That is the question.
So I ran this huge sale awhile back where I dropped the price on the anthologies in the Tales of AUD series, while simultaneously GIVING AWAY all three of the novellas in that series.
I’m a generous soul, to give away thousands of dollars of free books like that, eh?
I’m sure you’re wondering why I did that.
I’m also wondering why I did that.
Eureka! It was to gauge public response!
Of all the things I’ve written, the novellas are unpredictable. They sell at a steady pace, but they’re streaky, and I don’t make much money on them. They’re a great way for me to continue to tell stories in the AUD universe, have some new releases as I wait for major deals with publishers, and they’re a terrific outlet for creativity. Novel length releases I’m contractually bound to let my agent try and sell for a period (which is good, as he has gotten me some very helpful deals), but novellas I can just indie release to y’all immediately.
Here’s my dilemma: they cost almost as much to publish as a novel (still needs artwork and formatting, and narration too) and I charge less than half for them. So they’re a dangerous potential money pit if they don’t sell, and I got a kid, a wife, and another kid on the way, so I need to avoid money pits like the black frigging plague.
So here we are, awkwardly staring at each other, wondering where this is going.
Now that several hundred of each novella has gone out to you, what did you think of them? Are they good? Are you willing to buy more if I write more? Are you willing to review them on Amazon or Goodreads?
If I write more, what subjects do you want to see covered? What will you part with your precious $1.99 to read in novella format?
Chime in please, and help me make a good decision about what I should write. To novella, or not to novella? Please be frank in your answers.
-Chris