In 2014 authors self-published more than 450K books in both
print and digital formats. So why would a person want to step into an arena
this crowded?
Because whether an author chooses traditional publishing,
indie publishing, or a hybrid model, getting published represents a summit in a
writer’s career. When I decided in the summer of 2014 to begin indie
publishing, I made a decision to start climbing the mountain and see the view
for myself.
As a freelance editor I help other writers with their short
stories and novels. I also follow the publishing industry by subscribing to
newsletters. I get about 15 or 20 emails every day with articles, trends, and
opinions. By reading about the industry and working with other writers, I
learned what worked, what didn’t, and how fast the industry was changing due to
the digital revolution.
Last year I asked myself how else I could stretch myself as
a writer. It came to me in an “aha!” moment: I could start indie publishing.
The idea excited and terrified me. As I began brainstorming
ideas, I also knew that I couldn’t do what everyone else was doing. I had to
find a way to make my stories stand out. Good writing wouldn’t do it alone;
dozens of indie published authors produce intriguing stories with compelling characters.
Part of planning my books came in the form of one of the
realities of my life: with two elementary-aged children, I spend a lot of time on
the go. I knew I didn’t have the time in my schedule to write full-length
novels. But I did have time to write short stories. In today’s digital-forward
world, short stories definitely have a chance to compete for the attention of
readers. Smaller devices also lend themselves more easily to shorter fiction.
Keeping this in mind, I drafted and executed the first set
of “Stories in Pairs”. The idea is simple: write a pair of short stories that
share a theme and a link. Readers will know the theme from the title of each
book, but in order to find the link they will have to read the stories.
Possible links include things like characters who appear in both stories or a
setting where both stories take place.
In my first book, Two
for the Heart, readers get two short stories about the power of love and
how this amazing emotion gives us the strength to make decisions and let others
into our lives. The link comes in a shared character. A person mentioned in
passing in the first story, called “The Proposal”, becomes one of the main
characters in the second story, called “Remembrance”.
It became easy to expand the idea of pairs. Each book
contains a pair of stories, and I plan to publish one book every two months.
Readers will get two books each year about the same characters; in other words,
Two for the Heart released in
February, and in April readers will get more about the same characters in the
book More for the Heart. I plan to
continue this trend with the other “major” stories of the year: readers will
get brand new stories in June with a follow-up book in August, and then the
third pair of major stories will come in October with the follow-up book coming
in December.
My main goal behind “Stories in Pairs” is to emphasize that
our lives connect with other lives all the time, and we never know how big or
small that connection might become. We can connect with others all across the
world, thanks to technology, and we can connect and make an impact on people we
meet in person as well as those we meet online. In the end, I don’t think we
should ever take those interactions for granted.
To support this venture I launched my own publishing
company. It’s called Prairie Sky Publishing, and I offer anyone who follows the
site through the “Contact me” form a free book. Called Two to Say Thank You, readers can find it by going to: http://prairieskypublishing.com/contact-me/.
As I continue to edit other writers’ work, write my own
stories and prepare them for publication, and stay up to date with the
publishing industry, I’m convinced of one thing:
The view from up here? It’ll take your breath away.
Two stories about relationships and the power of love. Two stories with characters to remember. Two stories for the heart.
“The Proposal”: Pooja and Akshay don’t want to bother with relationships, but they get cornered into marriage. The two devise a fool-proof plan: get married, then get their divorce papers ready. But will they have the guts to go through with the break up?
“Remembrance”: Helen wakes up in the hospital, but she has no idea how she got there. Everyone dodges the question…and then the sister she hasn't spoken to in 11 years arrives. Why is she here? And will Helen ever remember what happened?
Buy the Book
About the Author
Since the start of her
publishing career in 2005 Ekta has edited and written about everything from
health care to home improvement to Hindi films. She has worked for: The
Portland Physician Scribe, Portland, Oregon's premier medical newspaper; show
magazines for home tours organized by the Portland Home Builders Association;
ABCDlady.com; The Bollywood Ticket; The International Indian; and the annual
anthologies published by the Avondale Inkslingers, based in Avondale, Arizona.
In 2011 Ekta stepped
off the ledge and became a freelancer. She edits short stories and novels for
other writers, contributing to their writing dreams. She is also a part-time
editor for aois21, and she reviews books for her own book review blog as well
as NetGalley and Bookpleasures.com.
Prairie Sky Publishing
serves as the publishing arm of Ekta's professional writing blog, The WriteEdge. When she's not writing, Ekta is a domestic
engineer—known in the vernacular as
"a housewife." She's married, has two energetic daughters who keep
her running, and she divides her time between keeping house and fulfilling her
writing dreams.
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