Why don’t more aspiring novelists write short stories? Short stories are NOT minor league. Don’t forget that some of our greatest writers, such as Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, Neil Gaiman, and Ray Bradbury who all have written extensively short fiction. Mastering “small” stories prepare you to master “bigger” ones.
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Shorter Attention Spans
Readers have shorter attention spans these days and consume the written word in radically different ways: With smartphones, tablets, and netbooks. Readers are more gravitating towards shorter pieces. With all the distractions from other, flashier forms of entertainment it can be a struggle to set aside an hour or two and a find a quiet spot to read a book. Short stories can be read in 20 minutes – while enjoying lunch break, riding the bus or standing in a queue.
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Workload
Many beginning novelists do not anticipate the workload (timelines, characters, backstory, subplots, etc.) that must be managed when writing a book. Seventy thousand words is a whole LOT of words. And it all has to be revised and reworked over and over again. Are you prepared for that kind of workload? …an aspiring writer needs to understand the magnitude of what they’re attempting. Still, it’s surprising how many new writers choose to make Mount Everest their first climb.
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Better to Market
The short story market is far more “accessible” than the novel market — more and more professional markets refuse to accept unsolicited submissions from novelists without an agent.
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The short story market is broader than the novel market — mainstream publishers want stories that fit within a certain mold, preferably ones with a built-in audience. Short stories markets are not only limited to books or ebooks but are offered by magazines and newspapers.
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They are $1.99 e-book “singles” from familiar names like John Grisham, Lee Child, Janet Evanovich, Dean Koontz and David Baldacci, standalone prequels or short stories released digitally in advance of a writer’s forthcoming novel.
“Those of us who believe in the power of written storytelling face a growing assault by more passive forms of entertainment” like Angry Birds, Minecraft and YouTube, says best-selling thriller writer Jeffery Deaver. Authors need to be “creative about producing, distributing and promoting our efforts,” he says.
Grisham’s “Witness to a Trial” landed at No. 7 on USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Books list. It’s billed as a “short story prequel to “The Whistler,” Grisham’s new legal thriller. Witness tells the story of a Native American, an opponent of a Florida casino, wrongly convicted of murdering his wife. The character reappears in “The Whistler”, the tale of a corrupt judge.
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Jodi Picoult dished out an e-single called Shine, in advance of her newly released novel, Small Great Things. In the novel, a black maternity nurse named Ruth Jefferson is prohibited by white supremacists from touching their baby. Shine, which hit No. 49 on USA TODAY’s list, takes us back to Ruth’s school days.
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“We are trying to reach out to fans and also to new readers, to give somebody who has not read Grisham an opportunity to do so,” says Suzanne Herz, executive vice president at Doubleday, Grisham’s publisher. At this price point, it’s very appealing.”
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Still, the teaser singles phenomenon is growing. When John Grisham or Stephan Kings writing them says it goes to show how effective short stories are.
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Easier, Faster Reading
In the age of smartphones, people are consuming in “bite-size” quantities, which makes these short stories or prequels — which may take an hour or less to read — attractive to time-starved consumers.
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Benefits for Writing Contests, Grants and Writer’s Residencies
During research and preparation of 111 Tips To Make Money With Writing: The Art of Making a Living Full-time Writing
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I found out that two-thirds of all offers for writing contests, grants and the selection process for writer’s residencies required less than 5,000 words. One of the best reasons to write more short stories!
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