Lately I’ve noticed that my short story collection, Diabolical Dreamscapes, has been selling the best out of all my books. Of course, in terms of raw numbers, my novels The Blue Man and The Fairy Lights far outstrip any of my other books in terms of straight sales – but Diabolical Dreamscapes is my most consistent seller, of late. This got me thinking about why, which is what inspired today’s post.

I read this article in The Guardian on the topic, and tend to agree that it is too easy to dismiss the popularity of short story collections as simply down to people in today’s digital age having shorter attention spans; getting to know entirely new characters as well as dealing with a whole new plot, and often a change in POV takes concentration. Certainly more commitment than what would be required of some novels, I’d say.

If it isn’t a case of short story collections being quicker, or less taxing to read, then what?

Well, my theory is that there’s less risk if you are invested in characters for a shorter time than a novel length book. Say, you don’t particularly like a character. If you have invested your time in reading a novel, you may well choose to finish the entire thing even if you don’t like the characters or the plot, simply because you’ve committed that far in the story – might as well see it through. On the other hand, if you’re reading a short story and don’t like the character(s) or plot, you can relax in the knowledge that the next story will be coming soon. The change in pace of the next story can often grant a sigh of relief.

I also like how a change in POV, or a switch from past to present tense, as well as a whole new plot and characters, keeps my brain engaged with the text.

Novels and novellas would make up the majority of books I have bought or downloaded on KU in recent years, but this is because such formats tend to make up the majority of publications in any of the online or brick-and-mortar stores where I shop. Recently I have been seeing more short stories appearing among the new titles out there. Personally I’m glad to see this upsurge and hope – as both a reader and a writer – that such a trend continues.

Posted by on April 28, 2024 in Short Stories and tagged , , , .

Leave a comment

Unknown's avatar

About Leilanie Stewart

Leilanie Stewart is an award-winning author and poet from Belfast, Northern Ireland. She writes ghost and psychological horror, as well as experimental poetry. Her writing confronts the nature of self; her novels feature main characters on a dark psychological journey who have a crisis and create a new sense of identity. She began writing for publication while working as an English teacher in Japan, a career pathway that has influenced themes in her writing. Her former career as an Archaeologist has also inspired her writing and she has incorporated elements of archaeology and mythology into both her fiction and poetry. In addition to promoting her own work, Leilanie runs Bindweed Anthologies, a creative writing publication with her writer husband, Joseph Robert. Aside from publishing pursuits, Leilanie enjoys spending time with her husband and their lively literary lad, a voracious reader of sea monster books.

Leave a comment