinion, which is valuable enough.

I’m probably looking ahead to next year before releasing any more of my writing. Felicity and Mitzi need their time to come out and breathe a little. Audiobooks are in the works as well. And now that I’m finished writing about those sisters, I miss them. The characters in the three books were alive for me. However, I’m also looking forward to meeting new people who emerge from my imagination and tell me their stories.