December has been a busy month, especially for releasing paperbacks. There were three published in as many weeks, with these being:
- The Duskwood Ribticklers (single book).
- The Mayflower Collection (three stories).
- Besties Collection (three stories).
Creating a ‘collection’ is a laborious process; however, it’s
one I’m keen on continuing because it gives readers better value (over purchasing
single books) and full physical ownership of the stories.
The screenshot below displays the individual files created
for ‘Besties – Collection 1’:
These files are then merged into a complete book. Once collated into a single PDF document, these are proofread and checked to ensure the margins and page numbering is correct before being submitted.
The Duskwood Ribticklers is likely the final single book I’ll format and publish due to the increased printing costs Amazon charge for these to be worthwhile to either reader or author. Instead, stories will be available as eBooks or grouped in paperback collections in one or more of the following categories:
- Theme-based (as per the Beasties and Besties collections).
- Character-based (as per Mayflower – Collection 1).
- Assortments (as per Fables - Collection 1).
It’s worth nothing a story can be a member of more than one
category; the key for me is providing readers with a meaningful choice of
options.
Early in 2026 I’ll be completing the stories Rogue Kitty and
Don’t Feed the Ferrets before bringing together the paperback Fables Collection
2. Once these are published, I’m planning a break from publishing (but not story-writing
or world-building).
Pausing the publishing side of things allows me more time to
develop the stories I have planned without being under a shadow of an arbitrary
deadline. Clearly, this means I’m not entirely sure how many stories will be
released in 2026; however, I will be writing a fresh bunch.
That’s all for this year and if anyone does read this blog who
also celebrates Christmas, then I’ll wish you a very merry one.
Courtesy of King's College Choir in London...
