Authors OnLine -

Regular readers will know we has been banging the drum about the attitude of mainstream publishers in a series of articles, Dione Coumbe of Book Publicity Ltd wrote to The Times and we reproduce the letter in full here - Good on yer Dione!!

* Red denotes the parts of the letter edited out by The Times (For which she salutes the skill of their editors - perhaps we should employ them? - ED)

The apparent dearth of short story writing and publications is entirely due to the conservative attitudes of accountant driven mainstream publishers over the past thirty years. This can be seen most clearly in the book market generally. Today popular non-fiction consists of ‘B' and ‘C' list celebrities selling memoirs or spin-offs from their particular line of work. Fiction lists, with one or two exceptions show the same names dominating that have been with us for decades. Not a few of these luminaries should have hung up their computers years ago, their sales rely on past glories.

Most potential short story readers have no interest in ‘literary markets'. They are looking for non-experimental tales, well-written as opposed to over-written with a beginning, middle and satisfying conclusion. They are offered little or nothing by UK publishing with the exception of formula written stories in magazines offering a pot pouri of other delights. At one time evening newspapers in a small way, commuter supported, used to offer a much wider variety of genre, but this avenue also disappeared years ago, one assumes for reasons of advertising space.

However, what mainstream fails to supply, the Web provides. Every year numerous writers' clubs and assorted institutions in UK and around the world run hundreds of ‘open' short story competitions. The most frequently visited pages at www.bookpublicity.co.uk are those offering details of these. A few minutes work with a search engine will also produce scores of sites which offer short stories in every conceivable genre which can be either downloaded or printed at no charge. It is a culture which has left mainstream publishing in the age of the dinosaurs.

It could be said this area is strictly for amateurs as opposed to professionals expecting a fee, also the viability for a printed hard copy is limited. Presently this, to a certain extent, is justified. In UK, without the encouragement and hype attending ‘name' full length novel releases, every book struggles. It is to counteract this stagnant position online publishing, print-on-demand, is coming into its own whilst providing collector's items by selling to niche markets in UK. Therefore, the short story is still alive and well but flourishes outside the High Street bookshop. - Dione Coumbe