Self-Publishing - Deciding What Works For Me

I hope everyone had a nice weekend. Mine was spent glued to my Kindle. This is something I've not been able to do for awhile but I had some alone time so I took advantage. I read a little bit of everything and I love discovering new authors. That's what the weekend was all about for me - reading stories by authors I'd never read before. I have to say it was pretty awesome. I've found a couple of new favorites, whose work I will be devouring as soon as time allows. I am a huge horror fan (books, not the movies) and found a new-to-me author whose books I want to do the one-click thing on again and again. I'm also a big fan of erotic thrillers and managed to squeeze one of those in too. I read a few erotic shorts and even a "Holy shit, did that just happen?" thriller by an old fave. I obviously had a lot of alone time this weekend. *grin* 

Now the real world intrudes and I have to go back to being *cough* a grown-up. What fun is that?

Speaking of Amazon - 

My two self-published stories, Taking Lance and Keeping Lance, are published on both Smashwords and Amazon. Not really knowing what I was doing at the time, Taking Lance was on Smashwords for a few weeks before I ventured on to Amazon. Of course, the second story was easier all the way around as I was learning as I was going with the first one. And seriously, if you can get through the Meatgrinder on Smashwords, you can do anything.

Now there's Kindle Unlimited. Wonderful for readers (like me) who could easily spend a ton of money buying books on Amazon each month if they aren't careful. But I wonder how it is for authors who are in the program? I know if you are in KDP Select, you are in it automatically. When I put my series on Amazon, I made a point of not getting in the Select program. I questioned whether it would be beneficial to me because about a third of my sales come from sites other than Amazon, as a result of Smashwords. But now I'm thinking of publishing one of my long-finished erotic (hetero) shorts on Amazon under the Select program just to see how it works out. I can't see me changing anything with the Lance stories because, like I said, too many of my sales come from sites other than Amazon and I'm not willing to take a chance of losing readers on those sites. With it being a series, it wouldn't be fair to just yank them, even if I were to decide to republish under Smashwords when the ninety days are up. Three months is a long time.

(... says the girl who still has not finished writing the third book in the series....)

I do nothing without researching the hell out of it. I'm very particular about everything, which is why only two of my many completed stories have been published so far. But the more I think about it, the more I think maybe putting my erotic short out via KDP Select would be a learning experience for me, if nothing else. If I'm not happy with it, I'll know better next time.

Here are the blurb and rough cover (both are subject to change) -

Drew Anders has been lusting after his son's girlfriend, Jessica, since the first time he laid eyes on her. He never planned to act on it, as he's a happily married man who has never strayed in all the years he's been with his wife, Catherine. Throw in the fact that she is his son's girl and much too young, and Jessica is left to Drew's fantasies. When he's forced to take her home after she has a fight with his son, everything changes in the confines of the small car. Apparently Drew isn't the only one who has been having fantasies.


My Son's Girl is roughly 3,500 words and has graphic sex between an older man and younger woman, with a slight twist at the end. In other words, it's pure erotica and not a romance, unless you count Catherine and Drew, and they are barely in the story together. I'm still in the self-editing phase so it may be a little while before I do something with it - if I do something with it. But the more I think about it, the more I think this would be the perfect story to put out there exclusive just to Amazon for ninety days. It's something to think about anyway. I'm still, like I said, learning as I go. 

Also, there is a follow-up story to My Son's Girl titled My Son's Friends, that is roughly 6,000 words or so. This one centers on Drew's wife and their son's friends (hence the title). We couldn't leave the wife out, now could we? All the guys are of legal age but they have more than a little bit of fun with the mother, while the father and son are out doing their own things ...... and in one particular case, when the son is just downstairs and could walk in at anytime.

These stories may or may not see the light of day but I'm seriously thinking about publishing both. We'll see what the future holds, I guess. Any advice or suggestions are welcome. If you have either, by all means contact me via this site or click the Contact Me box on the right of this post for other ways to connect. I'm all about accepting advice, though I'm a bit shy to ask for it.

I hope everyone has a fantastic week.

Until next time.

~Candi Kay