Size Matters: The Benefits of Writing Short Fiction

Sometimes smaller is just better.
Sometimes smaller is just better.

Six months ago, I wrote a post about what I would do if I was starting over as an indie publisher. One of the things I said I would do was to consider writing shorter. I’d like to expand on that.

First, I love to read short stories. I grew up reading O. Henry, Mark Twain, James Thurber. As an adult, each new Stephen King short story collection has been must reading. With the popularity of eReaders today, the lines are now blurred of what a novel, a novella, and a short story are in the minds of our readers. They all weigh the same on a Kindle. I markedly promote my shorter works as short stories to avoid a rash of “It was too short” reviews, but I notice that a number of reviewers just refer to them as “books.” Continue reading “Size Matters: The Benefits of Writing Short Fiction”

What Readers Want – On Short Story Collections

what readers want logoAs an author, do you ever struggle with a decision about your book and wonder, “What would a reader say?” You probably aren’t the first author to wonder about that same thing. Indies Unlimited has two reviewers on our staff, the fabulous Cathy Speight and venerable Mr. BigAl, who are here representing readers. In this series, we’ll pose your questions to them for their take and encourage other readers to weigh in with their thoughts.

First the question from the author: Continue reading “What Readers Want – On Short Story Collections”

Ten Reasons to Write Short Stories

short stories once-upon-a-time-719174_640Short stories are everywhere, but how do you know if you should be taking time away from your novel to hammer out a couple of short fiction pieces? For the most part, short stories are not very lucrative. If you’ve published a couple of novels, it might even be harder to look at short stories as the best use of your time.

If you’re on the fence, here are a few reasons you might want to consider adding short stories to your repertoire. Continue reading “Ten Reasons to Write Short Stories”

What Readers Want – The Long Frikken Book

what readers want logoAs an author, do you ever struggle with a decision about your book and wonder, “What would a reader say?” You probably aren’t the first author to wonder about that same thing. Indies Unlimited has two reviewers on our staff, the fabulous Cathy Speight and venerable Mr. BigAl, who are here representing readers. In this series, we’ll pose your questions to them for their take and encourage other readers to weigh in with their thoughts.

In this post I’ll answer a question that has been posed by an author looking for a reader’s opinion, starting with The Case of the Long Frikken Book.

First the question from the author: Continue reading “What Readers Want – The Long Frikken Book”