My Conscience Is Being Difficult
My Conscience Is Being DifficultI have been considering what to do about the short stories in my Thief series. These have been available for free download for a considerable length of time, now. I have, however, been considering withdrawing them from the list of free ebooks I have out there. If I did so, I would place all of them in a single, omnibus, volume, possibly with the title The Thief of Ur’gavan. This would allow something that I don’t think is viable while they are just short stories: release in paperback! Obviously, there’s absolutely no way that I could do that for free! So, that leaves me with something of a dilemma. Literally hundreds of copies of the five short story ebooks have been downloaded, and by most accounts, those who could be bothered to provide feedback thoroughly enjoyed the stories. Is it, however, right to now withdraw them with so many copies already out there, and release in both ebook and paperback, but at a price?
I know that many authors release books as free for limited periods, to attract attention, and maybe hoping for some extra, unsolicited reviews. Some others release the first book in a series for free and hope they’ve done a good enough job that readers will go on to buy the rest. Finally, and something I generally dislike (especially when what’s being done isn’t made clear, some authors release an excerpt of a book as if it were a book in its own right, almost, and hope the reader will then go on to buy the full book (and no, I don’t mean the previews that places like Amazon and Smashwords provide for prospective buyers!). I, however, am proposing the complete removal of all the Thief freebies, to be rereleased as a purchasable book, and that after an extended period of the individual stories being available for free, though only in ebook form.
I’d be very interested in your views on the idea. At the moment, I am aiming at 1st October as the date for withdrawal of the free books and 1st November as the release date of the single volume.
Another Wonderful Interview!
Yes, it seems that people are still keen to interview me for their blogs, even though my writing career can hardly be said to have been stellar in its success so far! The latest is the very kind Janice Spina, on her blog jemsbooks. Please do me the favour, if you will, of popping on over and taking a look at the interview, and maybe leave some feedback for Janice. And while you’re there, you really would benefit by having a good browse!
Unpredictable Health Issues Running Interference
I hate banging on about anything. Doing so about myself, personal issues and my health come very high on the most hated of the whole thing! Such things make me sound self-obsessed, a personality trait which I find vile. Unfortunately, if I am to be fair to those I have even loose commitments to, I must sometimes post such matters. It is the current situation that my health issues have become totally unpredictable, with such rapid shifts that I don’t know what to expect from moment to moment. I may start the day reasonably energetic, answering messages and asking questions, only to then hit a wall and find myself unable to respond to even the simplest communication. So if I seem to switch from being active online to being utterly silent, I apologize but the whole thing is completely out of my hands. Rest assured, I am just as frustrated as any, as it also impacts on my writing activity! Indeed, there are days when I can get through things online but be unable to focus well enough to do any writing. All I can do is to ask for your patience and understanding.
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