Write Short Stories That Readers Love
Short stories give you the freedom to experiment with new ideas, characters, and genres, without committing months or years to a novel. They can help you strengthen your craft, build your creative confidence, grow your audience, and create additional streams of income.
Bestselling author Joanna Penn shares practical guidance drawn from her experience writing, publishing, licensing, narrating, crowdfunding, and marketing short fiction as J.F. Penn. How to Write, Publish, and Market Short Stories covers the entire journey from first spark of an idea to published story in the world.
Inside You'll Discover:
- How to find compelling story seeds and develop them into complete short stories
- Ways to create emotional impact and land an ending readers won't forget
- How to experiment creatively while improving skills you can use in longer fiction
- The differences between self-publishing, professional markets, competitions, anthologies, audio, and collections
- Rights and contracts, so your stories can earn in multiple ways over time
- How to use short fiction to attract new readers, grow your email list, and expand your existing story worlds
- Ways to turn a collection into a marketing event or special edition
Perfect For:
- Writers with an unfinished story tucked away or an idea they've never dared to explore
- Novelists who want to experiment between longer projects
- Authors ready to publish a short story collection
- Anyone who wants to grow their author career with short fiction
Available in ebook, audiobook narrated by Joanna Penn, paperback, and large print, with a paperback bundle alongside How to Write a Novel.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: Do I need to have written short stories before? A: No. The book takes you from finding ideas through to finished, published stories, with questions in each chapter to apply the ideas to your own writing.
Q: Does it cover publishing as well as writing? A: Yes. It compares self-publishing, professional markets, competitions, anthologies, audio, and collections, and explains rights and contracts so your stories can earn in multiple ways.
Q: Is there an example story included? A: Yes. The book includes the complete short story The Black Church and its author's note, so you can see the ideas in practice.
Q: What formats are available? A: Ebook, audiobook narrated by Joanna Penn, paperback, and large print, plus a paperback bundle with How to Write a Novel. Also available on the usual online stores.