Now on sale: Inedible Sins, by KV Taylor (Spring 2013 novella)

Spring 2013: “Inedible Sins” by KV Taylor

Set in Washington, DC, just before the civil war, “Inedible Sins” follows a seminary drop-out named Sebastian Jones as he navigates the intricacies of friendship, sex, love, morality, and the social circle to which he aspires. His curiosity leads to questioning God and sin,  his rebellious nature leads him to push back against the world… and his ingenuity gives him a way to do both:

“So I give you Brother Alfie. Disinterested, detached, and capable of proving absolution in the most practical, useful way.”

Though I had expected it to be something of a hit, I was not prepared to have an argument erupt as to who would go first. A dashing young gentleman leapt onto the platform and demanded that I show him how it was done.

“Consider your sin,” I said.

“Any and all of them?”

“Perhaps keep one in mind, and simply choose the categories into which it falls. For the most effective penance.”

The novella is just over 30,000 words long. Taylor’s been discussing the tale over on her blog, where she has a page set up for it. Read more excerpts from the story, and her thoughts on the city and her characters.

Buy it now! Only $1.99

DRM-free ePub: click here or DRM-free .mobi (perfect for Kindle): click here

Also available on Amazon: click here

A Letter from our Novellas department:

Hello! I’m Kelly C. Stiles, the Assistant Acquisitions Editor in charge of Novellas for Dagan Books.

The first of four quarterly novellas we will publish this year, “Inedible Sins” by K.V. Taylor, is a beautifully written story. It’s full of history, romance, sex, and violence. There’s also a sin-eating robot (automation if you prefer). Our second novella will appear this summer. That story is part Greek myth, part spaghetti western, and all awesome. Centaurs in the old west! Two more novellas will also be published–one each quarter. We are still taking submissions for these final two slots, as well as for 2014.

Why novellas, though? I have heard novellas called the perfect story length before. They are long enough for the reader to get into the depth and intricacy of the story, but short enough that the author can’t linger too long on one scene. They’re fast paced, but still complete.

As a staff member of Dagan Books, I get to read a lot. When I receive a submission, I like to glance at the cover letter before I dive into the prose. It gives me an idea of what kind of adventure I’m about to embark on. (As a side note, I don’t care about a writer’s credentials as long as the story is good.) When I read a submission, I usually form my impression quickly. Even if it is not a story I want to accept, I do try to read at least 20-30 pages of it. I know how hard authors work, and sometimes they surprise me a few pages in.

After I’ve finished reading a story, I let it sit for a day or two before I come back to it with a decision. Sometimes I need to leave it for even longer. Eventually, though, decisions are made, one way or another.

Let me tell you a little about what we are looking for:

• Engaging stories that make me want to keep reading.
• Science Fiction of all kinds. Hard, soft, near future, we want them all.
• QUILTBAG characters, characters of color, and other people underrepresented in fiction.
• Stories with a good ending. By good, I don’t necessarily mean happy. I mean a well-plotted ending.
• Unique stories. We found our place in publishing by not being just like everyone else. I love finding different, quality fiction in my submissions stack.

What I Am NOT Looking For:

• Sword and Sorcery stories. Don’t get me wrong, I will read it if it ends up in my stack, but it will be a hard sell.
• Romance. Romance is fine as a subplot, but there has to be more to a story for me. The plot can’t revolve around whether two people are “meant to be together”, or put the characters through danger and distress simply so they can hook up at the end. (Same thing goes for erotica. We like it, but it has to serve a purpose.)
• Religious themes of any kind. Again, I will read them, but they will be a very hard sell.
• Girls or women whose only role is as a damsel in distress. All characters need to be well thought out, even if we don’t see much of them on the page. Don’t start a story with a dead girl unless you’re going to show us something new, fascinating, and special about who she was before she was a part of the scenery.
• Gratuitous violence, including rape. If it’s there, it needs to further the story. Not just “this thing happened” but a story that couldn’t have moved forward any other way.

What Will Get You Kicked Out of the Slush Pile:

Author racism, sexism, or bigotry of any kind. Of course there is racism, sexism, and other forms of bigotry in the world, and your story and characters should reflect that (or show us what’s changed). But there’s a difference between a character having that perspective, shown through  dialogue or internal thought, and a writer including that view as part of the narration. Say, “Bob thinks this,” but don’t say, “The world thinks this and that’s right.”

I am still reading novellas and I need more. Here’s a link to our submissions page.

– KCS

Our Spring 2013 Novella: KV Taylor’s “Inedible Sins”

Early today we tweeted that:

Our Spring 2013 novella is almost ready to go! “Inedible Sins” by @hawthornetaylor has history, romance, sex, violence… and a robot.

We were talking about this:

click to see a larger, low-rez version

This Sunday, we’ll be launching our 2013 novella series with KV Taylor’s “Inedible Sins“. Set in Washington, DC, just before the civil war, it follows a seminary drop-out named Sebastian Jones as he navigates the intricacies of friendship, sex, love, morality, and the social circle to which he aspires.

Plus, there’s a clockwork robot named Brother Alfie.

Taylor’s been discussing the tale over on her blog, where she has a page set up for it. Read excerpts from the story, and her thoughts on the city and her characters.

Go on, now. Brother Alfie is waiting for you.

Payment and Rights information for Novellas

We’ve been asked what they pay rate is for our novella series. You can find that information here, but we wanted to explain it a little more fully.

We’re buying First Worldwide English-language rights for print and digital (ebook) for novellas. The payment breaks down as follows:

• For the individual ebooks, we’re paying 50% of net sales.
• For the yearly ebook subscription, and the annual ebook collection, which will contain four novellas, you will get 12.5% of net sales (equal to 50% of 1/4 of the book’s net sales).
• For the print collection, you will receive 1 cent per word.

How this works for you:

Say we buy your 25,000 word novella. It comes out January 2013 as an individual ebook. Each quarter end (March, June, September, and December) we calculate the net sales – the amount that we actually get from the sale of the book. If, for example, we sell the novella for $2 through Amazon, we might get 70% or 35% depending on the country the buyer is located in. If we get 70%, then we also have to pay a “delivery” fee. So from a $2 sale, we might net $1.20. Sixty cents of that (50%) would be yours.

Then we also sell subscriptions via our website. The $10 we charge gets buyers all four novellas delivered to them automatically throughout the year, at least a week BEFORE they’re available for sale anywhere else. The fee we pay to be able to sell that online is lower, so we might get to keep $9.00 of that. You would get $1.12 for each subscription that includes your novella.

Since all of the ebook sales are calculated quarterly, including subscriptions, you would get paid for both every three months. However, while the individual ebooks will be on sale forever, your novella will only be included in subscriptions for a 12 month period.

When the print collection comes out at the end of the year, you’ll be paid an additional 1 cent per word – or in the case of your 25,000 word story, another $250.00. You won’t get any royalties on the print collection, but you’ll keep getting your ebook royalties as long as your novella is selling.

It’s been our experience that digital books sell 10 times more than print, and we often don’t make enough to cover the cost of the print book (payments to contributors) through print sales alone, but releasing a print book helps to drive the sales of ebooks through physical presence in stores and at conventions. Also, many reviewers only want print copies of a title, so creating a print book helps to get reviews and word-of-mouth advertising for your story.

All funds payable in US funds via Paypal or US bank check. Ebook payments calculated quarterly; print payment will be sent out within 60 days of print publication. Contributors also receive 3 copies of print collection (publisher pays shipping) and 1 ebook (both .epub and .mobi/Kindle versions).

Holiday Ebook Sale! Get a bundle of EVERY book we’ve published for only $8.98 (or individual books for $1.99 or less)

December 17, 2014 Leave a Comment

To celebrate the holiday season — whichever holiday you choose — and to help fund our upcoming year, we’re offering a deep discount on all of our DRM-free ebooks. What can you get? OUR BEST DEAL: Every ebook we’ve published so far (Cthulhurotica, Bibliotheca Fantastica, Fish, in Situ, and Inedible Sins) for only $8.98. ePub or […]

“The Touch of the Taniwha” by Tracie McBride (Fish) is

March 5, 2014 Leave a Comment

“The Touch of the Taniwha” by Tracie McBride is a finalist for the 2013 Aurealis Awards, in the category of “Best Fantasy Short Fiction”. The Aurealis Awards are Australia’s premier speculative fiction awards. Fish was edited by Carrie Cuinn and KV Taylor, and published in 2013. You can learn more about the anthology here, and read Tracie’s author […]