In Episode 46, we do some myth-busting in our exploration of whether there was really a golden age of short stories. When was it? Were people really able to make a living writing short stories? What’s the short story market like now?
What we found out:
- We’re proponents of the theory that there was a long golden age
- Maybe it was better
- But it wasn’t really that good
We talk about Hemingway (and how he didn’t really write that famous 6-word story), Fitzgerald, Gaskill and others, and we talk about what people say they get paid now.
Finally, we talk about the update Susan Dennard sent out to her earlier newsletter post, Income As A Writer – with comments from her agent Joanna Volpe. The original post is here.
You can listen to the episode right here on this page, or get Marginally on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever get your podcasts.
As always, we’d love for you to take a minute to rate and review us in your podcast app, as this helps other listeners find the show.
Check us out on social media:
- Marginally is on Facebook! Please like our page.
- Sign up to follow our newsletter to get free stuff.
- Plus, we are on Instagram as @marginallypodcast.
- Olivia is on Twitter (@roamingolivia), Facebook and has a TinyLetter (@roamingolivia).
- Meghan is on Twitter (@meghanembee).
You can listen right here on this page, or get Marginally on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever get your podcasts.
As always, we’d love for you to take a minute to rate and review us in your podcast app, as this helps other listeners find the show.
Theme music is “It’s Time” by Scaricá Ricascá.
In this episode
Chekhov earned more money from his short stories than his day job as a writer, cited here
The whole Hemingway six-word story saga can be read here
Writer’s Digest post saying golden age of short stories is 1890-1920
Orson Publishing summary of economic history of short stories, citing 1890-1920 as the golden age
A history of the Evening News newspaper
Postal Act of 1879 (aka Mail Classification Act)
Growth in magazine publishing in the U.S., tied to growing population and literacy rates, by Peter Hutchinson (check out themagazinist.com for a wealth of info on 19th-century magazine publishing). Pulp magazines.
Advertising to teenagers
List of Katherine Mansfield’s short stories (published 1908-1923)
A Companion to the History of the Book, edited by Simon Eliot and Jonathan Rose – Google Books here, Amazon or there’s a PDF here (NB – it’s linked to a Brazilian university but not clear if that’s in line with copyright law)
Background on crime literature publishing including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his self-proclaimed invention of the short story in periodical form
Elizabeth Gaskell and Charles Dickens (he famously said of her, “Oh! Mrs Gaskell-fearful-fearful! If I were Mr G. Oh heavens how I would beat her!”)
O. Henry and his prize
Facts about F. Scott Fitzgerald earnings
The Financial Times‘s How to Spend It segment
Historic pay rates for Ray Bradbury
Kurt Vonnegut historic pay and story about how he got his first agent, Kenneth Littauer, from And So it Goes by Charles J. Shields (p.109)
Inflation calculator for historic and present-day money conversion
Episode 43 where we talk about author income surveys
Sites with current pay rates:
- John Scalzi
- Art + Marketing
- Science Fiction Writers Association 2013 raise in membership requirement
- SFF rates
- Who Pays Writers (more for nonfiction)
- The Review Review lit mags that pay
- How Much is a Word Worth? (freelance writing in general)
- Society of Authors advice on rates and fees
Manjula Martin and her book Scratch
2009 New York Times article about short stories
2013 article in NYT about short stories coming back because of online/e-reading: “Good Fit for Today’s Little Screens: Short Stories”
Kindle Singles launched in 2011
Carmen Maria Machado and her collection, Her Body and Other Parties
2015 review/article by Philip Hensher in The Spectator
The update by Susan Dennard sent out to her earlier newsletter post, Income As A Writer – with comments from her agent Joanna Volpe. The original post is here.