I adore writing short fiction. It’s the only way I can keep several pen names going concurrently and have time to ghostwrite short fiction as well.
Recently I did a Q & A with my Pro Fiction class (sorry, it’s invitation only) on writing short stories. A couple of the students weren’t keen on short fiction. They were new to self-publishing, so couldn’t see the benefits.
Let’s look at some of them.
Short fiction helps you to develop your self-publishing venture in various easy ways, including:
- Giving you the ability to publish short stories in between publishing novels and nonfiction books to clear your mind and relax;
- It’s fun: you can explore an idea in a short story within a few hours, then publish it next day;
- No-hassle, “free” marketing. With hundreds of thousands of books hitting the Kindle Store each month, advertising is not only expensive, it takes significant time away from writing. Your short fiction promotes your novels;
- A novel not selling? Bring it to life with a prequel/ sequel short story or novella. If you try this, you may get a big surprise—you may find that you’re developing material which turns a standalone novel into a trilogy, a brilliant new serial, or even an on-going series. This has not only happened to me, it’s happened to students as well. It seems that the more time you spend in a “world” the more ideas you get;
- When you have no time to write, you can find a few minutes to continue a story on your phone.
Write spare time short fiction, it needn’t be a huge commitment
One of my students tells me she writes short fiction in her car, while dropping the kids off for their after-school activities.
New to writing fiction? Many new authors prefer to write short fiction to build their writing muscles before they plan a novel.
Get started with short fiction, and benefit.
If you write fiction, you may not know this secret…

Check out Your Short Fiction Formula: The Easiest-Ever Writing Process (Workshop) to discover a process which makes writing short stories easy and FUN.
If you’re self-publishing, you may be aware that savvy authors use short fiction (short stories and novellas) to generate sales and income quickly.
Explore Your Short Fiction Formula: The Easiest-Ever Writing Process now. You’ll be glad you did.Cash In On Article Writing
In this book, you'll discover a simple strategy I've taught to many writers since 2005. It works, even if you don't want to write articles and sell them. It works for bloggers, copywriters, and novelists. Here's why: it helps you to build a writing habit.
More info →
Short Fiction Secrets: How To Write And Sell Short Stories
Writing short stories is a fun and easy way to get started writing fiction — you can get paid to write, in your spare time. If you're new to writing fiction, you can learn the elements of writing fiction — short stories are much easier to control than longer fiction.
More info →Plot Hot-Selling Fiction The Easy Way: How To Write Novels And Short Stories Readers Love
This plotting system works for my students, and it it will work for you. It's the easiest, fastest, and most fun plotting method ever. You can use it for all your fiction, whether you're writing short stories, novellas or novels. Take control of your fiction now, and publish more, more easily.
More info →
Master Fiction Writing: Craft A Novel in 31 Days
You need a plan, broken down into easy steps.
More info →Nonfiction Ebooks Goldmine: Write and Sell Nonfiction Ebooks In 24 Hours Or Less
You're a writer. You need to make money from your words. What if you could create AND sell a nonfiction book in just a day?
This book will show you how to think outside the box, get creative — and SELL what you create. Making money from your writing can be a real challenge, especially if you're limiting yourself to trading hours for dollars. When you get paid by the hour, even if you're making $200 an hour, you're limited.
More info →Plan, Write, And Publish Serial Fiction In Four Weeks
If you've heard that authors are successfully publishing their fiction as serials, and are curious about how it's done, read on. Readers enjoy serial fiction today, as they've done for centuries.
This practical guide helps you to start writing serial fiction, starting today.
More info →
Planning And Writing A Hot-Selling Series: Selling Writer Strategies
Try writing in series. Your audience loves to binge on entertainment, whether it's a series on a streaming service, or a series of books. Marketing series fiction and nonfiction is much easier than marketing standalone books.
More info →
Photo by Vlad Zinculescu on Unsplash

Copywriter and marketing pro Angela Booth maintains a busy copywriting and ghostwriting practice. Fascinated by online marketing, she wrote one of the first business books for internet marketing, published by Allen & Unwin. She’s been an enthusiastic blogger since the late 1990s.