2009 was the year of the short story

So says The Guardian. Let me just say up front that most of my posts will be in response to The Guardian Books page. So just get used to that right now. I love the section. I wish we had a U.S. equivalent. Sure, NYT book reviews are astute, but does the NYT publish poems of the day, do they question the book industry and its sometimes absurd practices? Do they have posts from top writers, musing on anything they like, often venting unpopular opinions that, again, may take editors, publishers, reviewers, readers, and authors themselves to task? No, the NYT does not; it is a big cog in the literary PR machine.

So now that that’s settled. As an American author with a book published in the UK, I find this fascinating:

In the US it’s commonplace for short story writers to get a deal for their first collection only on the proviso that a novel follows, a business practice that casts short story-writing as apprentice work. In the UK it’s worse still, with story collections treated like dirty secrets to be snuck out in disguise…

I’ve pitched an MS of short stories to my London agent. She will not even read it. To her, the market value is so close to zero, it’s not even worth her time. That’s incredibly disheartening for an author. Of course, it may be that the stories stink; I haven’t ruled out that possibility. I would have to agree that when it comes to the novel market, the tail is wagging the dog. I’m focusing on Novel #2 now. Why? Because at least I can do something with it. The novel market feels a little less saturated; due to the time and effort, and the necessity for sustained quality, it is a little harder to throw one’s literary hat in the ring. It seems like short story writing has become a hobby for a lot of dabblers. Maybe that’s always been the case. Oh, is that elitism showing through? Somebody alert the GOP.

Debating whether to make an ass of myself in the comments section.

2009 was the year of the short story | Books | guardian.co.uk

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Hi

The Clog is the webosphere/information highway/inter-tubes home of Benjamin Obler, author of Javascotia, a novel from Hamish Hamilton/Penguin Books UK. Available in hardcover March 2009, and paperback March 2010.

The site is undergoing a slow rebirth via WordPress. Very soon content will be fully restored, with lovelier features, regular updates, and near-perfect browser compatibility. Also, we’ll be customizing the graphic that comes with the template, lovely as it is.

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