Given our fast paced, on the move lifestyle, devices like the Kindle may help to re-kindle interest in the SHORT STORY genre. We can all remember our days in high school English class and reading some of the great short stories by authors such as Poe, Twain, Hawthorne, London, and many more. Okay, maybe we didn't like the essays we had to write, but the stories were engaging.
For some reason, the short story genre has not be as popular in recent decades. As a publisher, we sometimes hear that short stories simply don't sell and, many publishers do not extend contract to short story authors. Faced with this dilemma, many authors have simply had to find magazines that will publish their prose. At ATTMPress, we like short stories and have published several anthologies with even more to come.
Along comes the Kindle, IPads and other readers. In our opinion, such devices will help stimulate renewed interest in this genre. The beauty of the short story is, well, it is short. If you are riding in a car pool, on a bus, or even a subway, what better way to pass the time than reading a complete story? Never mind turning over pages or losing bookmarks in the middle of a novel. Or, how about the idea that when trying to get through a novel during commuting time, you have to re-read parts of the previous chapter to remember what happened. The short story can frequently be consumed in one ride, a quick sitting, and with "flash fiction," sometimes in the amount of time stopped at a traffic light. The beauty of the readers is that you can mix-and-match short story authors to your mood. rather than carrying around several bulky books, the readers can house many stories by many authors.
So, if you have such a reading device, download some anthologies and get reading great stories on the go!
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