I write novellas. Some would call them short stories. Some say novelette. Whatever you want to call these stories between 7,500 and 20,000 words, that’s what I write.
I was flipping through the May 2014 Romance Writers Report…somehow it ended up in the TBR pile with a bunch of lesser read magazines…and I found an article “Don’t Shortchange the Short-Story Market” which I thought offered some interesting insight into the short story market.
“…toward the close of the 20th century, printing costs rose and advertisers diminished. Distractions such as television and computers arose, and short stories all but disappeared…But, then, like a shining knight on a white horse, in galloped independent e-publishers” (thank you Wild Rose Press!) ”Riding atop that horse, armor gleaming and lance at the ready, were romance writers. We created the market for e-books, and now, it appears, we’re reconstructing the market for short stories.”
So, true. Unless you could get into an anthology, the market for short stories was all but nil until the e-reader came along.
The article went on to say “it’s harder to write them [short stories] because you have to do more in fewer words and then you get paid less”.
Well, I’d disagree on the first part. I can’t imagine sitting down and writing an entire 100,000 word novel. (I read a lot of novellas for the same reason…time.) As for the money part, well, yeah, obviously if a book costs less, you make less.
What I appreciated the most about the article was the conclusion. “Short stories are enjoying a renaissance, and romance authors are driving their new found popularity…short stories are a time-honored writing tradition that’s languished and struggled but never died. And that says something about how much people love to read them, how much authors love to write them, and , just maybe, what their future may bring.”
A renaissance thanks to e-readers and iphones. While I love the convenience of my Kindle, I don’t always have it with me. But, and I loooove this app, I have my Kindle synced to my iphone and if I suddenly find myself with the need to fill time, voila, I have my book right in my hand/purse/pocket.
So take a chance. Download a novella or short story to your e-reader, computer or phone. Wild Rose Press has a lot of shorter length stories to buy. Want to try one for free? My short story EMERALD EYES is a free download available from Wild Rose Press.
Charlotte Copper... 