# Who reads short stories?



## qwertyman (Oct 19, 2012)

I asked around people I know , when was the last time they bought a book of short stories?  The most recent was me and that was three years ago and the time before that - ages ago - I can't even remember when?

Is the only market for short stories amongst those who write them?

Those of you who send off your short stories to magazines, do you subscribe to these magazines?


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## dale (Oct 19, 2012)

i've bought quite a few books of short stories. most of them have been by authors already dead, though.


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## garza (Oct 19, 2012)

Many people read short stories. Only a few buy them. That's the impression I get.


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## Kevin (Oct 19, 2012)

I do read 'em when I find them, which I almost never do. I had a subscription to _Omni_ when I was a kid. _Playboy_ had some excellent writers (ya,ya, don't laugh...) That's been years, too. 

Last ones I read were from a link posted they other day by lasm. Shame, too. They were good stories and I never would have found them on my own.


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## Foxee (Oct 19, 2012)

I like to read short stories, I seldom go looking for them.


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## Bilston Blue (Oct 19, 2012)

I love them. Ranging from 200-word flash through to longer stuff up to around 20k. I subscribe to a quarterly anthology, as well as buying collections now and again. I bought Colm Toibin's _The Empty Family_ collection last year, and Stephen King's _Full Dark No Stars_, which were both really good. Also recently read lots of Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald shorts.

I also enjoy reading stuff I find in links. I've read some good stuff through links I've found via WF, including discovering David Foster Wallace thanks to Chris Miller of these very hallowed halls. I bought the anthology of Bridport Prize winners, too.

I suppose I read them partly because of wanting to know more about the market I submit to, but also they're really handy for finishing in one or two sittings. I find it hard to get through a novel lately through lack of reading time.


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## FleshEater (Oct 19, 2012)

I really only read short stories. In the past few months I've read (and purchased) Complete Poems and Tales of Edgar Allan Poe, Complete Tales of H.P. Lovecraft, Clive Barker's Books of Blood, Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural, a collection of Arthur Machen's work, Stephen King's Skeleton Crew and maybe one or two more I can't think of. Not too mention all the stories on here and Spine Tinglers. 

I love short stories...I don't have the patience for novels.


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## Jon M (Oct 19, 2012)

Last ss. books I bought were _Shiloh and Other Stories_ by Bobbie Ann Mason and _The Night in Question_, Tobias Wolff. Wolff's stories bored me--something about his writing style I find very bland--but I did like Mason's book. 

I like reading shorts because I very rarely feel disappointed by them. The writing is sharp, has to pull you in quickly. I like that. Novels, however, well I've abandoned more of them than I've completed.


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## Cornelius Crowe (Oct 20, 2012)

I enjoy short stories, but it appears to be a rapidly shrinking market.  Print short story magazines are in decline and e-zines are becoming the primary forum for publication.  One of the most recent short story anthologies I purchased was _Descended From Darkness, _an annual collection of horror science fiction stories published in Apex online.

Ironically, where short stories were once the preferred method of breaking into professional writing, it is now one of the most difficult markets to sell to.  Many 'zines receive hundreds of submissions each month, but only buy a score of stories each year.

I'd love to see the return of pulp fiction magazines, like _Weird Tales_ and the like, but I fear that they are products of a by-gone age.


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## Kyle R (Oct 21, 2012)

Lately short fiction is all I've been reading. I consider it a different skill-set than the more popular novel, and since I'm looking to write short stories, I have to study them in order to grasp how they are structured.

I have a bunch of modern short story writers that I like: Jennifer Egan, Karen Russell, Wells Tower, Lori Ostlund, Ron Rash, Maggie Shipstead... most of whom I've discovered through the yearly anthology _Best American Short Stories_. 

I also started buying the _Pen O. Henry Prize Stories_ yearly anthology, which has international short story writers as well.

There's still a market for short fiction, though it is tough to get into. However, it's tough to get a novel published as well, so everything is relative.

The golden ticket for Short Fiction is _The New Yorker_... if you can get a short of yours accepted by them, your career is pretty much set. Though there are others too that offer such hope, that aren't as difficult to get into, though still quite exclusive, and regularly perused by Literary Agents in search of new talent, such as _Glimmer Train, Zoetrope, Tin House_, et cetera...


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## dale (Oct 21, 2012)

KyleColorado said:


> Lately short fiction is all I've been reading. I consider it a different skill-set than the more popular novel, and since I'm looking to write short stories, I have to study them in order to grasp how they are structured.
> 
> I have a bunch of modern short story writers that I like: Jennifer Egan, Karen Russell, Wells Tower, Lori Ostlund, Ron Rash, Maggie Shipstead... most of whom I've discovered through the yearly anthology _Best American Short Stories_.
> 
> ...



ok. you just convinced me to go through the steps of submitting to glimmer train. i have a story that would
fit there, but their registration process is somewhat of a pain compared to others, and i'm basically lazy
by nature so didn't bother. i guess i really should take the time to do it, if the place has that kind of reputation.


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## Bloggsworth (Oct 21, 2012)

Me.


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## Kyle R (Oct 21, 2012)

dale said:


> ok. you just convinced me to go through the steps of submitting to glimmer train. i have a story that would
> fit there, but their registration process is somewhat of a pain compared to others, and i'm basically lazy
> by nature so didn't bother. i guess i really should take the time to do it, if the place has that kind of reputation.



I've heard some people complain about the submission process to GT--they use a status-tracker that lets you know if your piece is in the process of being read, or if it is "complete" (declined, I believe). But I think that's a little better than the wait-and-guess of some other publications. At least with GT you can log in and stare at a status update while chewing your nails. 

12 Literary Journals Your Future Agent is Reading | WritersDigest.com

On Track With Glimmer Train | The Review Review

Top 50 Literary Magazines (Not sure why GT is not listed in this one, but they definately are in the top 10.)


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## dale (Oct 21, 2012)

KyleColorado said:


> I've heard some people complain about the submission process to GT--they use a status-tracker that lets you know if your piece is in the process of being read, or if it is "complete" (declined, I believe). But I think that's a little better than the wait-and-guess of some other publications. At least with GT you can log in and stare at a status update while chewing your nails.
> 
> 12 Literary Journals Your Future Agent is Reading | WritersDigest.com
> 
> ...


i just went through it. took me all of 45 seconds to submit. it seemed to kind of screw up the formatting of the attachment a little
bit, but oh well. it still works i guess. not much of a pain at all, really.


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## Kyle R (Oct 21, 2012)

Best of luck! :encouragement:


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## Cairney (Oct 21, 2012)

I do read some short stories. I love it when they are based in the same series of books you have already come to love..


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## qwertyman (Oct 23, 2012)

So, would it be fair to say that, like the model aircraft magazines which are only read by people who make model aircraft, the only people who read short stories are those that write them?


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## Kevin (Oct 23, 2012)

qwertyman said:


> So, would it be fair to say that, like the model aircraft magazines which are only read by people who make model aircraft, the only people who read short stories are those that write them?


 You might come to that conclusion, but then you're leaving out all those people on the planet that don't frequent this site.


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## Morkonan (Oct 23, 2012)

qwertyman said:


> So, would it be fair to say that, like the model aircraft magazines which are only read by people who make model aircraft, the only people who read short stories are those that write them?



I used to subscribe to remote controlled model magazines... But, didn't have any remote controlled models of anything. Yeah, weird, huh? 

I love a good short story. But, I don't buy many short-story anthologies. That's not because I don't like them. It's just that I love a good novel even more and am constantly hunting through the stacks in hopes of finding one. I never leave any bookstore empty-handed - I always buy a book. I suppose I should buy more short-story anthologies, just to support the genre.


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## Fats Velvet (Oct 29, 2012)

qwertyman said:


> So, would it be fair to say that, like the model aircraft magazines which are only read by people who make model aircraft, the only people who read short stories are those that write them?



No.


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## qwertyman (Oct 29, 2012)

I was talking to a plumber I know who told me about a poetry competition held in Bandon, near Cork. 

“There were twenty-six entrants backstage and only eleven people in the audience,” he said.

“That’s embarrassing,” I said.

“You’re telling me,“ he said, “I came twenty second!”

~
Do I see a pattern developing?


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## The Backward OX (Oct 30, 2012)

Look, let's face it - _by and large_, the masses just don't like what passes for "poetry" these days. 

On the other hand, if there was a bit more red-blooded poetry in the style of The Shooting of Dan McGrew, poetry might gain a strong foothold in the literary world.


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## Kevin (Oct 30, 2012)

Did they ever? I'm nearly fifty and I don't know anybody that likes poetry; only odd-balls....


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## Susanmuse (Nov 6, 2012)

Flannery O'Connor took the art of the short story to a new level.  She is my favorite.  Highly recommend her collection entitled "A Good Man Is Hard To Find" and Flannery O'Conor The Complete Stories.  A good short story always creates a certain yearning...a wanting to know more....and perhaps challenges the reader to be the creator!  O'Connor's character, The Misfit, from "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" is a stalker.  You either become this fellow's best friend or run as quickly as possible for the closest exit.  Now.


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## Joella (Nov 11, 2012)

Kevin said:


> Did they ever? I'm nearly fifty and I don't know anybody that likes poetry; only odd-balls....





Hello, that would be me! Ms. Odd-ball. I read poetry, and I buy poetry,  at least those books written by my favorite poets. For others I borrow  from the library.

 I also buy collections of short stories. I've  gone out of my way at times to find such collection written by someone  whose novel I enjoyed. I can't imagine myself writing an entire novel,  but a short story? Maybe. So, I read short stories to see how it's done.  I have collections by Raymond Carver, Flannery O'Connor, Anton Chekhov,  Barbara Vine (Ruth Rendell), Stephen King, in addition to anthologies  such as The Best American Short Stories 2010, and The Norton Anthology  of Short Fiction (which I bought years ago for a college English  class). 

Over the years I've borrowed books and magazines from  the library for their short stories as well, including both literary and  mystery genres. One of the first writers of primarily short fiction I  ever heard about was the Canadian writer Alice Munro. She writes the  kind of stories that stay in my head, and I find myself thinking about  years later after reading.

I suppose a lot of aspiring writers  start out writing novels or the equivalent in non-fiction, but I would  be thrilled to be published as a short story writer. It is disheartening  to hear that people don't read short stories or (gasp) think that only  odd balls read poetry or would even possibly buy it.

Oh, and yes, I have subscribed to magazines like The New Yorker or Prairie Schooner in the past although I have no such subscriptions currently. Most recently I let my New Yorker go once the inexpensive subscription period had ended. I do peruse the free online magazines though.


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## blue_evertonian (Nov 21, 2012)

I usually buy short story collections by author's I have already read. For example, I read Neil Gaiman's 'Neverwhere', which prompted me to buy 'Smoke and Mirrors', a collection of short stories. I think short stories are great fun to read, they offer different perspectives on an author. Or in the case of Joseph Conrad, it's fun to read the short stories he wrote prior to the publishing of a novel, as you can see him experimenting and playing with different techniques/ideas/etc. that eventually come together in the novel. (Hope that last part made sense?) I also  recently bought a copy of a local Melbourne magazine that publishes short stories, it's a good read for the train home.


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## moderan (Dec 14, 2012)

I prefer short stories to novels, for the most part. They are more concise and often seem more inspired. I prefer writing them as it can be done in a sitting once you have the premise and have done the research.
The reading public barely knows they exist.
I subscribe to The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and Isaac Asimov's SF Mag. I've subscribed to the latter since the day it was first published and shall continue until it doesn't (or I don't) exist any more. I read a lot more genre fiction online, where the good short stuff is (as said, genre-I like real science fiction and real horror. Don't gimme rubber science or zombies or sparkly ANYTHING. I also like noir.)
There used to be people that made a living writing short stories. Nowadays folks with that bent write for tv and never develop.


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## the antithesis (Dec 14, 2012)

It seems kind of odd that short stories aren't more popular. The bite-sized narrative seems to be a decent fit for today's twitter-fueled world. But it seems more likely that if anyone wants to read, they'll read a full novel before they deal with smaller stories. It could be because there just isn't an outlet for this sort of thing that most people know about. There are magazine, but buys them? You can buy a collection, but that's too much like a novel. There are websites, I'll bet, but that itch is already scratched by bloggers reporting on celebrities like they matter. Why read fiction when you can read some meathead rant about the failed child star's latest arrest?

It's too bad and puzzling that there isn't a more substantial market for short fiction.


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## Kyle R (Dec 14, 2012)

the antithesis said:


> It seems kind of odd that short stories aren't more popular. The bite-sized narrative seems to be a decent fit for today's twitter-fueled world. But it seems more likely that if anyone wants to read, they'll read a full novel before they deal with smaller stories. It could be because there just isn't an outlet for this sort of thing that most people know about. There are magazine, but buys them? You can buy a collection, but that's too much like a novel. There are websites, I'll bet, but that itch is already scratched by bloggers reporting on celebrities like they matter. Why read fiction when you can read some meathead rant about the failed child star's latest arrest?
> 
> It's too bad and puzzling that there isn't a more substantial market for short fiction.



I agree!

Short fiction SHOULD be more popular, logically, but unfortunately it isn't.

Our current culture is very novel-based. We also drive a lot of cars. We tend to embrace habits and resist change, both as a society and as individuals.

The short story is like the motorcycle. It's smaller, quicker, a similar vehicle but much less popular than the standard automobile. There are of course motorcycle afficionados who love them more than cars, just as there are short fiction afficionados who love shorts more than novels. But they are in the minority.

That's okay though. It means less competition for me in the top literary magazines, which pay upwards of $1,000 per short story if accepted.


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## moderan (Dec 14, 2012)

KyleColorado said:


> That's okay though. It means less competition for me in the top literary magazines, which pay upwards of $1,000 per short story if accepted.


Less competition also means less quality. Smaller pool, less incentive to improve. Less critical attention. Submitting to the slicks is all well and good...but that attitude is tacit acceptance of the state of affairs literacy-wise.
That's part of the reason why short stories aren't more popular. They don't garner six figure advances so agents don't get six-figure percentages and therefore won't handle them unless you're a NAME. They aren't marketed because they don't make as much money.
Profit motive is a piss-poor reason to write.


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## Kyle R (Dec 14, 2012)

True, everything is a business and the novel is the king of the marketplace.

And yes, I suppose my attitude may be part of the problem--but I'm also helping to be part of the solution, too, as the last 12 books I purchased were all short story collections  (Lauren Groff, Ron Rash, Lori Ostlund, Wells Tower, Megan Bergman, Kelly Link, et cetera... There are a lot of MFA graduates who are hitting the short-story scene pretty hard, for those who follow them.) Short fiction is a small niche but it's thriving in its own relative space with new talent every year.


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## moderan (Dec 14, 2012)

MFA means nothing to me. Good writing doesn't require a degree. Those are some good writers...but if you want to see the principle I speak of in action, go read some of the offerings in the "lyrics" section of this site.
I dunno about you, but most of my boyhood heroes, the people who inspired me to make my first scrawled efforts, were short story writers. Ellison, Bradbury, Charles Beaumont chief among them. Yeah, Beaumont wrote for Playboy, back when that meant something. His stuff was so good that I didn't look at the pictures til later. Lovecraft. Poe. Mark Twain wrote a couple of novels, but to me they pale beside the jumping frog and Bierce's Pale Brown Thing. I hate having to turn my short stories into novels-vastly prefer themed collections like, oh, the Martian Chronicles or Cinnabar.
But then I'm a niche snob.


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## qwertyman (Feb 25, 2018)

I'm resurrecting this thread out of curiosity.  Have opinions changed?


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## escorial (Feb 25, 2018)

Not sure how many words or pages a story is but I find books between 100 and 200 are my thing...an example would be The Ice Palace of  144 pages.


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## midnightpoet (Feb 26, 2018)

qwertyman said:


> I'm resurrecting this thread out of curiosity.  Have opinions changed?



Well, "flash fiction" seems to be all the rage now, and I've found several sites on the web for short fiction.  However, a few on-line magazines I've been published in are defunct.  It's a difficult field but seems to be hanging on.

Some "hardboiled" or "noir" sites like "Plots with Guns" are still around but not taking submissions (last time I checked).


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## moderan (Feb 26, 2018)

qwertyman said:


> I'm resurrecting this thread out of curiosity.  Have opinions changed?


No. I'm still a niche snob.

Short stories are big business in some markets but novels still rule the roost.


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## ppsage (Feb 27, 2018)

I read short stories, but listen to novels. Short stories take too much concentration to listen to, but not for  that long. Novels take such a long time, but you can be careless with them.


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## _Koriko_ (Mar 12, 2018)

I can never read short stories, cus I always feel like, there must more! However, I did read a good collection of short stories not too long ago, maybe 4 months ago.


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