I’ve just
started reading some of my own old novels.
My first
published fiction was a short story in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, which
won the Robert L. Fish Memorial Award for best first short story of the
year. I had several other short stories
published after that, but I really wanted to have novels published, too.
I finally
succeeded in 1995 with my first time travel romance, A GLIMPSE OF FOREVER. It, and four subsequent novels, were
published by Dorchester Publishing, which has fallen on hard times. I was fortunate enough to get my rights to
those novels back from Dorchester a while ago.
These days,
it seems like a good thing to get one’s backlist republished in e-format, and
I’m hoping to do just that. But I’m
still trying to figure out if I should update the stories--and will do so with
at least some of them.
A GLIMPSE
OF FOREVER is about a woman from the past who comes into the present--of
1995. If I decide to republish it, it
will probably be in “classic” format so I don’t need to change it.
I’d thought
that it would be much easier to deal with my time travel romances where people
went from the present into the past--but those scenes in the present are not
today’s present, with smarter phones and better computers and other technology than
back them. I’m still considering what to
do with them.
I’m also
re-reading my Faery Tale romance THE GLASS SLIPPER. That’s most likely the first novel I’ll try
to put into e-format, and the “present” depicted in it isn’t too different from
the real present of today--yet I’m making notes of things I’ll probably want to
change.
I’m
actually quite pleased, re-reading it. I
like it! I haven’t read it in many years,
and have written and read a lot of other stories since, so there’s a lot I’ve
forgotten about it. I think it will be
great fun to make it available to today’s readers in an easily accessible
form--probably with the changes I’m noting to bring it, yes, into today.
What do you
think? Have you read any authors’
backlist books republished in e-format?
If you’re an author, have you done that yourself? What’s your opinion on keeping the stories
the same as they were first written, versus updating them?
8 comments:
I'm still not a big e-fan. But I do have access to early books by my favorite authors. How? I own them. LOL Or I go to the Central Branch of the Brooklyn library and make them face the dust and cobwebs of the basement. Eventually I'll learn to either love my Nook Color or find the money for that Asus 32gig Tablet that is 10.1" and actually lighter then my nook.
I'd love it if my oldies are still maintained anywhere, including libraries!
I am not a reader of romance, but I love it when and older book that intrigues me becomes available for Kindle. You may find that by putting the older books in e format that you will get new fans.
That would be a great result, Nancy!
It's an interesting thought about whether to update books written awhile ago. I think I'd leave them with their old technology, but just mention the year and maybe some other things that place it in time.
I guess it depends on the story, Betty. I think I'll have to decide on a case-by-case basis.
There are so many great opportunities for writers these days who are willing to embrace them. Good for you, Linda!
Thanks, Mollie. I'm always willing to try something new!
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