Thursday, July 15, 2010

Experiment Time!

IT'S TIME TO EXPERIMENT!

As some of you may know, I've been doing some studying of alternative business models for fiction authors. One of things I hear and read all the time on author resources sites is how hard it is to break into a publishing deal. So, here's what I'm going to do for a new book I'm putting the finishing touches on.

1. I am going to release an original work, entitled "Midwasteland", in the Scribd marketplace. It will be released chapter by chapter, starting obviously with the first.

2. Each chapter is going to have a monetary goal to reach. For instance, I plan on starting low with the first chapter, something around $100 for a goal (the chapters will probably sell for either $.50 or $.99). As soon as each chapter reaches its goal, I will release the next chapter (I've scheduled this out so to make sure that, barring injury or death, I can do this immediately to properly serve my customers/readers). This way, I can both monetize my work (assuming people like it enough to tell others it's worth the purchase!) as well as gauge the interest level and saleability of a hardcover version that will be released at the conclusion of this experiment.

3. Without going into too much detail, I will be adding value to those people/Scribd accounts that buy all the chapters (I promise that there won't be more than 20 chapters and likely a few less). I am looking for help with ideas for extras, but I've listed a few below:

a. Signed copies of the hardcover book when it is released
b. Reduced price of the hardcover book when it is released
c. Review of your writing and/or synopsis for other writers
d. 1 Custom short story for anyone that buys all the chapters (Great as a unique gift!)

Now, as this is the first such experiment I'll be trying, I'm eagerly looking for feedback. Tell me what you think will work, what you think I'm doing wrong, why I'm an idiot, who else has done this better, why I'll fail, why I'll succeed, how good looking I am, how you want to name your children after me, and anything else that enters your brain upon hearing about this.

This is a big deal. Anyone who bothers to read my work is extremely important to me. I'm telling you upfront that I want to make money off of my writing, not because I want you to feel bad or feel guilty if you read my work elsewhere, but because I WANT TO WRITE MORE FICTION FOR YOU! You're my customer, my muse, my greatest asset.

So tell me what you think!

Friday, July 9, 2010

Coming Soon....Again!

More new chapters from a new work coming soon! This one is called "dLife". It's about a company in California that created the first true digital consciousness for the military. When they lose control over this being and she takes over their facility, they call in a team of academics designed to reason with her and "put her on the couch".