Short Stories and Their Relevance in Today's Market

So I've been asking a few writing and publishing groups on LinkedIn about their opinion of the short story.  I wanted to research this subject before committing to a published anthology of my own shorts and flash fiction. This post will cover a few things my research has unearthed, and from it you can draw your own conclusions on the short story's relevance.

There was a time when newspapers published serials. The greats like Charles Dickens and Poe were fond of these. Money was to be made as well! Then magazines became the popular medium to carry the short story. Buying shorts to include into a genre specific magazine was a major draw for readers.
Both have seemingly lost their punch. But the short story lives on.

Websites like Wattpad carry millions of short stories and serials from authors hoping to be discovered. No one is getting paid for these, but paying sites do still exist. Besides, writing short stories are meant to bring in an audience rather than make you money right?

Wrong. The short story is an art form. It won the Nobel Prize last year for literature. It's not playing second fiddle to novels, and never has. In fact the short has been experiencing a renaissance of sorts recently. Even the film industry has been picking up shorts because a 500 page and up novel is much more difficult to write into a script than a 20-80 page story.

Fan fiction is a great way to enter the short story market too. I wrote a short concerning a character in my trilogy, The Judas Syndrome, which told the story as seen through her eyes after book three had ended. I wrote it in just twelve pages.

The problem with selling your short stories one by one via Amazon and Smashwords is that many self-published authors are selling their novels for $0.99, and the majority of readers look for deals. Multiple consumer studies in 2013 and 2014 confirmed that readers won't spend the money for a short versus a full-length. So your short story, though every bit as good, if not better than a novel, only offers 20 to 80 pages of literary bliss while the novel is 200 and up.

The fix? Put your shorts and flash fiction into a collection. An anthology. Find the stories that share a common theme or genre and sell them as a package deal. Now you're attracting the larger audience to your works.

My own collection will be available very soon, and will be found in both paperback and ebook formats, entitled: Waning Metaphorically. Follow this blog or find me on Facebook and Twitter, Goodreads, linkedIn and Google+

gritLIT: Hamilton’s Readers & Writers Festival - April 16-19th, 2015

Don’t miss out on one of Southern Ontario’s un(der)discovered literary gems!

gritLIT: Hamilton’s Readers & Writers Festival is entering its second successful decade and is growing every year. The festival attracts audiences from all over the GTA and Golden Horseshoe, with dynamic and interactive readings, discussions and workshops held at the beautiful Art Gallery of Hamilton (123 King Street West).

Established in 2004 by Hamilton author Krista Foss, gritLIT has introduced Hamilton’s dynamic book-loving community to writers from across Canada, while at the same time offering local literary stars a chance to showcase their work. Over the years, gritLIT has provided Hamilton readers and writers personal interaction with and mentorship from some of Canada’s most respected national and international-award-winning authors — authors like Rawi Hage, Kathleen Winter, Dennis Lee, Emma Donoghue and local luminary Lawrence Hill (The Book of Negroes), to name a few.

Each year, the festival creates new opportunities for involvement. gritLIT has hosted blue pencil rooms, writing workshops, and master classes, and has brought writers of children’s and young adults' books into local schools and libraries. gritLIT runs an annual writing competition (short story and poetry) that attracts entries from established and emerging authors across Canada and overseas. One of this year’s short story winners is from Australia! Workshops and meet-up events also give local writers many opportunities to interact and hone their skills.

As Hamilton’s premier literary festival, gritLIT is poised to entertain and influence budding writers and devoted readers for years to come as its author list continues to expand along with its membership. This year’s festival runs April, 16-19th.

For more information and the schedule of events, visit www.gritlit.ca.

To arrange an interview or for other media inquiries, email Mike at mpoeltl@gritlit.ca

Author Ideas 101 - Flash Fiction and Short Story Compilations

Whether you've written a few novels, or have yet to complete your first, you likely have a slush pile of unfinished, barely started or merely outlined story ideas. I propose that these incomplete thoughts are worthy of further consideration, and if not in the form you originally proposed them to yourself, than perhaps as a piece of flash fiction or a short story?

If you're anything like me, you have scenes and dialogues - that in a moment of inspiration - you had to jot down. Sometimes these moments turn into minutes or even hours. You may not be working on a story that will be suitable for this flash of genius, but if the scene has a beginning, middle and ending, or can be expanded upon, you might just have yourself a tidy little short, or work of flash fiction.

I have been surfing through my own pile of start-ups and see merit in each of them. Some are honestly a paragraph - a witty piece of banter between two people - where others are stories which developed on their own with no clear end in site. Revisiting them, I have managed to find an end in some, expanding on others to complete a piece of flash fiction, or simply edited a short story I had written years before.

My point is that these stories caught in moments of inspiration weren't for nothing. Inspiration brings life to any thought, and when we write that thought down it becomes a story. So why wait for the right novel to include your unique dialogue and character piece? Do something with them now!

I'm currently working on a number of stories from my slush pile; even one which features characters from my trilogy. A look at life for those I didn't kill off. Just 4-5,000 words. But enough to tickle anyone's interest who'd read the trilogy and wondered about a fourth book.

This practice can also be helpful in moments of writer's block. Revisit a train of thought you never completed. You know you have them in that folder marked 'Unfinished' on your desktop. People love a story they can finish quickly on a trip into work or and afternoon in the sun. A compilation of these stories just makes sense.

www.mikepoeltl.com

You can give a Kindle with a full compliment of ebooks!

This holiday season, why give a kindle or ebook reader without the recipients favorite genre already installed and ready to read? Surprise them!

Do they love post-apocalyptic stories? There are countless opportunities to include this genre into their Kindle. And sure, you could offer the Hunger Games Trilogy for a bunch of money, knowing they've likely read it already, or you could offer them an indie author trilogy for a quarter of the price. Something they've never heard of in the mainstream, like The Judas Syndrome. This is a ready made trilogy which has received several five and four star ratings. Book two and three of the series are equally loved and will cost you under $10.00 for the set.

I think the added surprise of not only receiving the ereader but also realizing it is full of books targeted to that person is a fun and inspired idea for holiday gift giving.

Remember, indie authors have a lot to offer and for a fraction of the cost of traditionally published authors. We were all indie authors once. Even those blockbusters that turned into movies were once authored by someone with no representation and zero edits...

Give a an #indieauthor a shot this Christmas, and give a dozen books rather than just one or two when wrapping up your Kindle.

Michael Poeltl 

Spirit Science, it's all about the science of your spirit

Book one of the Hello Me series

If you’re involved in spiritual pursuits you’ve likely heard the term: spirit science in recent years. It’s a relatively new term for a growing community of people dedicated to proving we are more than our five senses allow us to grasp; that we are spirit first. More often than not this research takes place in labs. Yes, science labs; thus the term; spirit science. Much progress has been realized in this field of study, opening the eyes of both the spiritual and scientific communities.



Book two of the Hello Me series

Quantum mechanics really opened the door to the spiritual realms when scientists began to realize that nothing that appears solid is really ‘solid’; that atoms are 99.9% empty space and that sub atomic particles act as both waves and solids, concluding that the physical word only exists because we’re consciously aware of it. Where does this energy come from in order to create our day to day? The quantum field. What is the quantum field? Well, it seems to be a place of limitless energy where anything is possible, where if you expect it to happen, it will. Sounds like self-fulfilling prophesy doesn’t it? The most practiced experiment in quantum mechanics is the double slit experiment. This has proved time and time again that if you measure the electrons being shot at a wall with a two slits, the electrons act as solids, but when they are not measured, they act like waves.

With this new information and a growing discontent with the direction the world is heading (climate change, fossil fuel dependency, famine, modern slavery, depression, material greed), people are beginning to wake up out of the haze of the industrial revolution and take note that we exist in more than our three dimensions.

Among others, there are notable organizations which practice the study of spirit science like the Institute of Noetic Sciences, which serves an emerging movement of globally conscious citizens dedicated to manifesting our highest capacities. The word “noetic” is a Greek word which means “intuitive mind” or “inner knowing. How is this science?  Ask Edgar Mitchell, an Apollo 14 astronaut who earned a Master of Science degree in aeronautical engineering and a Doctorate of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics. He’s the founder of the institute.

Like Mitchell, the list of scientifically minded individuals who are convinced of a spiritual realm, and who believe something beyond our scope of understanding exists in the quantum field, or, the field of all possibilities, is staggering. Einstein was one such scientist, as were Tesla, DaVinci and Darwin.

The very notion that these scientific minds, who’ve answered some of humanities greatest scientific questions - encouraging many more, were spiritual people gives credence to the term spirit science, and all that it represents.

"Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the universe - a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble. In this way the pursuit of science leads to a religious feeling of a special sort, which is indeed quite different from the religiosity of someone more naive."

– Albert Einstein

By Michael Poeltl – Author of several novels and the Hello Me series of Middle grade illustrated books which teach the science behind our spirit.

Michael Poeltl

The Little Free Library Phanominom comes to the Indie Author's rescue!

Have you seen this? Little Free Libraries are popping up all over the place, and after viewing the map on www.littlefreelibrary.com, it looks like North America has certainly embraced it!

I actually found out about this a year or more ago and dropped off a Dan Simmon's book for other's to enjoy. The little free library was a few kilometres away from me and not on my regular route so I considered briefly erecting one of my own. Not a year later a Little Free Library suddenly, and with much bravado (Local Televised News Covered it) planted itself just two blocks from where I live.

I noticed a large group of neighbours milling around and so walked my dog and daughter up the street to see what the hubbub was. Sure enough, a new Little Free Library had emerged. Inside the book case, built to resemble and old school house, is a wide variety of books, ranging from children's to young adult to action, philosophy, new age, you name it. It holds maybe 50  books tops, but is very revealing about the neighbourhood and their reading preferences. There is also a small journal where people can leave short reviews on the books they've enjoyed from the little free library.

So, why bring this up? Indie authors should be utilizing this opportunity to get the word out about your books. Don't place one in every little free library you see, but place enough to encourage interest in your name and don't place all of the books you've written, maybe your new audience would like to buy one! Leave book marks with your website printed on it, offering them up freely for those picking up or dropping off books. Bookmarks cost about as much as business cards to print these days. It's a small investment.

Give a shot. Check the map section of the website to find one near you, or make one yourself!

Michael Poeltl

Have you ever been traumatized by a book you read?

We're starting to see trigger warnings more and more now on books. A trigger warning essentially is a warning to potential readers that your book may contain graphic violence, rape, dog bites and other common tragedies that could have befallen your potential audience, thus triggering a painful response to your words. As far as I can tell, they act much like a rating on a movie might. Genre's used to be the go to subject when deciding on a book, but it looks as  thought trigger warnings will be standard sooner then later.

I haven't employed these warnings on any of my books, but my trilogy; The Judas Syndrome, does have a number of  traumatic scenes peppered throughout, so let me just run through a few of them while we're talking about it. The list would include suicide, depression, graphic violence, Christianity, guns, copious drug use, alcoholism, addiction, cruelty, heart break, isolation, desolation, amputation, sexual content, rape, child birth, life and death decisions, scavenging, hoarding, cold blooded murder, to name a few... oh, and the end of the world... there's that, so, if you have a fear of the apocalypse, you may want to avoid this series altogether. But if you like the content you just read, well, now you know!...

So I'm not sure if this better targets your intended audience or works to exclude potential readers. My guess is it will achieve both outcomes. But will it sell more books? Will it result in more positive reviews? I think I'll test it out on my trilogy in Amazon and see what effect it has on all of the above.

Michael Poeltl