Posted on 2013-Dec-05
Content Convergence
With a slew of Amazon’s programs grabbing headlines, one may lose track of the numbers and given names of its imprints. By commercializing some of the Day One submissions as standalone short stories and launching new voices to be discovered, StoryFront sees the light of day and becomes a legitimate venue in its own right to seek approval of short story writers who are well-versed in storytelling and succinct in their compact length. This is a spin-off of Day One, Amazon’s literary journal. Apart from including Day One featured stories in the catalog, there are also Brazilian stories in translation and other “high-quality short fiction for readers looking to discover new voices, experiment with genres, or find a great quick read.”
New Stories, New Genres, New Voices
Based on the positive feedback Day One has garnered, “we [Amazon] received thousands of subscriptions in the first week-we knew readers are hungry for short stories and excited about exploring new genres,” said Daphne Durham, Publisher of Adult Trade and Children’s Group.
Formerly, submitting a short story to publishers would require that the stories be published in an anthology and thus the publishing timeline depended on how often the anthology got published. Given the fact that short story submissions were not a top priority for most publishers, authors might find little success in publishing their own.
Significant Success
While full-length novels may prove to be more popular among authors, publishing short stories can generate higher revenue given the shorter word count and less time to devote your time to your writing. Length-wise, authors are freer to let their creative juice run high while crafting the story plots. Five genres have been announced so far: Horror, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense, Romance, and Science Fiction & Fantasy. Considering the low price entries $0.99 - $3.99 and their length averages varies between 15 and 65 pages, it should come no surprise that several titles sell well being listed as #5,441, #7,019, and #10,973 in the Romance genre. Although two titles in Sci-Fi trail far behind at #12,250 and #23,887, both earned a 5-star review from the reader.
Benefits for Authors and Readers
According to The Verge, 43 stories are available in the catalog. Commenters seem to like the idea of being able to read a single short story. They duly leave positive responses to reflect how another publishing opportunity is opening up for writers; readers can enjoy a short story alone rather than an anthology; the subscription price of Day One is a great deal.
Writing Opportunities
With StoryFront, readers can affordably discover many more short stories in English or through translated works. Being published by Amazon, readers can expect to see a wide variety of various themes and genres to grow. For authors, the less amount of time they have to invest in their writing project, the more opportunity for them to explore different alternatives to increase their earnings. With short stories, they can publish standalone stories for one of the main characters from the full-length novel to give readers a closer look and thus breathes new life to his/her unique presence. Whichever way authors are planning to maximize their exposure, it seems Amazon as a publisher instinctively knows what their customers need.
Label: eBook Industry News
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