From the press release:
Starting today, we are publishing digital editions of original short stories from some of your favorite authors! The stories will be available at all major ebook retailers – initially in the US, further afield in the very near future.
We’ve got a fantastic launch list of stories including apocalyptic SF from zombie-maven Mira Grant, kick-ass urban fantasy stories from Jaye Wells and Jennifer Rardin, and military SF from newcomer T.C. McCarthy.
And there’s plenty more to come, including Perfect Shadow, an original novella by Brent Weeks, available in June.
We’ll be announcing new stories as they become available, so visit us at orbitshortfiction.com or “like” us on Facebook for updates.
Happy reading!
Since first picking up my eReader last year, I’ve been exposed to the huge, wonderful world of Short Ficiton. It’s incredibly accessible, the perfect venue to find new authors and, often, exactly what I need after finishing the nth doorstopper Epic Fantasy of the year. I’m glad to see Orbit Books getting on board and encouraging their authors to write and publish short fiction.
Unfortunately, the only announced title that I’m interested in (and sure to be their big seller) is Weeks’ “Perfect Shadow”, a novella set in the same world as his Night Angel Trilogy, doesn’t hit for a few more weeks. I’ve not read Weeks’ trilogy, but having enjoyed Black Prism well enough, I figure this novella would be a good way to stick my toe in the waters and see how I like it.
Oddly, though the website has been set up with details about all the stories, one can’t actually purchase the stories directly from Orbit Book and instead must use any of the various major eBook retailers. Too bad. And with places like Tor.com (who I write for, blah blah blah, moneyhats), not to mention all the wonderful eZines (Strange Horizons, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Clarkesworld, Fantasy Magazine, etc…) giving away their short fiction for free, a full pay model seems a little strange.
The stories can be found on the official Orbit Books Short Fiction Store.
I love the idea of having another source for new genre short fiction, but $1.99 per short seems a little steep… considering that ezine’s such as Lightspeed, Fantasy, and Clarksworld are selling entire issues (pre-formatted for your eReader) in the $2.99 range for multiple stories. In fact, I think Clarksworld is now experimenting with selling their epub/mobi versions for $0.99/issue. Plus all the free shorts that are available for reading online?? I’m just not feeling it at Orbit’s price-point.