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21 sats \ 2 replies \ @Scoresby 2h \ on: Unphiltered - Chapter 5 — An Imaginary Machine Gun the_stacker_muse
I find that my short story reading comes in fits and starts. Usually inspired by the discovery of some author I hugely enjoy and who I then chase down their published works like a truffle-hunting pig.
But often I forget to look for them.
I wonder why short stories aren't commercially viable. Maybe pre-internet, I can see the argument that novels made more money because who's gonna pay $10 for a single short story? While lots of people might pay $10 for a single long story.
But now we have a delivery mechanism that costs very little, and there's no reason short stories should be any less popular than novels (other than momentum, perhaps).
Do you think there will be a resurgence of short stories? What is your ideal way to commercialize a short story?
(Also, the uzi line is gripping.)
The reasons why the short story went from top dog to malnourished mutt are numerous.
Sorry to bombard you with more links, but I outlined the short story's fall from grace here:
The Rise and Fall of the Short Story https://medium.com/irrelevant-matters/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-short-story-e6d8ef6da484
TL;DR - they are challenging, and publishers found easier paths to selling novels.
Publishing is changing though. It's all more fluid and interconnected now. Any media can gain traction.
I don't think short stories will rise (commericoally and in the popular realm) until freemium platforms and the fiat systems of short attention and scrolling is teplaced by the internet of value. That will take decades.
Still, it's nice to know some people still read shorts. I'd recommend getting some anthologies (e.g. Best American Short Stories).
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I had a nice collection of John Cheever that I used to enjoy. Also, a Joseph Mitchell collection called Up in the Old Hotel.
More recently, I read There Is No Antimemetics Division (#872312), which is one of those longer stories composed of a series of short stories that can be read independently.
Maybe my favorite instance this style is Tortilla Flat.
Perhaps we will see more of this sort of short story. I'm going to read your medium article. Thanks for the link.
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