Writing short stories, when it comes down to it, doesn’t hold the same kind of impact as writing a full length novel. But that doesn’t mean their worth is any less because of that. When you’re writing a book, it’s a good idea to come out with a few short stories during that time because then you’re keeping your followers occupied and coming out with new material.
I recently came out with a new short story myself, called The Werewolf’s Mate. And before Dehumanized came out I wrote and self-published two other short stories called The Fox In The Field and Carpe Diem. Having short story titles under your name helps more than you’d think. There are people out there who are interested in your work, but are not sure if they want to commit to something that’s long in case they don’t like it. So if you have something short and really cheap, they will be more inclined to give that a try, and if they like it then they can move on to your bigger work. I know this is what some people do, because I do it myself from time to time. There will be a full length novel I’m not totally sure I want to try out yet, and so I see what else the author has released and if they have a short story I’ll buy that first and if I like it I’ll give the novel a chance. So in that time between releases, try putting out a few short stories to fill the void in the readers’ time. Your followers will appreciate it, because they’ll have something new to read from their favorite author while they wait for the bigger project to come out.
Another great thing about this method is to have one of your bigger projects mentioned. As you can see from the cover up above, it mentions how I also wrote Dehumanized. That's cross-marketing right there! So if someone comes along and see this short story and likes it, they can see that I also have a novel out for them to enjoy. So try to incorporate the fact you have a novel as well as this short story out, that way people will know there's more for them to read from you.
A great way to get this done is to self-publish on Amazon Kindle. I’ve found Amazon Kindle to be an indie author’s best friend, because it’s quick and easy. The process for me was much simpler than I had originally thought it would be. When I was done writing The Werewolf’s Mate all I had to do was get a cover design (see above) and that wasn’t so hard thanks to my super awesome friend Emma Michaels. Once I had the cover, all I had to do was make sure the draft was edited and then go to Kindle Direct Publishing and fill out the details and BOOM it was up for everyone to enjoy. So don’t knock short stories, because they are one of the many tools an author can use to help get new followers.
Thanks,
Michael Loring.
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