I was in B&N yesterday and was surprised to find a published paperback of Annie Proulx's short story, Brokeback Mountain. I picked up the book, expecting a few other of her shorts to accompany the main title, but nope -- just Brokeback. Obviously this is an ingenious ploy since the story is now a major motion picture garnering lots of Oscar buzz, but still I was surprised to see the book in stores.
I can't remember seeing any other short stories published this way, even after they've been turned into films. Perhaps because those shorts were already part of an anthology? Brokeback can be found in anthology as well, but I didn't see any of those lying around.
So what exactly is cost-reward for publishers for printing a book so short? Brokeback is a bit on the longer side for a short, but since they're selling it close to full-length novel price -- $9.99 -- it's apparently balancing out for them.
I can't remember seeing any other short stories published this way, even after they've been turned into films. Perhaps because those shorts were already part of an anthology? Brokeback can be found in anthology as well, but I didn't see any of those lying around.
So what exactly is cost-reward for publishers for printing a book so short? Brokeback is a bit on the longer side for a short, but since they're selling it close to full-length novel price -- $9.99 -- it's apparently balancing out for them.