I just reread an article by Laura Hazard Owen at PaidContent, titled “Why 2012 was the year of the e-single”. If you’re a writer, I suggest you read it because it definitely shows the impact this new medium will have on your future. And it doesn’t matter if you “agree” with e-publishing or not. It’s here, so you’ll either deal with it or it will deal you out.

With publishers like The New York Times venturing into this new frontier, it’s definitely a sign e-singles will become more of a fixture in literature. It also means it’s becoming more competitive, just like the traditional writing market. But there’s still time (and room) to stake out a claim. At least, that’s what I believe…for what that’s worth.

In 2012, I decided to take a stab at e-singles. I released two at Amazon for the Kindle. One was a humor story about my struggles to relearn German while in Germany, perfectly titled Bitte was? An American author’s misadventures in the German language.

At the time, I found myself walking into some pretty interesting and humorously embarrassing situations as I stumbled through the grammar and pronunciation of one of the world’s most difficult languages. After reviewing the months of notes I’d stored on my Blackberry, I found I had some pretty good material to take my shot at writing an e-single. Surprisingly, it became one of the better selling ebooks in the English-language section of Amazon.de, their German-language site.

My second e-single was a Christmas collection of four short stories, titled Christmas Stories from my Heart. This one allowed me to package together four stories that have served as reminders to me of the true meaning of the holiday.

Both of these e-singles allowed me to get my feet wet. I really believe e-singles are a great medium for a writer like me because I can work on ideas that are shorter than a book, yet longer than a traditional article. This means getting my work out to the public faster and getting feedback for my ideas. And since some might even become the inspiration for future book-length projects, this feedback could really be helpful in keeping me on track as I craft this future work.

In the next 12 months, I plan to release more e-singles, while continuing to work on longer writing projects. In fact, I’m finishing the editing on an e-single now, which should be released within the next two weeks.

But whether I write e-singles or full grown books, I demand anything with my name on it is of quality. Shorter pieces will not equal poor writing.

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Would you like something else to read?

If you would, please take a look at my books and e-singles. Currently, I have a HUMOR e-single, titled “Oh sh!t, you’re black!” Click here for a FREE preview! Thank you so much for reading my blog.