# Short Stories



## StephenLivingston (May 10, 2011)

Short stories aren't as popular as novels but maybe the advent of eReaders will encourage a resurgence in the short story market.  What do you guys think?  Will the Kindle breathe new life into the short story?


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## Beth Groundwater (Apr 6, 2011)

Many authors are using free or very-cheap short stories to promote their novels. For instance, mystery author friend Rhys Bowen is giving away a short story, "The Amersham Rubies," on the Kindle to promote the latest book release in her Molly Murphy mystery series.

Also, short story anthologies have long been, and will continue to be, a proving ground for writing talent, where new authors try their wings and established authors try out a new character or voice. An example is Fish Tales: The Guppy Anthology[/url[url=http://www.amazon.com/dp/1434430804/?tag=kbpst-20]
This edited anthology by the Guppy chapter includes many short stories by first-time authors as well as those by long-established Guppies with multiple publishing credits.


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## James Everington (Dec 25, 2010)

I hope you're right Stephen, particularly as that's pretty much all I write!

ta
James

_--- edited... no self-promotion outside the Book Bazaar forum. please read our Forum Decorum thread._


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## brianmartinez (Feb 13, 2011)

Short stories have always been the ultimate sample. For readers they're the perfect way to test out an author in a timely, self-contained way. For authors, practice, experimentation and advertising for the bigger stuff.


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## James Everington (Dec 25, 2010)

See, I'm not sure I like the 'short stories are a training ground for novel writing' or especially the 'short stories are good promo for your longer books' arguments...

Short stories are great because they're, well, great. A separate art-form, with their own rules and absolutely not truncated novels. As Stephen King says somewhere, a kiss in the dark from a stranger, not a marriage.

James


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## StephenLivingston (May 10, 2011)

James Everington said:


> Short stories are great because they're, well, great. A separate art-form, with their own rules and absolutely not truncated novels.


Very true. The short story is a different form of literature from the novel just the same as poetry or plays are. A novella is more like a truncated novel.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Writers have to be careful, I think, when writing a tie-in short story or novella that it works on its own and doesn't feel like a sample that people have paid for or of dubious quality. As mentioned a billion times, I'm a sucker for an anthology or even a good single story.


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## brianmartinez (Feb 13, 2011)

Absolutely. I don't mean to say that a short story should be a chopped-up piece of something larger, treated like a commercial for the "real stuff". What I mean is it's a way for the author to explore smaller, often more direct ideas, while also allowing readers to check out a new voice. Believe me, I have total love and respect for the format.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

brianmartinez said:


> Absolutely. I don't mean to say that a short story should be a chopped-up piece of something larger, treated like a commercial for the "real stuff". What I mean is it's a way for the author to explore smaller, often more direct ideas, while also allowing readers to check out a new voice. Believe me, I have total love and respect for the format.


Oh, I wasn't giving you a hard time, just thinking about stories I've read recently -- good and bad.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm afraid I'm not a fan of short stories, I like long, long stories--the kind that pre-Kindle were too heavy to carry.    I do appreciate the art form, but I guess I like marriages better than kisses from strangers.  

Betsy


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## Stefanswit (May 9, 2011)

I agree that shorts appear to be more popular with e-book readers. Could it be because more indie authors are producing them? Good ones too.


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## w0rdvirus (May 16, 2011)

I hope that eReaders can help bring back the short story. I just put my first one up for the Kindle. They worked in the past and I think the ability to put them up cheap can appeal to people looking for a quick cheap read. I think already the kindle is starting to help short stories and novellas that would otherwise be overlooked. Personally I am sick of reading 1000 page Stephen King books.


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## Christopher Meeks (Aug 2, 2009)

The reason I originally came to Kindle was because I had a collection of short fiction that Entertainment Weekly gave a great boost to. I'm selling more on Kindle than in print now. The Kindle seems to be a great place for short story collections. If you haven't read Jhumpa Lahiri's collection "Unaccustomed Earth," I highly recommend it--a pleasure to read and it gets you reflecting on them long after. She's a master. I'm also a fan of Alice Munro. I'm about to start her last collection.


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## Will Granger (Apr 12, 2011)

Do you think self-published readers can do better by publishing short stories as soon as they write them, or by waiting and puting several together as an anthology?


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## Christopher Meeks (Aug 2, 2009)

My deep sense is that short stories sell far more in collections than individually. As a reader, I'm hesitant to buy a single short story because what if I like it? I might not get many if any more from the writer. The writer, of course says, "Here's a sample for only a dollar. If you like it, then I'll make more." 

Now that I've had the Kindle for several months, I'm much more prone to trying out new authors than I was in a bookstore. One reason is I can get a sample and seriously sit down with it--more than just stand at a shelf and make quick decisions. A sample of a short story collection will get the reader one or two stories for no charge, and then if the reader is hooked on the stories or style, he or she will buy the whole book. I just gave away two stories, in fact, in a Kindle Nation mailing on Monday. People were able to read two stories from "The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea," and then get another as a sample if they didn't buy the book outright.

We're all out looking for those really great authors and stories that'll have meaning in our lives. When you think what is it you like in fiction, you're likely to say, "It's entertaining... meaningful... has imagery... makes me laugh and feel things... and there's a sense of truth." You probably have other criteria, too. The point is, it's rare to find those authors, and yet when we find one, it's great. So go for the collection. When you have a single story, send it out and try to get it published in literary journals, eMagazines and the like. To say that they have been in literary magazines tells the reader a lot, too.

--Chris


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## James Everington (Dec 25, 2010)

I'd agree with Chris - for an unknown, a collection will do better than a single short story, it priced right. I put out a standalone short story, followed by a collection. The latter amassed equal sales to the former within about two weeks, then quickly overtook it. 

I mean, I buy stand-alone short stories. But lots of people won't even consider them...


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

James Everington said:


> I mean, I buy stand-alone short stories. But lots of people won't even consider them...


This is true. All things being equal, I prefer at least 3 stories. Some of that is a pricing thing though. A 5 minute read for .99 is not going to work for a lot of folks -- thems almost naughty phone line rates -- and even my fairly I-Don't-Care-About-Price attitude can wither in the face of that.

I think an anthology also gives a writer multiple chances to prove they can really write. Even a good writer can have a story that doesn't work for a reader.


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## medicalhumor (Feb 15, 2011)

I certainly hope so! Short stories can be just as entertaining and engaging as novels.
Long live the short story!


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## aaronpolson (Apr 4, 2010)

Short stories saved my life. 

Weird, but true. 

As a H.S. English teacher, I assign many more short stories than books (for obvious reasons).  Many MFA programs are designed around short stories as well. 

I will always be a fan of the form.


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## A. S. Warwick (Jan 14, 2011)

I'm a big fan of the short stories - and am grateful for the advent of ebooks for seeing a revival in them.  Back in the day they were extremely popular - you just have to look at the pulp magazines for that.  Sadly they went out of fashion with the publishers and readers lost out.


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## StephenLivingston (May 10, 2011)

Glad to see that there's still a decent amount of people that appreciate the short story as an art form.  Maybe in today's society of shortened attention spans and easy access eReaders it is time for the resurgence of the form.  I hope you guys check out my work, obviously I'm biased but I think you'll find my stories to be well worth the read.


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## Decon (Feb 16, 2011)

Short stories are massive business in Brazil. Not that it helps unless you can write in Portuguese lol.

I do feel there is something of a resurgence with short stories since the e platform was introduced. I don't think there is anything wrong with single stories, if you are a fan of the art. I bought one recently at 11,000 words and thoroughly enjoyed it. That said I knew it was a single short beforehand.

I don't think at the moment I would dare to upload a single short and will stick with my compilation. But for those who do, I would think it would be wise to include an approx word count/page count in the description to avoid the wrath of a one star review for those expecting a longer read for their buck.


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## brianspringer13 (Apr 24, 2011)

I've been using free short stories to (hopefully) build an audience. Not sure if it's working yet. Have got lots of downloads on the free stuff but it hasn't translated to much. I certainly think the ebook can only help the resurgance of the short story.


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## Christopher Meeks (Aug 2, 2009)

I'm now curious to see people name some particular great short story collections available on Kindle. I don't see J.D. Salinger's "Nine Stories" or Lorrie Moore's "Birds of America" or anything by Raynond Carver available on Kindle yet, but here are a few must reads:

  

And here's one I'm about to start:


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## StephenLivingston (May 10, 2011)

Nathaniel Hawthorn and Edgar Allan Poe wrote excellent short stories that should be available free for Kindle as they're 19th century works and hence out of copyright.  One of the stories in my collection "Kindling" is a contemporary reworking of Poe's classic "The Tell-Tale Heart".


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## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

I think there are a few things going on here.

#1 A lot of people are reading short stories on the Kindle that never did before. This is quite clear. I can make more money selling them on Amazon then I can publishing them in pro magazines (normal markets, not the New York Times). I would bet a lot of my readers never even heard of the magazines where my stories appeared before.

#2 A lot of writers are using short stories as a way of snatching readers at the lower price point and "hooking" them for higher-priced novels, so they have increased supply. This strategy can go either way as not all good novelists are good short story writers and vice versa.

#3 With Amazon, short stories are more visible than ever. To read them you don't have to take a risk one of the few collections New York puts our every year (and try and find them in stores), or subscribe to a magazine you don't want. 

#4 It's easier. You can buy one story by an author you like. You don't have to buy an anthology or magazine with other stuff you don't want.


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## RobynB (Jan 4, 2011)

dgaughran said:


> I think there are a few things going on here.
> 
> #1 A lot of people are reading short stories on the Kindle that never did before. This is quite clear. I can make more money selling them on Amazon then I can publishing them in pro magazines (normal markets, not the New York Times). I would bet a lot of my readers never even heard of the magazines where my stories appeared before.
> 
> ...


This.

And another reason, for me: one of my motivations for publishing shorts to Kindle was so that my pieces had a life beyond the lit journals they ended up in. So many lit journals, even the quality ones, have small readerships...it always made me sad to think the story I worked so hard on would be read by so few.


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## tintaun (Apr 20, 2010)

I'm Irish and we hone our lit skills on short stories. Over the last month I've seen a huge rise in sales of my short collections on Kindle and one book in particuliar is doing very well on Amazon.uk. I intend to publish another collection is a few months, 7 stories which have already appeared in lit journals and the likes.

Some of our writers, like Frank O'Connor and Seán O'Faoláin, concentrated on short fiction rather than novels and were masters of the art. Every September, The Frank O'Connor International Short Story Festival is held in Cork, Ireland...they have a short story comptetion which is worth €1,500 see http://tinyurl.com/4429fjy

es


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## Randy Kadish (Feb 24, 2010)

I hope we see a resurgance of short stories thanks to ereaders, but right now I think most readers are reluctant to buy short stories, even for $0.99.

(I guess people just aren't used to reading them they way people were in the old days of the Saturday Evening Post and others.)

My long story got a very good review in a major newspaper, yet the review led to very few sales.

Randy


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## Bryan R. Dennis (May 19, 2011)

For certain authors I prefer the short story form to the full length novel. I hope we see more masters release collections of stories. I think we will. In addition to a rise from the ashes for short stories, I think we'll soon see a return of the 50k word novel. It was the perfect length in my opinion. Long enough for masters like Harper Lee, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck. With all these books out there to read, people are going to lose patience with door-stoppers full of boring subplots and thousands of words of padding. Variety is good.


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## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

Until the advent of digital self-publishing, the commercial restrictions on length meant either stretching or cutting your story so that it would fit into the preferred form.

But the right length for a story is the right length. I'm sure there are thousands of novels on everyone's bookshelves that would have been better if the writer had been allowed a length of their choice. And I'm equally sure that there are thousands more stories that we never got to read because of these restrictions.

One form has fallen by the wayside completely in the modern publishing world. The novella. Generally between 17,500 and 40,000 words (shorter again is a novelette), this form has produced a string of classics you will all remember: _A Christmas Carol_, _Of Mice and Men_, _Billy Budd_, _Animal Farm_, _A Clockwork Orange_, _The Old Man and The Sea_, and _Heart of Darkness_.

But with digital publishing, commercial length restrictions don't matter anymore. You can tell your story in the length it takes to tell the story. You don't have to add unnecessary sub-plots to pad it out, and you don't have to cut that minor character you were so fond of to trim it down. You can tell the story your way, the way it was meant to be told.

The production costs for an e-book are pretty much the same regardless of length. Of course, you will spend more on editing the longer the story is, and formatting will take longer, but that's it. You have no commercial restrictions outside of that. And for self-publishers, as they have complete control over pricing, they can entice the customer into taking a risk with a low, low price.


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## StephenLivingston (May 10, 2011)

Good post dgaughran, I agree.


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## Randy Kadish (Feb 24, 2010)

One of my issues with publishing estories is how to market them. Because I'm charging only $0.99, I don't feel I can put money into advertising, or into putting together a nice cover and then make money, especially after paying for proofing and editing.

Randy


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## Scott Daniel (Feb 1, 2011)

"But with digital publishing, commercial length restrictions don't matter anymore. You can tell your story in the length it takes to tell the story."

Totally agree. How many novels do you read, even from the best selling authors, that are obviously padded so they come in at 90,000 or 100,000 words. I'd rather read an outstanding 40,000 word story with no padding and fluff.


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## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

Randy,

This is the way I looked at it.

My aim was to cover costs for each 99 cent story.

Then, when I bundle them into collections, the only cost I have to cover is the cover (everything has already been edited, proofed, and formatted). Plus, at $2.99 per 5-pack, I get $2 a copy.

Dave


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## spex.kowalski (May 10, 2011)

Hard to say.  Not a big fan, personally. But, if I have to choose short story collections, I choose Tobias Wolff and James Salter.  cheers


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## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

If anyone likes whimsical, surreal, and foul-mouthed short stories, they should check out Irish writer Kevin Barry.

He had one published in the New Yorker last year and you can read it free on their site: 
http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/features/2010/02/01/100201fi_fiction_barry


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## WestofMars (Sep 16, 2009)

I am loving the short story renaissance we're having, and not just because I'm profiting from it. 

Someone mentioned that MFA programs are based around short stories. Many are. Some are not (Seton Hill University, for one).

However, when I did my MFA back in the dark ages, not only was the program based around the short story, it was based around a particular format of a short story. Full of angst and brooding emotion, the main character had to have a personal epiphany at the end. The story was broken down into sections, with white spaces in between. People were broken, often repellant.

I hated the format, and it showed. My MFA program-mates begged me to stop writing the drek. They agreed to workshop a novel I was working on (one I'd written after my thesis novel, incidentally), so long as I ran it through, start to finish.

Back to the short story renaissance I'm seeing: the beauty of it is that we've dropped the old MFA formatted story. Things happen. People are real. They aren't pathetic; you can care about them. They have adventures, not mere personal epiphanies. And a good story can take you on a wild ride.

No one's  mentioned Pam Houston's debut collection on this thread, so I will. HATE this new cover, though.


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## Scott Daniel (Feb 1, 2011)

Like many, I'm a fan of Stephen King's. One of his best works, IMHO, is his collection of shorts _Skeleton Crew._


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## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

WestofMars said:


> However, when I did my MFA back in the dark ages, not only was the program based around the short story, it was based around a particular format of a short story. Full of angst and brooding emotion, the main character had to have a personal epiphany at the end. The story was broken down into sections, with white spaces in between. People were broken, often repellant.


Personally, I can't stand this type of story. It seems to be very much favoured by a lot of "literary" journals, but I find them completely unreadable. I have read that a lot of these journals have more submissions than readers, and when you factor in that many of the subscribers are writers trying to get into the journal (for a juicy credit for their query), it seems to me that only teaching this kind of story won't lead to commercial success.


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## Marcin Wrona (Apr 28, 2011)

dgaughran said:


> ...it seems to me that only teaching this kind of story won't lead to commercial success.


For many MFAs, that's not so much a bug as a feature.

There certainly are more practically oriented MFAs out there, but most of the university-level writing programmes I've come across are designed to churn out graduates who teach writing to the next round of MFAs. It's a closed loop.


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## WestofMars (Sep 16, 2009)

Not entirely closed. After all, I took my MFA and ran, screaming, away from academia (and a department president who, in a public university, would fill our mailboxes with Christian writings. And I'd get yelled at when I complained. And you ask why I ran, screaming?).

I don't teach. I write. After all, that's what we writers do. We write. Okay, I freelanced as a copy editor for awhile there, but with the publishing climate what it is, now I write. Nice, fat, commercial stuff (fat? Well, it sounded good). Just like I've always dreamed of.


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## felicityheaton (Aug 31, 2010)

I think e-books help both ends of the book length spectrum no end. The short stories and novellas that it was difficult to get published, and also the epic length offerings. I write all lengths in my genres, paranormal romance and science fiction romance. As long as readers know it's a short story, or a novella, then they're perfectly happy with that, and as long as they're not paying $2.99 for a story with less than 20,000 words. I've seen readers complain when they pay that much and discover that it's just a short story.

I normally write stories that are either designed to be novellas (30,000 to 35,000 words normally) or novels (more often than not, my novels as 90,000 to 125,000, but I do have one at 135,000 and one at 160,000 words) as those seem to be the lengths that suit my writing best, and satisfy the reader. I do have short stories though, often around the 15,000 to 20,000 word length. I enjoy writing them and they give readers a good "taste" of my style.

I think with e-books there's room for all lengths. We just have to make sure that readers know what they're getting.

Felicity Heaton


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## James Everington (Dec 25, 2010)

There's a few signs out there that short stories are (re)taking off, but I think it will be a long slog. I don't understand people who don't 'get' short stories, but obviously they're out there and reading novels - good luck to them. But I like variety, I like something different to long-slogg-your-way-through epics, as others have said.

I think the epiphany kind of short story people are talking about above can be good, when not written to a formula. I guess it's Raymond Carver's influence that made it so prevaliant in the US? (not quite so much here in the UK). But the thing about Carver that people don't seem to get is that just because he made it look easy, it doesn't mean _it_ is easy...

But I digress. Which isn't a good habit for a short story writer to get into.


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## KyahCA (Mar 7, 2011)

As long as there's a functional Table Of Contents so you don't have to keep clicking through to get to the story you want, I'm all for short stories.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

KyahCA said:


> As long as there's a functional Table Of Contents so you don't have to keep clicking through to get to the story you want, I'm all for short stories.


That, and the ability to use the 5-way to quickly move between stories.


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## James Everington (Dec 25, 2010)

KyahCA said:


> As long as there's a functional Table Of Contents so you don't have to keep clicking through to get to the story you want, I'm all for short stories.


Seconded.


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## StephenLivingston (May 10, 2011)

How does one go about making their table of contents functional?


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## James Everington (Dec 25, 2010)

StephenLivingston said:


> How does one go about making their table of contents functional?


Hi Stephen - Set all the titles to Header 1 in Word. Then save as HTML and load into MOBI, and there's an option to add an Active TOC which should sort it out. Googling it brings up more info...

cheers
James


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## dmburnett (Feb 4, 2011)

I think Kindle will bring back the short story, but more through collections than individual stories.  I'm speaking of my own laziness, but why spend the time downloading something that will take you even less time to read?


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## Neil Clarke (Mar 14, 2011)

I think the resurgence of short stories has been taking place for quite some time. I'm coming from the science fiction and fantasy side of the world and for several years now, online markets have been making a lot of headway in terms of readership, awards, and recognition. My magazine, for example, has a readership of over 20K and has published Hugo and Nebula award-nominated fiction. It's only logical for most of us in online publishing to add ebook editions to the mix. I can name several that already have. In my case, the next logical step was to offer a Kindle Subscription option, which we just launched. It's things like that will enable short fiction publishers like us to keep going. In many ways, ebooks will be what provides financial stability to online publishing models.

-Neil


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## WestofMars (Sep 16, 2009)

Short fiction has ALWAYS been a vital part of the SF/F community, though. It's the rest of the world that needs to catch up!


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## Neil Clarke (Mar 14, 2011)

WestofMars said:


> Short fiction has ALWAYS been a vital part of the SF/F community, though. It's the rest of the world that needs to catch up!


There has been a lot of argument about that in the last ten years. Various cases against short fiction could be argued by looking at the subscription numbers for the major SF/F magazines. I was constantly hearing about "the death of short fiction." It's only in the last couple of years that some of the print magazines have turned around decade-long declines and that is largely with the help of electronic editions. During the same period, online magazines have gained readership and respectability. Anyone know if similar things are happening in other genres?


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## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

Neil Clarke said:


> There has been a lot of argument about that in the last ten years. Various cases against short fiction could be argued by looking at the subscription numbers for the major SF/F magazines. I was constantly hearing about "the death of short fiction." It's only in the last couple of years that some of the print magazines have turned around decade-long declines and that is largely with the help of electronic editions. During the same period, online magazines have gained readership and respectability. Anyone know if similar things are happening in other genres?


I think print literary mags are really struggling. Many have more submissions than subscribers. And when you consider a lot of submitters are subscribing purely to get a feel for the mag, it's not a very sustainable model. I think many lit mags have gone too niche, and they are all publishing the same kind of angst-ridden story. Nothing exciting happens, I can't stand it (and I like good literary fiction, but I really need a story, not just an arbitrary character "journey").

Publishing companies have been telling us for years that people have no interest in short stories, and that they won't publish collections (outside of sci-fi), but lots of people are having great success self-publishing them.

I think smartphones are big drivers of short story sales - a lot of my readers seem to read them that way, and I know other writers specifically marketing with that in mind.

Also, I think many people have reduced attention spans these days, so shorts are perfect.

On top of that, people's most valuable resource is time. Maybe in some non-intuitive way people actually like the fact that a short story is less time-intensive and they can get a whole fully formed story, with the pay-off, while they are on the bus to work or on their lunchbreak.


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## WestofMars (Sep 16, 2009)

...and yet this year's Pulitzer Prize winning book was a loose collection of short stories. 

I don't think anyone knows. Ever. In fact, I know that's how it works 'cause everyone admits it.


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## Alain Gomez (Nov 12, 2010)

dgaughran said:


> Publishing companies have been telling us for years that people have no interest in short stories, and that they won't publish collections (outside of sci-fi), but lots of people are having great success self-publishing them.


I almost never sell a copy of my collection (which is 99 cents). I sell a copy of a standalone (also 99 cents) pretty much every day. Not great, but that should say something.


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## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

Alain Gomez said:


> I almost never sell a copy of my collection (which is 99 cents). I sell a copy of a standalone (also 99 cents) pretty much every day. Not great, but that should say something.


Interesting.

Have you tried raising the price to $2.99? Do you advertise the collection in the back of the stand alone stories? Have you marketed the collection to the same level as the stand alone stories?

Sorry for all the questions, I just find this stuff interesting!


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## Alain Gomez (Nov 12, 2010)

dgaughran said:


> Interesting.
> 
> Have you tried raising the price to $2.99? Do you advertise the collection in the back of the stand alone stories? Have you marketed the collection to the same level as the stand alone stories?
> 
> Sorry for all the questions, I just find this stuff interesting!


I have gone through various price tests on my collection. The highest I ever set it at was 1.99. When I price test, I do a price for at least a month. For some reason, the collection has yet to catch on.

In the back of my stories, I always suggest other stories that have a similar feel.

The collection I have marketed, but not to the same level as a few of my standalones. However, the collection contains one of the titles that I have heavily marketed. So, one would think that people would click on my name and go after the better deal...? Apparently not...?


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## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

Alain Gomez said:


> I have gone through various price tests on my collection. The highest I ever set it at was 1.99. When I price test, I do a price for at least a month. For some reason, the collection has yet to catch on.
> 
> In the back of my stories, I always suggest other stories that have a similar feel.
> 
> The collection I have marketed, but not to the same level as a few of my standalones. However, the collection contains one of the titles that I have heavily marketed. So, one would think that people would click on my name and go after the better deal...? Apparently not...?


Hi Alain,

I would strongly suggest trying it for a month at $2.99 combined with a promo push. The collections should be selling better than the standalones (are at least as well) and if people are willing to pay 99c a story, then those same people should be more than willing to save money and get the collection for $2.99. Plus you will get the higher royalty rate - $2 a copy sold.

Don't forget, there are some buyers out there who have an aversion to the cheaply priced stuff, and won't shop below $2.99. I think you could, with a good marketing push, actually increase your sales at that price - it happens.

Dave


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## Raymond Birdsell (Apr 19, 2010)

I saw somewhere on one of these forums (it might even have been this one) where someone was speculating that the rise of short stories again with the advent of e-readers had more to do with the time investment factor than a specific appreciation for the form.

In this society where sometimes all the time we have to ourselves is 15 minutes here or there on a commuter train or waiting room - the short story can be a quick and satisfying read.

I am of course biased since I have been writing short stories, but I do think it is a valid observation nonetheless.

Raymond


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## SuzanneTyrpak (Aug 10, 2010)

I enjoy writing short stories, because I can experiment with voice, setting, story--and I'm not committed to the marriage writing a novel requires. Short stories can be a great lunch read or commute read. My little collection is selling well. And I see a lot of shorts selling well, so I think they may be a resurgence.


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## Scott Daniel (Feb 1, 2011)

I had that same thought, Raymond, that short stories would catch because they are, well, short. As most folks report, though, novel length works sell tons better right now.

Perhaps novellas will be the medium that catches fire?


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## Alain Gomez (Nov 12, 2010)

dgaughran said:


> Hi Alain,
> 
> I would strongly suggest trying it for a month at $2.99 combined with a promo push. The collections should be selling better than the standalones (are at least as well) and if people are willing to pay 99c a story, then those same people should be more than willing to save money and get the collection for $2.99. Plus you will get the higher royalty rate - $2 a copy sold.
> 
> ...


At 2.99, it would be the same price as buying the three 99 cent stories contained in the collection. I put that collection together to be a kind of sampler. I'm currently working on finishing up my sci-fi short story series. That one has five stories in it so I could experiment with the 2.99 pricing

I've never tried that 2.99 theory with any of my work. Maybe I could give it a shot with my 25k novella and its sequel?


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## Decon (Feb 16, 2011)

I sold 300 of my collection last month, but mainly in the UK, which is surprising, because all but one of the stories is set in America.

I have just split the collection in to 12 separate files for upload to kindle. Yesterday I uploaded them all to smashwords and picked up a sale immediately and had 13 samples downloaded before I had even added the ISBN'S, so I believe the interest is there to make sales in quantity for individual stories. Smashwords clearly states word count and I clearly mark them as short stories at the beginning of the blurb. I also have a dedicated short story page on my blog which brings in hits from all over the world. If any of the characters and stories take off, then I will simply add more as a series and sell them separately until I have enough to to package them. 

I know that sales will dry up for the collection and it will lose its top ten ranking in the UK for its category when I split it in to two and increase the price, but at the end of the day this is a business, costs have to be met and profits made for the effort, unless you treat it as a hobby. I for one do not treat it as a hobby and if I can't make a go of it. I will try something else. 

The next stage for me is to translate them all in to German and Brazil Portuguese. Without making a profit there is no point.


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## Julia Kavan (Feb 6, 2011)

Love short stories. I went through a phase of reading nothing but horror short stories when I was ill and didn't have the attention span to read anything longer (or possibly because I'd just finished the mammoth Swan Song and was all read out!). 

I still tend to download shorts and novellas to my Kindle more often than full length novels.


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## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

Decon said:


> I sold 300 of my collection last month, but mainly in the UK, which is surprising, because all but one of the stories is set in America.
> 
> I have just split the collection in to 12 separate files for upload to kindle. Yesterday I uploaded them all to smashwords and picked up a sale immediately and had 13 samples downloaded before I had even added the ISBN'S, so I believe the interest is there to make sales in quantity for individual stories. Smashwords clearly states word count and I clearly mark them as short stories at the beginning of the blurb. I also have a dedicated short story page on my blog which brings in hits from all over the world. If any of the characters and stories take off, then I will simply add more as a series and sell them separately until I have enough to to package them.
> 
> ...


Declan - I think you have the right plan.

Just one thing - readers often don't get word counts. Translate that into book pages for them too (using 250 words a page). So my stories will say 5700 words or around 23 book pages.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Gentle reminder:  this thread is in the Book Corner. . .it's for a discussion of pros and cons of short stories on Kindle. . . .any discussion of pricing strategies or formatting help by/for authors should be taken to the Writer's Cafe.

Thanks. 

Ann
Book Corner Moderator


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## Tamara Rose Blodgett (Apr 1, 2011)

The idea is intriguing, especially when thinking about writing in a different genre than what an author is used to: say, horror!


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## Alain Gomez (Nov 12, 2010)

Tamara Rose Blodgett said:


> The idea is intriguing, especially when thinking about writing in a different genre than what an author is used to: say, horror!


I think that this is one of my favorite things about short stories as both a writer and reader. It give you a chance to dabble in things.


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## WestofMars (Sep 16, 2009)

... however, I really hate it when the short story you're working on announces it's really the first chapter of a novel.


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## Joel Arnold (May 3, 2010)

I've been reading more short stories and collections (and novellas) since I got my Kindle. I think it's a great vehicle for that length.


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## StephenLivingston (May 10, 2011)

I've been reading more short stories since I got my Kindle too.  It gives a new option to the reader.  When I went to Waterstone's to buy my books there were no shelves where I could pick up individual short stories.


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