Resurgence of Short Stories
I have been following several discussions on LinkedIn about the market for short-form fiction for a couple of weeks. It is amazing to me how short-sighted and ignorant of history some people are. Several people seemed to believe that short stories have never been a viable outlet for writers or that writers who are "serious" about their craft would never debase themselves so much by writing short fiction. (I've paraphrased and may have added some embellishment). One commenter in a discussion went so far as to say you could not be a good short story writer if you wrote long-form and that short story writers could never write a decent novel. (Um, ever hear of Stephen King, John Updike, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, Isaac Asimov, William Faulkner, etc...)
As a result of all this conversation, I decided to give you my take on what's happening in the short story market and why. I'm no business insider, but I believe a little history goes a long way to understanding the present and the future.
Many years ago, when magazines were THE form of entertainment, short stories were very popular. A complete story that could be read in one sitting or that could be contained in the limited space of a periodical was a great way for a writer to become noticed. Even novel writers had to write in such a way as to be serialized in periodical publications. William Faulkner's "The Unvanquished" is actually a novelization of a series of related short stories originally published in "The Saturday Evening Post" and "Scribner's Magazine."
When broadcast media - first radio and then television - became more widespread, people turned to them for their entertainment. At the same time, advances were being made in printing and distribution, making full-length novels cheaper and easier to acquire. The short story went into decline in popular culture.
With the rise of the internet and the availability of inexpensive independent publishing methods, short stories are beginning to see a real comeback. New writers are able to publish their work and make it available electronically to a massive audience at a very low cost. Devices like the Kindle have taken the place of the printed magazine, and people are turning, once again, to short-form fiction.
New writers often find writing short stories to be a great way to build an audience and create a name for themselves in preparation for publishing longer format works. Established writers are finding new ways to generate income from works that have already been published. "Spin-offs" are becoming more and more common in the world of independent publishing. For example, authors have released short stories giving the back story of one or more of their main characters. Material that would not have been appropriate in the original work can now be made available in short format.
Also in resurgence, thanks to technology, is the concept of serialization. Many of the classic novels from the Victorian era, such as the works of Charles Dickens and Alexandre Dumas, were originally published as installments in periodicals. Now, writers are going back to that concept, publishing installments of their work on the internet.
Technology killed the short story, and now, technology is breathing new life into short-form publication.
As a result of all this conversation, I decided to give you my take on what's happening in the short story market and why. I'm no business insider, but I believe a little history goes a long way to understanding the present and the future.
Many years ago, when magazines were THE form of entertainment, short stories were very popular. A complete story that could be read in one sitting or that could be contained in the limited space of a periodical was a great way for a writer to become noticed. Even novel writers had to write in such a way as to be serialized in periodical publications. William Faulkner's "The Unvanquished" is actually a novelization of a series of related short stories originally published in "The Saturday Evening Post" and "Scribner's Magazine."
When broadcast media - first radio and then television - became more widespread, people turned to them for their entertainment. At the same time, advances were being made in printing and distribution, making full-length novels cheaper and easier to acquire. The short story went into decline in popular culture.
With the rise of the internet and the availability of inexpensive independent publishing methods, short stories are beginning to see a real comeback. New writers are able to publish their work and make it available electronically to a massive audience at a very low cost. Devices like the Kindle have taken the place of the printed magazine, and people are turning, once again, to short-form fiction.
New writers often find writing short stories to be a great way to build an audience and create a name for themselves in preparation for publishing longer format works. Established writers are finding new ways to generate income from works that have already been published. "Spin-offs" are becoming more and more common in the world of independent publishing. For example, authors have released short stories giving the back story of one or more of their main characters. Material that would not have been appropriate in the original work can now be made available in short format.
Also in resurgence, thanks to technology, is the concept of serialization. Many of the classic novels from the Victorian era, such as the works of Charles Dickens and Alexandre Dumas, were originally published as installments in periodicals. Now, writers are going back to that concept, publishing installments of their work on the internet.
Technology killed the short story, and now, technology is breathing new life into short-form publication.
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