I’m actually going to start this off with the part where I ask for advice, because I’m not sure what the right thing to do here is, and I’m curious about what everyone might think:

• FACT: At the moment, Benevolence Archives, Vol. 1 is never going to see print as a stand-alone book.  With a word count in the 30K range, it’s simply too short to make it happen at a reasonable price point.  It is possible that if I hit it big it’ll appear in some sort of super-special deluxe hardcover edition, but for now? No.
• FACT: This does not change the fact that I want BA 1 to see print sooner or later.
• FACT: Benevolence Archives, Volume 2 will be available both digitally and in print.  I am hoping for both to be available on the same date, but don’t hold your breath.  The ebook will definitely come first if the print version can’t be pulled together in time.
• FACT: Not everyone who reads BA 2 will have read BA 1, but many people will already have downloaded some version of the book.
• FACT: A lot of the people who downloaded BA 1 did it for free.

All that said:

• OPTION ONE: Do a print edition of Benevolence Archives, Volume 2 as an omnibus, including both the short stories in BA 1 and the BA 2 novel.  This will put the total word count in the 100K+ range.
• OPTION TWO: Do two new print editions, one of BA 2 as a stand-alone, and an entire different book as an omnibus edition.

If I go the first route, I’ll have no choice but to charge a bit more for it.  Therefore I run the risk of people being upset about possibly being charged twice for the same material.  If I go the second route, there’s a good chance of confusion about exactly what people are buying setting in, and I’ll also have to order a second cover.

Right now, I’m leaning toward option one– of the only print edition of either title containing both of them.  Future BA plans include the next book being another short story collection, so if I keep the pattern of short stories-novel-short stories-novel, I can just keep doing a print edition every other release.  Unless people think this is insane.

Current release target: April.  Late March is possible but I want some breathing room and right now that’s two months off.  So I’m saying mid-April for now.

At the moment, the book is in my wife’s hands, and she’s doing the pre-alpha read.  I will make some adjustments based on her read through and then I will post a call for alpha readers here.  Alpha readers will be provided with a copy of the book as it stands at that time and some detailed instructions from me on what I’m looking for.  Y’all will have about a month to get notes back to me.

If you’re interested in being an alpha reader, let me know in comments.  This isn’t the “official” call– that’ll be a week or two away, and some of my alphas are going to be people I know in the real world– but it’s good to have an idea about who is interested in advance.  My only rule is you have to be around here or Twitter often enough that I know who you are.  You do not have to have read BA 1, although I’m assuming most folks who are interested will.  Alphas will be compensated with an eventual free copy of the final version of the book.  And with my eternal love and gratitude.  But good luck spending that.

It has only just occurred to me that now that Skylights is in print I have actual physical merchandise that, in some universe, I might actually attempt to sell to people in a one-on-one, retail fashion.  I gave a copy to the cover artist the other day, and the first words out of his mouth were to ask if he could order a bunch of copies for the next time he’s at C2E2.  I did not immediately bring up the idea of doing a signing in his store, which is a thought so terrifying as to induce actual physical paralysis.

I probably ought to, though.  While I’m at it, I probably ought to see if any local bookstores are interested in such things.

That seriously scares the hell out of me.