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"I've decided I want one thing out of writing: to tell stories."

Probably the rarest sensibility to come by anymore. But what a revelation it is, to know it. Keep fighting the good fight, Aaron.

Congrats on the 'sales', Aaron. Look forward to maybe seeing that novella somewhere soon, too. I think if you can keep hold of that "writing for the story" idea, you're a stronger person than most.

Keep up the good work!

Great Sales, Aaron! Keep on truckin'

not too shabby for just starting out. Hey, you've beaten my numbers! Keep at it!

Martin, Craig - It's hard to stay focused. The world is so shiny.

Thanks, Kara.

Barry - Bottom Feeders has been out there for almost a year (minus four or five months). There's a learning curve. We'll all get to the promised land.

Congrats on the sales (of stories and books both). I'd call that a smashing month. :-)

Congrats on those sales (and 'sale')!

Thanks, Tony & Mike.

That sounds like a very cool, and even respectable "want", Aaron. I guess at the bottom of it, that's all any of us want. I mean, if we were in it for chicks and drugs, we'd be trying to get a record deal, right?

(Dammit, what WAS I thinking?!)

Congrats on all the sales, sir, as well as the W1S1 productivity; that's been our goal for the challenge all along, and it seems to be working for everybody.

The "craft"...yes.

A most successful month. Congrats on the sales.

Katey - HA! A record deal! Chicks and drugs! I'd be like some long-lost member of Devo or something.

Milo - I just hope I have the energy to keep this up for another ten (yikes) months.

Danielle - Thanks!

Great month for you. You remain as inspiring as ever. The Kindle sales do fluctuate weirdly don't they? There must be a pattern but it isn't always obvious.

I want to sell stories too : ) And make enough money to buy Japanese rock CDs. I think that's a fair bar.

Simon - Maybe I can make a kindle sales model out of mashed potatoes?

Natalie - That's a fair and noble bar.

Congrats on the sales, Aaron. I imagine The Bottom Feeders sales have begun to pick up because readers are beginning to recommend it to each other and I hope the numbers keep growing.

I'm a bit of a stick-in-the-mud where self-publishing is concerned, so go Dr Jekyll!

It really is a question of what you want, isn't it? It's one of those things that's odd to discuss with other people who write, but also necessary, if only to narrow and refine your focus. Chewing it over and over in your own brain just makes a mess.

So what DO you want? I can tell you what *I* want, but that's not a lot of help. I'd love to know what'd be good for Aaron, though.

Mike - I wholeheartedly respect that POV. Even Hyde has his doubts.

Katey - I guess that's the real question, isn't it? I want people to read my work. Maybe both Jekyll and Hyde will get me there. Maybe. As for "respect" as a writer...that's something I worry about, too, but something over which I have little control. (What is it you want?)

You can do both, Aaron. Then you get double the satisfaction. Just make some works for markets you love and some for Kindle or wherever. Quit fighting both sides, eh? :P

Lee - I *think* I can. Of course, with Jekyll and Hyde, one wants to be in charge.

Sigh, as you alerady know, my post today was pretty similar to this. I assure you it was not intentional.

I think we're all just doing our best to muddle our way through a troubled industry. In my case, it was only after completing four novels that I tried my hand at shorts, thinking a couple of credits might get my query letters taken more seriously. But in fact, they don't.

I also recall reading Stephen King in "On Writing" making an almost offhand remark about receiving his check (I think it was for "Battleground") from one of the skin magazines he so often published in, and the check was for $250 dollars. For ONE short. Makes you both long for the days when there were such markets, and smile wryly that even skin mags at one time respected the work of aspiring or unknown authors far more than even many "pro" markets do today.

I don't know what the answer is (short of, of course, writing that brilliant and can't miss novel that has everyone salivating for it) but I'm increasingly coming to the conclusion that the path toward readership and respectability does not pass through short-story land, no matter how many credits you pile up.

(Deleted my rant. Sorry about that! But what you wrote struck a chord. Anyhow, go with your gut. I don't think there is any "right" answer in these troubled publishing times. As always, best of luck!)

Barry - It would have been cool if it was (intentional). Power to the people.

Brendan - I'm glad I had a chance to read your rant. Few, if any "make it" with shorts anymore. Hell, few "make it" at all. We do live in troubled times.

I'm thinking about this too for one of my older books. When it gets its next rejection, essentially there are no more markets open for it except very small ones. So is it better to go with a tiny publisher that might not sell more than a dozen or two copies but is still a publisher, or is it smarter to self-publish and see where that goes? The big drawback for me (probably not so much for you) is having to deal with cover art, formatting, and so forth, which for me would be a major time sink and I probably wouldn't get it right.

You only live once (maybe--hey I write spec fiction) so do whatever pleases you and not others. We all have different paths. As for respect, for what it's worth, you'll always have mine.

K.C. - Cover art could be a hiccup, but if you manage, all those dozen or two copies would be your sales...no sharing. ;)

Cate - Ditto. And once? I thought I got five or six cracks at this!

I think about self-publishing more and more.

I agree that it's a question about what you really want. There is usually a flip side to everything you want to do, but I always try to go with my gut instinct. I usually let it overrule all others. Most times it pays off.

Color me pragmatist, but I say do what works. If you get more readers by taking this route, then go for it. I just hope to keep doing what I've been doing for the past year and a half: following in your footsteps, about a hundred or so yards back. If I can't snag me an agent in the next year or two, I'll be taking the small press route you have; and after that, if eReading is even more popular by that point...who knows.

All I can say is, follow your gut, it never lies and always tells you the truth about what you want.

Good luck, Aaron!

Natalie - Bring on the Soul Jerky!

Danielle - My gut wants some cheese puffs right now. Is that wrong? ;)

Milo - Good luck man. It's a good road.

Kara - Thanks!

Hiya Aaron.

I've been thinking about this myself and I'm just as torn up about it as you seem to be. Basically, my one goal is to be published, properly published. But I've written three novels now and I only think the latest one is ready for agents (which has been sent out into the fray already). But what of the other two? I love those books, and the idea. Maybe a smaller eMarket would get them out there, people reading them, and even if it attracts attention to my blog, it's a little win of sorts.

Apart from that, the short story market book-wise is almost non-existent unless you're awesome, lucky or uber-famous already. So why not use all these hundreds of stories as an ebook?

In the end, what would it hurt? I only see positives as long as you pick carefully what gets epublished and what goes through the regular channels.

Craig

Have the cheese puffs. Some tasty eats will help make your decision. That's what I tell myself anyway :)

You make me nervous when you say things like that.

Which part? Have a fabulous weekend? ;)

Oooo...a cliffhanger. Cool video. Loved the way his hair changed colour as well.

Well, I do have to agree with Alan. I dig the old time special effects, they rock.

On another note, I think it's only normal to sometimes feel split in two. It happens when too much is going on and we feel pulled in all sorts of directions, or it just happens because it's time for us to expel something icky. Either way, it won't stick and soon, you'll be feeling like your old self in no time!

Happy weekend, Aaron!

Alan - I didn't think it was half bad, what for being 99 years old.

Kara - Thanks for being awesome, and you have a happy weekend, too.

Come back together soon, Aaron :-)

Wait... you mean that's not normal?

Crap.