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garygibsonsf · 11-03-2009, 10:24 AM

Hi folks. Twenty years ago I got to know a guy called Fergus (his pen name, anyway) who's since had several stories published in the pro sf/f press. Myself and other friends of his back in Scotland went on to score pro publishing deals, and most of us are lucky enough to be able to support ourselves with our writing. Ferg's path took a different turn: his research work got more complicated, he climbed the corporate ladder, and took on a lot of responsibility.

But back last century he wrote the first draft of a really very good (in my opinion) sf thriller called Judgement, sent it to maybe two publishers, got it returned with a form rejection, and somehow never got round to sending it out again. About ten years ago I asked to see it and couldn't understand why it had been knocked back. Perhaps if he'd sent it out to more places he would have found that publishing deal - frankly, I'm absolutely certain of it - but he got married, had kids along with the aforementioned responsibilities, and the book got away from him in the way such things do.

About seven years ago I wrote a new draft of his book with his permission and encouragement to try and bring it a little more up to date. Then I got busy with my own writing and had to put it to one side. I sent it out to one or two pro writers of my acquaintance who agreed his book was very good. Ideas were batted around concerning what to do with it. Now ebooks are coming up in the world, and that seems the obvious next step.

I'm certainly considering Smashwords, and I'm certainly aware of self-publishing through Kindle. But I'm looking for advice from those who've gone down this road before on where to go next when it comes to putting Judgement out there.

For instance, Kindle seems an obvious place to go, but until recently, as far as I knew, you couldn't publish anything that way without holding a US address or credit card. I can't find anything that suggests that's changed even with the advent of the international Kindle.

Next: should I sell the book through sites like Smashwords for $1.50 to $2.00, or give it away free or, as I'm thinking, some combination of both?

Just to reiterate - the book is all Fergus' work. If I left him to do all this stuff, he'd never get around to it. But I think the book is terrific and deserves a shot at being read, whether it's by ten or a thousand people.

Any thoughts?

11-03-2009, 10:24 AM	#1
garygibsonsf Addict Posts: 321 Karma: 432192 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Glasgow, Scotland Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite	A question about electronic self-publishing Hi folks. Twenty years ago I got to know a guy called Fergus (his pen name, anyway) who's since had several stories published in the pro sf/f press. Myself and other friends of his back in Scotland went on to score pro publishing deals, and most of us are lucky enough to be able to support ourselves with our writing. Ferg's path took a different turn: his research work got more complicated, he climbed the corporate ladder, and took on a lot of responsibility. But back last century he wrote the first draft of a really very good (in my opinion) sf thriller called Judgement, sent it to maybe two publishers, got it returned with a form rejection, and somehow never got round to sending it out again. About ten years ago I asked to see it and couldn't understand why it had been knocked back. Perhaps if he'd sent it out to more places he would have found that publishing deal - frankly, I'm absolutely certain of it - but he got married, had kids along with the aforementioned responsibilities, and the book got away from him in the way such things do. About seven years ago I wrote a new draft of his book with his permission and encouragement to try and bring it a little more up to date. Then I got busy with my own writing and had to put it to one side. I sent it out to one or two pro writers of my acquaintance who agreed his book was very good. Ideas were batted around concerning what to do with it. Now ebooks are coming up in the world, and that seems the obvious next step. I'm certainly considering Smashwords, and I'm certainly aware of self-publishing through Kindle. But I'm looking for advice from those who've gone down this road before on where to go next when it comes to putting Judgement out there. For instance, Kindle seems an obvious place to go, but until recently, as far as I knew, you couldn't publish anything that way without holding a US address or credit card. I can't find anything that suggests that's changed even with the advent of the international Kindle. Next: should I sell the book through sites like Smashwords for $1.50 to $2.00, or give it away free or, as I'm thinking, some combination of both? Just to reiterate - the book is all Fergus' work. If I left him to do all this stuff, he'd never get around to it. But I think the book is terrific and deserves a shot at being read, whether it's by ten or a thousand people. Any thoughts? Last edited by garygibsonsf; 11-04-2009 at 11:32 PM.