Short stories are HOT. I’ve received several questions about writing Kindle short stories in the past week.
I gave you some quick tips in this article, and said:
Please be aware of the “entertainment” factor at all times, and consider the kind of emotion you want to arouse in your reader.
Can you make a living writing short stories?
The short answer: yes, if you write a lot of stories, and choose your genres carefully.
Erotica is the hottest genre for short stories. You can write 5,000 words, and charge $2.99. On fiction forums, writers are complaining that the price of erotica is dropping, because many writers (some write a short story a day) are selling bundles of stories for 99 cents. The nerve, huh? 😉 However, as other writers point out, you can charge what you like. If you write erotica, people will pay.
But what if writing erotica doesn’t appeal to you? That’s fine. You can write short stories in any genre you like. Currently, I’m writing in the romance genre. I’m developing a series of steamy short stories in Regency romance, so that will keep me busy for the next few months.
(Not sure what “genre fiction” means? Start by reading Wikipedia on genre.)
Popular erotica writers are making five figures a month. Remember however that these writers have been publishing for a while, and have a lot of stories. From what I’ve heard, you need around 30 stories to make a living, and more if you want to rake in the money.
Yes, you can use pen names
Another question which constantly arises: “What if I don’t want to use my own name?” That’s fine, you can use any pen names you like. Just use your pen name as the author when you’re uploading your ebook, no one cares. Amazon will pay you via your account no matter what name you choose.
One writer heard that Amazon only allows you three pen names per account, and asked me about it. My advice: you need to check with Amazon. However, as far as I know, you can use a different name for every book you publish. However, if you want to set up an Author Page, then you’re limited to three Author Pages per account. Again, please check with Amazon, because Amazon frequently makes changes to its guidelines.
We’re living in amazing times. Three years ago if anyone had suggested that writers could write short stories and make a living, you’d laugh. No one’s laughing now. We’re busy writing…
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