[Gabriel Beyers]

I have a collection of ten short stories that I'm selling on Amazon for $2.99.  Lately I've been thinking of separating the stories into individual Kindle Singles and selling them for $.99 a piece, as well as keeping the collection.

My thinking is that this will increase my virtual bookshelf and reach out to those short story readers that don't want to download an entire book.

Has anyone else done this?  I know people have collected their singles into books, but I'm going the opposite direction.

Opinions?

Thanks.

 

[dalya]

Are you in Select?

10 stories = 10 units with 5 free promo days every 3 months. That's 50 free days over a period of 90 days.

I know, I'm a Math Wizard!

ETA: You can still be an artist if you think of your finished work as units. It's just your business side that sees them that way. 

 

[CoraBuhlert]

I have a crime fiction collection and also offer six of the nine stories available in the collection as standalones (the remaining three are too short for standalone publication). This gives readers the opportunity to give your writing a chance without having to shell out for the whole collection (though at least for me, the collection sells better than the standalones). Just make sure to label the standalones clearly and put "This story is also available as part of the collection XXX" in the blurb, so people won't feel ripped off if they buy both your collection and a standalone.

 

[AndreSanThomas]

Absolutely do that!  10 more times for people to find you if nothing else.

 

[ruecole]

Yup, I agree. I sell way more copies of my individual stories than my collection on Amazon. (The opposite is true on Kobo. Go fig.)

Just make sure to note in the description that the stories are also part of the collection. So readers don't end up buying the stories and the collection by mistake (you hope they'll purposely buy all of them, of course!) )

Hope that helps!

Rue

 

[Gabriel Beyers]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the advice. Looks like I have a new project to add to the list.

 

[Rene Folsom]

I know everyone already stated this, but I wanted to give my thumbs up to the idea of splitting them into separate publications as well.  Just make sure to note they are short stories.  I can't tell you how many times I purchased a book thinking it was going to be a full novel and it ended way too soon.  In the author's defense, I was a new kindle owner at the time and neglected to look at the estimated page count, but I still think it's wise to let the buyer know it is a short.

 

[Gabriel Beyers]

As long as we're on the topic, how do you mark a short story as a Kindle Single?  Is it a category, or do you have to upload the story differently from a book?

 

[ruecole]

You have to submit your story to Kindle Singles and they'll accept it or reject you. It's a bit like getting published with The New Yorker.

Hope that helps!

Rue

 

[Gabriel Beyers]

Oh, wow.  I'm way out of the loop here.  I thought Kindle Singles were just the short story version of KDP.  I didn't realize your stories have to be approved.

I won't be able to publish most of the stories in my collection because they have been previously published elsewhere.  According to Amazon's Singles submission guidelines that's a no-no.  There are a couple that haven't been previously published, unless Amazon considers my own collection a publication.

 

[Susan Kaye Quinn]

I won't be able to publish most of the stories in my collection because they have been previously published elsewhere. According to Amazon's Singles submission guidelines that's a no-no. There are a couple that haven't been previously published, unless Amazon considers my own collection a publication.

Not sure where you saw this, but the Singles Submission criteria says as long as you have rights to publish the story, then you can submit it to Singles.

Also: I have both the individual shorts and the collection of my shorts published. Right now, both are selling.

 

[CoraBuhlert]

You don't have to submit to Kindle Singles to sell individual short stories either. Kindle Singles is worth a try, if simply because of the push you'll get from Amazon. But if you don't want to do Singles or your stories are not eligible, you can just upload them as separate stories at KDP. Just be sure to mention in the blurb that it's a short story and also available in this or that collection.

 

[Gabriel Beyers]

At the bottom of the Kindle Singles Submission page it states:

Kindle Singles Criteria
• Length: 5,000 to 30,000 words
• List price: $0.99 to $4.99
• Original work, not previously published in other formats or publications
• Self-contained work, not chapters excerpted from a longer work
• Not published on any public website in its entirety
• We are currently not accepting how-to manuals, public domain works, reference books, travel guides, or children's books.

Here is a link to the page: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000700491

I understand better now. Thanks. I'll just publish the shorts on KDP then submit them to the Singles program. If they are accepted, great, if not, no big loss.

Thanks again for all the help and advice.