Is short story writing a dying art form? I have read editor blogs and interviews that talk about subscriptions and readership being down. I am even surprised to see comments on here about people not even reading the journals and magazines they submit to. So what do you think is going to happen to short stories?
A dying art form?
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I've only written/submitted one so far, so most assuredly not an authority on the subject... but I guess if publishers keep asking for them someone has to be reading them. Hopefully anyway!
I think the field is definitely in transition. Short stories have been hit harder than novels by the digital publishing imbroglio due to the fact that their biggest market has always been periodicals. Periodicals, especially smaller ones with tighter profit margins, are being hit hard by the paroxysms of an industry trying to find a new model.
That said, there are still plenty of places to submit, and as an art form I don't see the short story going away any time soon. Perhaps someday there will be the option to buy short stories singly for 99 cents or an entire collection for $9.99 on iBooks.
That said, there are still plenty of places to submit, and as an art form I don't see the short story going away any time soon. Perhaps someday there will be the option to buy short stories singly for 99 cents or an entire collection for $9.99 on iBooks.
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Well, I don't think its a dying art form. Like someone said, publishers are still asking for them either by themselves or in anthologies; a lot of publishers still have word count limits that fall into the short story range. Now, I don't know if short stories are bought as often as novel length stories. I think it depends. You would have to compare individual short stories vs. anthologies vs. collections vs. a series by multiple authors (see Decadent Publishing's 1 Night Stand series; it has a range of books/authors and has a limit of 7 - 12K). So, it really just depends.
I saw a video online where Stephen King worried that the short story was dying because, it appeared, that a lot of people didn't want to invest time to read shorts and then have to move on to another story. When I watched that it made me deeply sad because I adore the short story and I hope it makes a comeback versus fading away, but if I ever make it big, I'm going to make a huge deal out of it. They are not going to die on my watch! 
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I saw a video online where Stephen King worried that the short story was dying because, it appeared, that a lot of people didn't want to invest time to read shorts and then have to move on to another story. When I watched that it made me deeply sad because I adore the short story and I hope it makes a comeback versus fading away, but if I ever make it big, I'm going to make a huge deal out of it. They are not going to die on my watch!
Is this what you're talking about?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIehHxcEuGM
The Steven King video is old but interesting what he has to say.
In the circles that I'm in short stories are the buzz. I guess it depend on who you speak with. Some people say they are selling and others say the opposite. But, I'm not an expert.
With eReaders being the rage now, people seem to be buying short stories cause they are cheap and you can kills some time readin.
In the circles that I'm in short stories are the buzz. I guess it depend on who you speak with. Some people say they are selling and others say the opposite. But, I'm not an expert.
With eReaders being the rage now, people seem to be buying short stories cause they are cheap and you can kills some time readin.
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Of course it's a dying art for,. After all, the novel was declared dead back in 1980, so it's about time the short story followed suit.
King is one hell of a good writer, but he also comes up with some truly silly statements. This is one of them.
Magazines are in serious trouble, not short stories. Short stories are being read just about everywhere except magazines.
King is one hell of a good writer, but he also comes up with some truly silly statements. This is one of them.
Magazines are in serious trouble, not short stories. Short stories are being read just about everywhere except magazines.
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Dying? Hardly. PRINT magazines are dying but the Internet has seen an explosion of sites that feature short fiction.
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Short stories are teetering on the ropes like a pugilist with a broken nose and a confused head.
Novels are still standing, but are taking uppercuts to the jaw at a dizzying pace. Quality novel writing will be on the canvas before the tenth round.
The key word there is "quality". There'll always be a place for drivel.
Novels are still standing, but are taking uppercuts to the jaw at a dizzying pace. Quality novel writing will be on the canvas before the tenth round.
The key word there is "quality". There'll always be a place for drivel.
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Nothing can kill fiction. Not the novel and certainly not short stories. They'll live long after us and our descendants are food for worms. The publication method (i.e. subscription magazines) are teetering on the brink, granted, but the form isn't.
Most genres only have a few (if any) magazines that you could submit to, if they take submissions at all anymore. Science fiction is a stronghold for short story magazines, but even they are faltering. The form itself is fine, the distribution model is going away.
Look at Daily Science fiction. It's a free emailed science fiction / fantasy short story model that pays better than professional rates for short fiction. How can they possibly afford to do this? They anthologize the best of the best and sell that as an ebook and POD at the end of the year. But all year long they buy shorts for better than 4c a word and send out free stories 5 days a week.
Is the form dead? Hell no. Is the old print publishing model dying? Hell yes.
Most genres only have a few (if any) magazines that you could submit to, if they take submissions at all anymore. Science fiction is a stronghold for short story magazines, but even they are faltering. The form itself is fine, the distribution model is going away.
Look at Daily Science fiction. It's a free emailed science fiction / fantasy short story model that pays better than professional rates for short fiction. How can they possibly afford to do this? They anthologize the best of the best and sell that as an ebook and POD at the end of the year. But all year long they buy shorts for better than 4c a word and send out free stories 5 days a week.
Is the form dead? Hell no. Is the old print publishing model dying? Hell yes.
Generally speaking, I discount any conversation that uses the word "quality". I don't believe for a second that quality is fading away, in short stories or novels. I believe more quality short stories and novels are out there today than at any time in history.
I think short and flash fiction are almost perfect for the newer reading devices (ipads, kindles etc). All it needs is for someone to harness the idea of fiction that can be read in a single train journey, similar to the japanese 'text fiction' stuff. Shorts could be in for a massive boom if the right iphone app came along
Tell me whats out there today that's better than late 19th century Russian lit ?
"Quality"? Are you referring about high quality or low quality or just the quality of having been written?
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I thought I posted this, but maybe I didn't?
Read Ishiguro's Remains of the Day.Modern Classic. Perfect writing and a beautiful story. As good as anything ever.
Kriven
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Tell me what's out there today that's better than whatever written-before-I-was-born niche I like most.
Yes this is a fine book, but can you honestly say that it is comparable to, for instance, "The Brothers Karamazov"? No. What is though?
And in response to the OP. No, I don't think shorts are dying. Just look on Duotrope at all the short story markets. Spates of them! I think the genre is alive and kicking.
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Going by the deluge I've seen in slush, no, the writing of short stories isn't dying. Far from it.
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