I learned the other day that small publisher From the Asylum Books and Press is closing up shop. They were a publisher of speculative fiction anthologies, which is a tough market even for big publishers, and must be especially tough for little publishers trying to compete in the big bad book selling world.
I had a story accepted for their anthology Things Aren’t What They Seem, which was supposed to be out this fall, and I had a feeling that there might have been some problems, when the publication was delayed, and I didn’t hear anything. I received an email the other day letting me know the sad news.
I often wondered if e-books and the internet will put an end to new fiction anthologies and short fiction magazines and zines. I’m still not taken with the idea of reading an entire novel on a digital screen, but a short story seems like the perfect medium for electronic reading. I’ve read elsewhere that short stories are not something writers should expect to make money from any longer, but instead are things they should give away for free to help build an audience.
As the publishing world continues to learn from the mistakes the music world made with the advent of MP3s and looks for ways to still get folks to buy books, can short stories be used as some sort of hook to drive book sales? Perhaps only purchasers of the physical book will have access to the bonus short story at the end of the book.
What are your thoughts on the short story market and its future?
My Books
I think authors should continue to write short stories for the benefit of both themselves and their readers. They don’t need to be in anthologies; magazines continue to feature short stories. Short stories often become the focus of novels. If not, the author still continues to accrue them for their own “Collection of Stories.” An excellent example (albeit from a “famous” author)is THE WHORE’S CHILD by Richard Russo. Jon Hassler was another writer. See this from Minnesota Public Radio:
He said things changed in September 1970 when he was a professor at Brainerd Community College.
One day a voice in his head reminded him he was 37 years old, and if he wanted to do something with his life, it was time to start.
“I grabbed this notebook, and I went to school and I taught my 8 o’clock class,” he said. “At 9 o’clock I went into the library and I began to write a story called ‘A story worth hearing.’”
It was about a group of old men sitting on a bench outside the post office in a small town.
“They begin reminiscing about their love lives and their youth,” Hassler recalled. “And it turns out that one of them was in love with a woman who is now married to a man at the end of the bench.”
He finished it in two weeks and immediately began writing another. In 28 weeks he had 14 stories. In 1999 he admitted that while he had an overwhelming desire to write, he was also driven in part by a bet with a friend. If one of them didn’t complete a story in two weeks, he owed the other 50 cents.
“That was the last money I made out of writing in a long time,” he said wryly. “I taught myself to write. I never had a writing course, so it meant making a lot of mistakes and reading a lot of other people and taking stories apart and putting them back together.”
I’ve read everything written by Jon Hassler. And almost everything by Richard Russo. At any rate, I believe that a book (or magazine or newspaper) held in the hand or propped up on one’s knees is FAR better than reading on a computer. All will be lost if “paper” reading materials are lost.
Great story, Aunt B. I love the part about the 50 cents bet! I have a soft spot in my heart for short stories, and love to read anthologies and short story collections, but I know they aren’t as popular as novels. Bibliophile that I am, I think I’ll always prefer the printed page to a computer screen.
I love your idea of writers giving away their short stories to build readers. Unfortunately, I’m not much of a short story writer myself. Every idea I have tends to turn into a novel! I’ll have to work on that
.-= Heather´s last blog ..Twitter Tuesday ~Joanna Penn =-.
Heather, I think you’re probably better off writing novels, even if they do take a little bit longer. I had a brainstorm a couple of weeks ago, and realized that this short story that I couldn’t quite get right would work much better as a novel, especially if it was told from a completely different perspective.
I’ve had a tough time trying to come up with ideas for short stories, though I really like the idea of building some readership by writing them. I think it’d also be a good way to get at least some writing credits to have on that query letter. Alas, I’m just no good at it. So sorry to hear that your story won’t be published.
Angie: I’ve read a fair amount of science fiction stories over the years (something about the genre seems to lend itself very well to shorter works) and so a lot of the short stuff I’ve written has been science fiction, but it can be difficult, sometimes a challenge to tell a whole story in a relatively short amount of space. If you’re every looking for short story inspiration. I recommended Kelly Link one of the best short story writers out there.
I’m disappointed my story won’t be published, but perhaps I’ll have to find a new home for it, or do something creative with it. I’ve thought about trying a podcast one day. So, perhaps, that would be a good place to start.
I really don’t know much about short stories.
Okay, I don’t do know anything.
I just kind of jump into a novel! Lol
.-= Amna´s last blog ..The Beginning…(teaser) =-.
Amna: I think diving right in is the best way to go. I sometimes do things in a roundabout way, though.
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I think you’re right. I have noticed that a lot of short stories are of that genre. I’ll have to look into it.
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I think you’re right. I have noticed that a lot of short stories are of that genre. I’ll have to look into it.
Ack! I wrote this a few days ago and forgot to hit submit.
Ok, my computer is screwed up. Sorry bout the double posts
Angie: don’t worry, I know all about computer woes!