I’ve just been talking to a fellow author and the lovely lady I run Alinar Publishing with. We were discussing editing etc and then I was talking about my plans for the year in terms of stories. We always have this debate about ebooks and giving them away free versus selling them. I’m at a crossroads at the moment. I love writing stories but don’t feel compelled to sell them. I’m trying to decide what to do with the stories I’m writing now and in the future.
I woke up this morning and stared at the ceiling, and in the quiet of my mind, I realised that I could write a story and never show it to anyone, and I’d be just as happy. Of course, I’m unlikely to do that, but it helped put some things into perspective for me, as did a chat with my husband the other night.
I like writing. No, I love writing. Writing for me is like breathing. It’s a necessity, a thing that keeps me alive and going.
I don’t do it for the money. I know that. I never have done. When your background is in fanfiction, you quickly realise that you write because you need to, you’re compelled to. You don’t do it for the cash, because that’s not what it’s about. It’s about the story and the readers, and that’s all. I write stories that I love and that aren’t shaped to meet certain criteria of the market. I just write what comes to me with no thought to that genres specifics or peoples views on how a story in that genre should work, or even what’s popular.
The trouble is the money can blind you… but it’s not just that. It’s that if you’re selling it and it’s got an ISBN slapped on it and it’s available at Fictionwise then it must mean it’s something of value… because hey, someone has to buy it to read it. It’s psychological. Review sites only want books with an ISBN, readers think ebooks should be free, it all conspires to drive you mad. But honestly, a price tag doesn’t really alter the value of the book. It’s time people realised that.
A story that is worth something is one that touches the reader, that gives them an escape from this world into another, a place where they can be a part of a great battle, or fall in love, or cry for a lost hero. The value of a story isn’t determined by whether its free or not, and if it is free, that doesn’t undermine the value of it. If an author can make a connection with a reader through their words, if they can touch them and bring them happiness for just a few fleeting moments, that’s priceless. It transcends money. When people of old told stories around a fire, they didn’t ask for money at the start. They did it for the connection, the exchange. That’s why I write.
A free story isn’t necessarily bad because the author isn’t charging for it. I write stories that I give away for free out of the kindness of my heart. It isn’t because I hate them and think they’re trash. I love all my stories. I write all of them to the best of my ability. Readers do have a tendency to start to expect free stories, which is bad. Just because it’s online, doesn’t mean it should be free. If something is free, it’s free because of human kindness and a desire to share an experience with someone else. It’s not done because they HAD to do it. It’s not done because the story is worthless.
Everyone knows that I’m posting Of Blood & Snow as a free serial right now. A chapter a week goes up. This is a story that I love and whenever I read it back to write a little more, I get lost in the world and the characters. It’s one of my best stories in my eyes. I value it. I post a chapter for the connection with the reader through reviews and to see that others get something from it too, they feel the love.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that the value of a story can’t be determined by a price. There are many terrible ebooks out there that will cost you $5.99 for the pleasure of reading them and wondering where the editor was, or why the author is writing at all. There are many free stories out there that will provoke the same reaction, but they were free. There are many great ebooks out there that will cost you money, and many great stories you can read for free. Free or for a price. It doesn’t matter in the end. The value of a good story is determined by one thing–it connected with you.
That connection was formed by the characters, the plot, the author, and the writing. It was created by the story. It wasn’t any different because you paid for it, and it shouldn’t be any less valued because you got it for free.
I write to form that connection with my story. I form it and I write the story. I breathe life into the characters. I share their pain, their weakness, their moments of sheer joy, their love. I feel everything they feel. I take part in that journey.
I do this all because I love to, and I share stories with readers so they can feel what I have and know it too.
I’d get more happiness from 1000 people commenting on my story after reading it for free as I would had 1000 people paid for it, because those people are unlikely to ever contact me, and the human connection is why I send these stories out into the world.
If a story is free and you enjoyed it, then value it and what that author has given to you out of the kindness of their heart.
This post wasn’t meant to turn into a “respect freely given stories” speech… but to be a reflection of the feelings behind what compels me to write and share stories with others. If everyone who reads this can understand the sentiment behind it, and what makes me tick, that I’ve achieved what I set out to. If they realise that free stories deserve the same respect, if not more, than paid for stories, then that’s just a bonus.
🙂
