Since it’s November, and therefore NaNoWriMo, I wanted to give you a few “Writers, don’t do this” tips from my own experience.

Number 6: The JD Robb Tip

You need to make everything easily available for your readers to buy. This is more of a tip for established writers, or writers who partner with established writers, but it’s something to keep in mind. Back when I was married the second time, my wife was making her way through JD Robb’s “In Death” series. For the most part it was novels, but Robb also wrote several novellas and short-stories peppered throughout the series, and those items weren’t necessarily published in such a way that a reader can easily get to them — at least, not without buying things they doesn’t want. Sure, having a short-story by JD Robb headlining an anthology will most likely lead to more sales, but JD Robb’s fans aren’t necessarily going to want to buy a $10 anthology for a story that should cost $2 on Amazon as an e-book.

Look, I get it: if you’re up-and-coming, and an editor says “write me a story set in your world and I’ll put your name at the top of the cover in big letters”, you do it. And yes, rights are a tricky thing to negotiate, especially if you don’t have an agent to do it for you. But as soon as you can, you need to get the rights back and put the story online as a stand-alone. You’ll make your fans happy, and you’ll get an additional revenue stream.

That’s it for the tips this time around. Good luck on your NaNoWriMo novels!