I’ve had an on-again, off-again fling with the idea of self-publishing a fantasy novella. At each stage in the game, the beast grows a little bigger. From the original 6.5K or so short story I started years ago, Singer in Rhunshan is now over 33K.
(As of 7-20-2014, it’s now at 35.5K. I think it’s finished. Of course, the beta readers have yet to weigh in, and the agent will want to take it to pieces, but right now it’s done.)
I had an honest talk with my agent about what worked in the story, and what didn’t. By the middle of June I had homework. The extra 20,000 words I’ve added this year are not padding, but careful efforts to expand the world, fully realize the characters, and strengthen the action scenes.
I tend to write long anyway, so I’ve been balancing that temptation with the firm directive to stay within a novella’s length and simplicity.
It’s a much better story now. It might or might not go out to some bigger commercial publishers. Self-publishing is always an end goal, though. It might be a shame not to use this image, or the brilliant cover designer I have lined up.
But I’m also imagining what a Big Five publisher could do with my story. Fun times ahead, either way.