Acceptable price for own story? (opinions needed)

[Kojote]

Today I got surprised by an offer to sell one of my stories. Brought me to think about it. I never did think about this special question and would gladly read your opinions.

Topic is: How much is it worth?
The publisher is offering a fixed price. I’m asking for the specific terms yet. But to be honest: I never asked myself what I would like to get for one of my stories.
It’s about 12.500 words long. How much would you want to have for a story of this length? How much is something like that worth?

It’s not a book. There’s probably no way to get some kind of interest in the sales of it. Most probably it will make it into an anthology or something.
So a fixed price makes sense to me. But how much actually?
And how important is it not to sell your work underprice from the beginning? Don’t we all take small steps at the start?

I don’t want to spill the price that to get unbiased opinions. Think about one of your stories and how much you would like to have for it (since most of you cannot judge my stories because they are only in german yet).

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Good questions. I have a few though, just to clear things up?

Are they buying the rights, lock, stock and barrel? In other words will you be able to publish it on your own at a later date? Do you still hold the copyright?

Is this a lump-sum w/no royalties or an advance against royalties?

 

[Kojote]

Good questions. I have a few though, just to clear things up?

Are they buying the rights, lock, stock and barrel? In other words will you be able to publish it on your own at a later date? Do you still hold the copyright?

Is this a lump-sum w/no royalties or an advance against royalties?

Dunno most of it yet. Asked them pretty much the same regarding rights.
But lets assume they buy the whole thing including copyright since that's what I think this deal is up to.
It's pretty unlikely that I will have the right to publish the story anywhere else.

There are no royalties. Just one fixed price.

Since the company is a notable german erotic warehouse with attached publisher I think it is intended to make it's way into some kind of anthology. But it may as well be intended to get published as eBook or even online for paying readers. or all of it together.

For me the question is not if this is a deal worth considering.
I've got no name of any kind regarding erotic fiction. I like writing and do think I've written some pretty good stuff which could really be worth publishing.
Only short stories though and until now very vew of them finished. I'm really just learning the trade (especially the process leading from a cool idea and some pages into it to the finished and closed story).
Also I'm pretty much aware of the fact that there won't be such thing as a real 'german market' for what I consider 'not perfectly tuned to one handed readers tastes stuff' from me. The whole german community of readers of erotic fiction is pretty silent and closed mouthed.
Getting published with any kind of real work (like a book) will only happen in english, I think.

I'd give this kind of stuff away for free just for getting published in some way. Maybe it catches the fancy of some readers. Or whatever.
Anyway...
If it get's to sales I just started asking myself what this kind of work (about 12 hours from start to final product in total) should be worth.

 

[lovecraft68]

Dunno most of it yet. Asked them pretty much the same regarding rights.
But lets assume they buy the whole thing including copyright since that's what I think this deal is up to.
It's pretty unlikely that I will have the right to publish the story anywhere else.

There are no royalties. Just one fixed price.

Since the company is a notable german erotic warehouse with attached publisher I think it is intended to make it's way into some kind of anthology. But it may as well be intended to get published as eBook or even online for paying readers. or all of it together.

For me the question is not if this is a deal worth considering.
I've got no name of any kind regarding erotic fiction. I like writing and do think I've written some pretty good stuff which could really be worth publishing.
Only short stories though and until now very vew of them finished. I'm really just learning the trade (especially the process leading from a cool idea and some pages into it to the finished and closed story).
Also I'm pretty much aware of the fact that there won't be such thing as a real 'german market' for what I consider 'not perfectly tuned to one handed readers tastes stuff' from me. The whole german community of readers of erotic fiction is pretty silent and closed mouthed.
Getting published with any kind of real work (like a book) will only happen in english, I think.

I'd give this kind of stuff away for free just for getting published in some way. Maybe it catches the fancy of some readers. Or whatever.
Anyway...
If it get's to sales I just started asking myself what this kind of work (about 12 hours from start to final product in total) should be worth.

If you want this thing to be an e-book spend $4 on a stock photo cover, add some text to it and publish yourself via smashwords. If you have any interest I can send you some links just send me a PM.

 

[Kojote]

If you want this thing to be an e-book spend $4 on a stock photo cover, add some text to it and publish yourself via smashwords. If you have any interest I can send you some links just send me a PM.

Very kind of you. But not at the moment, thanks.
12.500 words aren't what I would consider an eBook. It's a short story and nothing more.
Also I'd have to take care of some kind of marketing myself. Compared to getting my story into some kind of book (which means paper which I pretty much like a million times more) published by a household name (in Germany) for erotic stuff and sold in their hundreds of stores all over the country. (Kinda: Look over there and you'll find 'my' book in the shelf' )

Once I really finish something I'd call a real story I'll think about getting it printed (or compiled or what) as a real book with my name on it.

Anyway...
The question remains: What's it worth?
On the german board somebody said that 500,- € would be pretty much the most I can expect to get out of it and another one said he'd just try to ask for more to see how much they would be willing to pay (to estimate your works worth, kinda).
Of course my offer isn't even close to that numbers. The publisher is out to buy this kind of stuff wholesale and aims for getting much more than mere 20 pages in word for a 500 bucks.
But that aside: What would you consider a good price for one of your stories?

 

[lovecraft68]

Very kind of you. But not at the moment, thanks.
12.500 words aren't what I would consider an eBook. It's a short story and nothing more.
Also I'd have to take care of some kind of marketing myself. Compared to getting my story into some kind of book (which means paper which I pretty much like a million times more) published by a household name (in Germany) for erotic stuff and sold in their hundreds of stores all over the country. (Kinda: Look over there and you'll find 'my' book in the shelf' )

Once I really finish something I'd call a real story I'll think about getting it printed (or compiled or what) as a real book with my name on it.

Anyway...
The question remains: What's it worth?
On the german board somebody said that 500,- € would be pretty much the most I can expect to get out of it and another one said he'd just try to ask for more to see how much they would be willing to pay (to estimate your works worth, kinda).
Of course my offer isn't even close to that numbers. The publisher is out to buy this kind of stuff wholesale and aims for getting much more than mere 20 pages in word for a 500 bucks.
But that aside: What would you consider a good price for one of your stories?

Just to let you know there are e-books as small as 2,000 words. I have a few the length of yours and sell them for a couple of dollars each. You never know how it will sell but it is better than a flat fee.

 

[Kojote]

Just to let you know there are e-books as small as 2,000 words. I have a few the length of yours and sell them for a couple of dollars each. You never know how it will sell but it is better than a flat fee.

Well ... That's right. And maybe I really underestimate this thing.
But in fact I cannot see a real 'breakthrough' for my stories as eBooks published in German.
It's not that Germans don't buy erotic fiction. Seems that they do. But the market is much smaller than in english and there are tons of stories (and pictures and films) for free out there.
Let's say I'm skeptic. But you brought me to think about it.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Well the way it used to work way back when, authors were paid by the word. The going rate...way back when...was $0.10 a word. What that is in today's money is anyone's guess...although it can be calculated.

But I would say 12,500 x .30 would be $375

If it's anywhere close to what they offer...

 

[Jake Marlow]

I don't think I would sell all rights in perpetuity to something I wrote. If they wanted to contract you to write something for an anthology, that would be different and you'd know what you were getting up front.

 

[sr71plt]

Reality? A 12,500-word story you don't see making money off any other way--and presumably one you've already published for free somewhere (or how else did they see it?). $50 tops; $40 realistically. And don't worry about the reuse rights. Stories are a renewable resource. If this isn't just a one-time deal, you can write more. If it is a one-time deal, most likely anything you get will be more than you'd get if you didn't take the deal.

Erotica publishers don't have to pay any $375 for a story up front--especially one already published somewhere. We're swimming in erotica--and most of it for free.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Today I got surprised by an offer to sell one of my stories. Brought me to think about it. I never did think about this special question and would gladly read your opinions.

Topic is: How much is it worth?
The publisher is offering a fixed price. I’m asking for the specific terms yet. But to be honest: I never asked myself what I would like to get for one of my stories.
It’s about 12.500 words long. How much would you want to have for a story of this length? How much is something like that worth?

It’s not a book. There’s probably no way to get some kind of interest in the sales of it. Most probably it will make it into an anthology or something.
So a fixed price makes sense to me. But how much actually?
And how important is it not to sell your work underprice from the beginning? Don’t we all take small steps at the start?

I don’t want to spill the price that to get unbiased opinions. Think about one of your stories and how much you would like to have for it (since most of you cannot judge my stories because they are only in german yet).

Interesting... The main question I think is what you do after. Are you viewing this as a one-time sale, perhaps to be followed up by another and maybe a few more, or are you looking ahead to perhaps further "growth" on your writing, perhaps get a ball rolling. If you're looking to start publishing stories on some professional level, then getting your work out there, gaining some sort of familiarity with the reading audience, is more important than money. I would then look into the likely readership of the piece; where it would end up and whatnot, if they know as of yet.

Q_C