More thoughts

[kajones_writing]

Today has been a good day for working out magics. There are still some parts that need to be worked out, but I have posted my third bit of bonus material for this month so all is good. I love different magics, which is why I write so much fantasy, and I have some other ideas for magics that I want to write up soon. Once I've done that I can post them up at random points as well as focus on my collections because that's why I wanted to have a writing account. I wanted to be able to make everything I write available to everyone. Even though I don't write for an audience, I write for myself, I still want people to be able to read what I've written and tell me if they liked what I wrote, give me ideas, and that sort of thing. It's never been about making money, although I would like to be able to earn something, but about the writing.

I've been thinking about ebooks recently. I know that reading stories on a journal isn't always easy so I do want to make what I write available in an ebook, but I don't know how I want to do it. There are a couple of possibilties that would work now, while my readership is small, but I doubt would work in the future. One idea was to set up a system where people could pick a selection of stories to have in their ebook and then I would email it to them once it was ready. Some would have been posted while others aren't. Or it could simply be buying the stories as they are, but lots of things are in parts and I don't know if that would work. The original idea was to release an ebook every time I made £75 which would be free to download, which may still work but I worry about undercharging and overcharging and things would be so much easier if I didn't live in the UK.

Exchange rates are a pain. I hate them. Creating a system of credits on the Internet, where 1 credit is equal to £1 if I bought it and a $1 if an American did, would make my life so much easier, even though I think it would probably be awful for the economy. Then I wouldn't have to worry about my £75 being about $95.91 because I could charge 75 credits which would be $75 for an American and £75 for a Brit. I understand why exchange rates exist and why they are a good thing, but most of my audience is in the US at the moment and I just wish things were simpler.

Comments

[darkspirited1.livejournal.com]

That is a difficult thing. I commend you on trying to make it all work and really striving to get yourself out there in the published world though!

Hmm...

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

>>I love different magics, which is why I write so much fantasy, and I have some other ideas for magics that I want to write up soon. <<

It's certainly catching my attention. You just boosted my interest in Aurora's World.

>>Even though I don't write for an audience, I write for myself, I still want people to be able to read what I've written and tell me if they liked what I wrote, give me ideas, and that sort of thing. It's never been about making money, although I would like to be able to earn something, but about the writing.<<

I am pretty sure that if you keep putting out intriguing content at this rate, you will attract a lively audience and eventually donors. There are a lot of weblit projects going around. There are not a lot that have high output, high originality, and legible content all together.

>>I've been thinking about ebooks recently. I know that reading stories on a journal isn't always easy so I do want to make what I write available in an ebook, but I don't know how I want to do it.<<

Try asking on crowdfunding. Plenty of people have already done ebooks or even hardcopies of their weblit. They may be able to offer helpful ideas for you.

>>One idea was to set up a system where people could pick a selection of stories to have in their ebook and then I would email it to them once it was ready.<<

That sounds really appealing and really hard work for you. Such a combination is thus suitable as a high-level donor gift. Frex, at the end of the year my k-fans (who spend $100+ on my work) get a printout of all the published fishbowl poems from the year, bound in a folder. Another option would be to make it for sale, just put a high enough price on it to make it worth your time to assemble.

>>Or it could simply be buying the stories as they are, but lots of things are in parts and I don't know if that would work. <<

Just bundle all the parts into a finished story, whenever an arc concludes. It can be an advantage of buying the ecopy that you get the whole thing in one convenient package. They'll probably wind up at novella or novelette length. That's a nuisance in paperback but doesn't matter at all for ebooks.

>>Creating a system of credits on the Internet, where 1 credit is equal to £1 if I bought it and a $1 if an American did, would make my life so much easier, even though I think it would probably be awful for the economy.<<

Which do you care about more, the public economy or your career and your audience? You could create your own system of credits, and people would probably find that "one is one" idea very convenient, even if your British fans are giving you more money per credit than your American fans are. Sheesh, money isn't even worth the same amount everywhere, because stuff costs different rates. Just do what works for you.

Also, if you set up a system using credits, you could then adapt all your other goodies to be priced in credits so that you don't have to keep saying "X-action gets you Y-thingie" all over the place. Finding a typo earns a credit, pimping a link earns a credit. Something bigger like a page-long review might be worth more credits.

You're not the only person thinking about alternative currencies online, either. ellenmillion has set up credits (equivalent to dollars) and karma points (noncash favor-trading) in Torn World. You might talk with her about possibilities.

Re: Hmm...

[kajones-writing.livejournal.com]

I did think about making a credit system myself but it's whether I can keep track of it all that's what I worry about. At the moment it's not really a huge problem because it's not as though I have hundreds of readers, but once I get more it's going to get more difficult. I'll think about it before I make any decisions though.

Re: Hmm...

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

The main question is whether a credit system is more work/confusion than dealing with conversion rates, or not.