Monday, December 19, 2011

Guest Post + Giveaway: Tahlia Newland


Today I'm pleased to welcome author Tahlia Newland to the blog to talk to us a little bit about her books and short stories in general. She writes young adult/adult urban fantasy with a touch or more of romance in it and a focus on challenging readers’ perception of reality. Tahlia is also providing a give away to accompany today's post, so be sure and scroll down for more information!

THE RESURGENCE OF SHORT STORIES

You have probably realised by now that the event of ereaders is revolutionizing the publishing industry, but not only is it giving authors new opportunities, it is doing the same for readers.

A paper book costs as much to print if it is 20,000 words as if its 100,000 words, hence publishers generally don’t want a book over 100,000 words, unless it’s by an author that they can guarantee will sell enough books to cover the extra cost. Also they won’t publish novellas because people don’t want to pay the same amount of money for a little book as they do for a larger book.

But ebooks can be small and charge less – enter the 99c ebook and the common price for novellas of $2.99. I’m talking about independently published works here, not the higher priced books from traditional publishers who are still only publishing longer words and who have yet to work out a competitive price for their ebooks (they’d have to give their authors a lot more and take less themselves to compete with the indie authors.) You’ll also find serialized novels coming out in larger numbers as time goes by.

What’s so special about short stories?

Short stories are a genre of their own. They were popular in the past when many great writers like Edgar Allen Po and George Bernard Shaw wrote them for publication in magazines. The beauty of them is that because of their length, the story is straight to the point, snappy and without frills. A good short story is highly engaging and has a powerful ending, often with a twist or a moral point. Creative authors play with ideas in the short story form, so they can be unusual and imaginative.

They are perfect for today’s world, especially for young people with little money and many demands on their time, because they are low price and time commitment. No one is asking you to get caught up in someone else’s world for days. You can read a short story in the half hour while you wait for your date to pick you up and you can read a novella in the time it takes to watch a movie and for a fraction of the cost.

A good anthology of short stories has a linking theme that provides a sense of continuity and unity for the reader. Each story, though unique and in some ways vastly different to the others should add to an overall flavour that makes the book a satisfying whole.

One reader said of my short story collection, A Matter of Perception, “These kept me engaged from start to finish. A very pleasurable read, and what makes it such an interesting collection is that it provides such a variety in tone and supernatural elements yet is held together, yes, by that common supernatural denominator but also such thought-provoking philosophies of life.”

I didn’t use to read short stories, but I’ve been enjoying reading the short works that a lot of indie authors are offering these days. Apart from the pleasures of a short snappy read, it gives you a chance to sample a new author without a big financial commitment. Have you read any short stories recently? Are you planning to?

Thanks so much for stopping by Tahlia! If you'd like more information on Tahlia and her books, you can find it here:

Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
A Matter of Perception
The Drorgon Slayer's Choice

GIVEAWAY

Tahlia is generously offering up 3 e-copies of A Matter of Perception to blog readers today! To enter, please just leave a comment on this post answering Tahlia's questions regarding short stories and include a valid email address so I can contact you if you win. Since these are e-copies, this giveaway is international and will run through Friday, December 30th after which time winners will be chosen and announced on the blog. Good luck everyone!


A MATTER OF PERCEPTION


Do you see what I see? Take a bunch of supernatural beings, a battle of magical light, a mysterious hole in the pavement, a dream of a future past and a pair of rose-coloured glasses, mix them with a little romance and a smidgen of philosophy and you might be left wondering if it isn’t all just a matter of perception.

This entertaining, heart-warming and thought-provoking collection includes the humorous, ‘A Hole in the Pavement’; the poignant, ‘Not Me, It can’t Be’; the intriguing, ‘Drorgon Slayer’s Choice’, and the eerie semi finalist in the Aussiecon 4 Make Ready fantasy/scfi competition of 2010, ‘The Boneyard.’

17 comments:

  1. I love short stories, reading as well as writing them. I have actually started a weekly meme featuring short stories on my blog.

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  2. I didn't use to read short stories either, but I'm actually starting to fall in love with them too! Whether they're part of a series I already love, a sampler for a series I want to start, or just a story on its own, they're usually fast-paced and so much fun! :)

    But I think I'll always be Team Paperback -- printed books all the way! I just love having the actual book in my hand versus an e-reader! Even if I have to pay more for it! x)

    Awesome guest post, Tahlia! Thanks so much for stopping by Jenny's blog! :)

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  3. Short stories are my usual way to discover new authors that I've been thinking about reading but didn't know much about. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us, Tahlia!

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  4. Yes - I love reading short stories! I usually fit a couple short stories in between each book I read.

    Love this post! Thanks. :)

    nicnac63 AT hotmail DOT com

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  5. I've never been a big short story person, although I think if I gave them a chance, I could become a fan. I like the short time commitment part.

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  6. I'm a huge fan of short stories! My love started in middle school, when I discovered my dad's ancient copy of The Tales and Poems of Poe. :) Thanks for the post!

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  7. Just recently have I started reading short stories. I really enjoy them. I also like when they are part of a bigger series. Thanks for the chance.

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  8. Interesting info on the cost breakdown of books and ebooks. I wondered about some of the high cost. Thanks

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  9. I agree... I'm not too happy with the ebook pricing currently going on by the big pubs. I have been much more happy with the more reasonable prices with the indies and smaller pubs. They seem to get it. I have been enjoying shorts that authors have been putting out. Even those at big pubs have been doing smaller works independently. Love it.

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  10. -not an entry-
    That Drorgon name is sure a mouth full

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  11. Thanks for your loveley comments everyone, it's a pleasure to be here.

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  12. Not going to enter since I am going to read this book for review! But yeah, I am excited to get into this book.

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  13. Very good point on shorts. My attention span has been non existent lately, so short stories have been a life saver for me.

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  14. Yes I have read short stories not a big fan of them. I like longer books. Gives more details Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com

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  15. I love short stories. Sometimes you don't feel like getting immersed in a long book so short stories fit the need.

    Not entering, no e-reader blah, blah, blah. You know the story.

    Heather

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  16. So many short stories leave me wanting more (which, I suppose is a good thing) -- I love meeting all these characters but a lot of the time, I like to know MORE (yes, I'm greedy). But short stories can also be a lot of fun and just long enough to transport to a different world for a short amount of time.

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  17. I always love hearing from indie/ self-published authors and their experiences- and I must admit that short stories are something that I have never really considered before- learn something new everyday! ;)

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