I started writing the first short story last night.
Yeah.
It’s one of those stories, that very literary, experimental SF that I don’t always like to read but I do write from time to time.
Originally, I was thinking that I’d never be able to send this story off anywhere, then I remembered all the literary SF that filled the Year’s Best volume I read this year. So depending on length, I may send it off.
I do adore the main character’s voice and his snarky attitude.
I only wrote the first 500 words or so, then I got distracted entering all my sales data into a single spreadsheet.
Interesting numbers about where I sold stories:
65% Amazon (56% US, 6% UK, 4% DE)
20% Smashwords (10% SM, 6% Apple, 4% Sony, 0% Kobo)
15% B&N
Obviously, Amazon is the biggest market for me. I hadn’t realized I’d sold that much in Germany or the UK.
Some of the Smashword sales were to Australia and Canada. And I did make some sales via Kobo via SM, but not enough to generate a percentage when compared to the other sales.
What’s also interesting is that I’ve proved to myself that Kindle Select isn’t all that. Did it help goose the numbers for the one book? Yes. But look at all the sales I get via the other channels. And the goosing was just that — it didn’t turn into long term sales. I’m glad I tried it with the one book, but I don’t feel the need to try it with any others, at least not at this time. Plus, “Baker’s Dozen,” a collection of short stories, has sold almost as many copies, without going through the Select program.
My biggest seller, by far, is “Paper Mage,” making 2x the sales of anything else. Next is “Caves of Buda,” then “Clockwork Kingdom,” followed closely by “Baker’s Dozen” which also surprised me — because collections don’t sell, or so I’ve been told. Bringing up the rear, “Zydeco Queen” has sold a lot more than “Jaguar.”
Short stories, in order of sales:
Were-Teen (unsurprising)
Dutiful Daughter (I had no idea)
Cold Comfort (Again, no idea)
Golden Charms
Hell By Any Other Name, Red Boots, Slipping the Leash, and True Vision are all tied for fifth
What have I learned from this very small sample from a single writer?
Longer works (novels, collections) sell better than short stories.
Funny short stories sell. (But I already knew that.) Only a few short stories have never found an audience — I need to look at those covers and blurbs, as well as what categories they’re in, to see if I’ve done them a diservice (and I know this is the case with at least one of them.) It doesn’t matter what I think of a story: Some of the stories that I didn’t think would sell are, and some that I thought would sell, aren’t.
Sell widely to many markets.
Keep writing.