That’s the title — and this is the cover — for the short story collection I’ve been working on, which I referred to in an earlier post by the TYOTE acronym. I put the collection on Smashwords last night. [Book removed 01/03/17.]
There are twelve short stories in the collection. The first three stories are free. The price for the full collection is $4.99, for reasons that have been exhaustively detailed in previous posts. (Regular readers are now laughing themselves silly or suffering flashbacks.)
I am making three stories available for three reasons. First, I like the idea that a prospective online customer can peruse part of a work as they might in a bookstore. Second, I believe self-published authors have an obligation to demonstrate that they can carry a tune before asking someone to pay for their work. Third, I intendThe Year of the Elm to create an overall effect, and I feel an obligation to make the structure clear to the prospective buyer. Reading the first three stories should do that.
The next step for TYOTE is to put together a print-on-demand (POD) version, probably through Lightning Source. I’ll have more to say about TYOTE, and about the process of publishing it myself, in subsequent posts.
On the horizon, my next project involves a novel I’m revising, and what may or may not be an innovative attempt to meld the strengths of the internet as a medium with the craft aims of traditional storytelling. I believe that all mediums are eventually turned to fiction, and my hope would be to show how that might be better done with the internet itself.
— Mark Barrett
Congratulations Mark. I’ll be sure to check this out.
I only laughed a bit, honest. Your previous posts were very constructive if i may say so. I’ll definitely be rereading them when i jump into the ebook pricing jungle.
Again congratulations.
I’m glad you enjoyed the earlier posts. 🙂
These stories are meaningful to me, and I hope they are meaningful to you and others who might have an interest in reading them.
In any event, it’s an empowering feeling to be able to express them in a global way, even as I now embrace the long learning curve associated with shepherding and marketing my work.
I just read Apple Pie and i gotta say well done. I’m a foreigner but the voice here rings very true with me as far kids growing up in the Midwest (before the ol internet thingamajig). The viewpoint on such a serious situation is decidedly fresh and i can see how that memory stays with someone.
Also love this.
“And if she asks who your mom is, just say you don’t know”
Did you do all your copy editing yourself? As you know from my post i’m particularly interested in the quality of self published works and your first chapter is impeccable as far as i can tell.
Hi Mayowa,
Thank you for taking the time to read that story. I’m glad the voice rings true. At times it was easy to find, at other times I feared I would mute it with my own perspective.
I did all of the editing, copy editing and proofing myself, with the exception of a pass by Lou (see comment below). She is very good at identifying issues I’ve gone blind to, and the collection profited considerably from her feedback.
I worked hard at the editing and proofing process for a number of reasons. I didn’t want to make an idiot out of myself. I didn’t want to prevent readers from enjoying the stories because of typos and the like. I wanted to see what I would learn from the process, and I learned quite a bit (which I’ll speak to in an upcoming post). I wanted to show what I could do — even if that meant risking failure. I wanted to speak to the shockingly common idea that writers need a professional support staff in order to chew their own food. I wanted the stories to be mine. I wanted to care passionately about something personal.
I ended up going over the stories a lot more than I thought I would, and more than I wanted to, but every pass was worthwhile. I’m quite sure I missed something, and probably many somethings, but it’s obviously gratifying to hear you say you didn’t trip over any obvious mistakes.
Bravo.
I think you’ve demonstrated those points quite well and i’m quite inspired to copy edit my novel even more.
Looking forward to the upcoming post.
Congratulations on being the man in the arena. 😉
Thanks.
And thanks for everything you did to help me get there.
You have more gifts than you know. 🙂
Congratulations Mark. Your posts about the e-publishing process have been very informative. I look forward to reading the collection and your subsequent posts as ‘the process’ inevitably continues.
Thank you, and thank you. 🙂
It’s very interesting to do all these things and wear all these hats. It’s daunting at times, and clearly an author is advantaged by having people to help them will all of these steps, but I am also finding real satisfaction in doing these things myself. (Whether I’m doing them well is another question.)