For those who might not have heard about this yet, Amazon will soon have a new program for writers called Kindle Singles. What this special program will do is allow writers to sell shorter works, such as short stories and novellas, for the Kindle, most likely at prices less than the 99 cents Amazon current limits as the bottom price for online publishing.
For the official press release, go here.
Depending on what kind of pricing will be available, I see lots of potential here.
Most obvious is the fact you'll be able to sell short stories. Okay, you write a story, edit it, then publish it online for the Kindle. Of course a lot will depend upon Amazon's pricing schedule, but let's just say you can sell a story for 25 cents and make a dime or nickel per story. That's not a lot of money, but it might add up over a year or so. And honestly, most writers nowadays aren't looking to make big money off their short stories. Still, if you wrote a story or two per week, this could add up over time.
Also, I see potential here for serial tales. If Amazon allows such, a writer could publish a new section to a story every so often, maybe each week or month or something. Then in the end, the writer could bundle all the stories and sell them as a novel. This could very well mean the return of true pulp fiction, penny dreadfuls and the like.
It's too soon to know the facts, as Amazon hasn't released much yet. But I've e-mailed Amazon asking for more information, and they've already e-mailed me back saying it would be on the way. As soon as I know something concrete, you'll know.
Yeah, that's certainly a welcome development. The Kindle royalties scheme has not been helpful (price-point wise) to shorter fiction, so I hope "Kindle Singles" are included under the 70% Royalty option.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info, Ty. It might be fun to write a short story every once in awhile and actually get paid a little for it. :)
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