Short Story Detour for Boosting Credentials?

I have two short stories published. Makes me feel good and I don't have to listen to snobs (not here) who say, "you aren't published" as if that means you can't be a good writer until someone else publishes your work.

But, I looked into the query topic and the general consensus seemed to be, unless it's in a major publication, it probably won't carry much weight to a publisher. Just clutters up the query.

Now if you get some recognition for your work, like winning a big writer's contest, or your short story is accepted for something worth mentioning, then I imagine it might get an agent or publisher to read a couple extra pages of your MS if the first few pages don't grab them.

Bottom line, it's the book that matters.


It is nice though, to give copies of your stuff in an actual book of short stories to friends and family.

+1 to MaeZe

In the Long Ago times, short stories were a conventional gateway to novel publication... but that was when more people read short stories. These days, outside of a few prominent titles whose name recognition lingers, you just don't get the ubiquitous "everyone reads this" publications, even within a given genre.

Also, the skill set for writing a short is a little different than the one used for longer-form fiction. Close, but not the same; though several can and do cross over, there are authors who excel at one or the other, and visibly limp when outside their sweet spot.

So I'd suggest writing what you want to write. If you want to try your hand at shorts, give it a try. If you just want to boost your novel career, though, it may be a diversion you don't need. (Though if you don't know, maybe give shorts a shot; could turn out you're good at both.)

If you've written a few best-sellers, or are very well-known outside the literary world, an agent will offer to represent you without having read your work.

If you're not one of those people then all a good agent really cares about is the book you're submitting.

Don't worry about short stories. Write your novel. Make it great.

Agree with all of the above; my half dozen published short stories didn't seem to get me very far through very many doors as far as novels are concerned. Why spend 75% of your effort on something that's only going to make a 5% difference in getting your novel published? (Those are out of the air numbers, btw).

Write short stories because you love short stories, and write novels because you love novels.