Most publishers have specific guidelines on the length of short stories they prefer or require. These guidelines are often ignored by writers who believe the editor will accept their story anyway, regardless of the fact that the story is far too long or short to meet the specifications pointed out in the guidelines.
In many cases, especially in the instance of print magazines, there is room for only so many words. If a story is too long, too much time must be taken to edit the work for the publisher to be interested in the story, regardless of how good it might be. This may result in rejection, even though the editor may have truly enjoyed the story.
When writing short stories, an author should train themselves to target certain average short story lengths that are the most acceptable for publication. Here is a summary of the most popular short story lengths and where they can be marketed.
Flash Fiction
Flash fiction generally refers to stories of 1,000 words or less. However, markets vary, and some flash fiction publishers will accept stories up to 1,500 words. A flash fiction piece can be as short as 500 or even 100 words. These stories are often used as fillers in mystery or romance magazines. Flash fiction is often sold online, and may be of any genre.
There are also many contests that offer a flash fiction category. When selling flash fiction or making an entry to a contest, it is important the story does not exceed the individual publisher’s definition of flash fiction.
Average Short Story Length
The average short story ranges from around 1,500 to 5,000 words. The most popular lengths of short stories found in print magazines and writing contests is between 2,500 words and 5,000 words.
A shorter-length story of 2,500 words, or roughly ten double-spaced pages is a good bet for many print magazines with limited space. The longer average length short story in the “average” range of 5,000 words is an especially good target length for longer print magazines, Ezines and anthologies. Short story contests often limit submissions to 5,000 words, or twenty pages.
Where to Market Long Short Stories
Short stories of over 5,000 words take more space to print so they must be marketed to a larger print magazine that can accommodate a bigger story. Online markets may also be more likely to accept a short story of up to 7,500 words.
Guideline to Short Story Lengths
On the Internet there are a number of varying definitions of what constitutes flash fiction and the average short story length. Though short story categories may vary slightly according to different publishers, this guide is a example of what is most generally accepted by small presses and contest guidelines.
- flash fiction: 1,000 words or under
- short story: approximately 1,500-5,000 words
- long short story: 5,001-7,500
When writing a short story, it is a good idea to plan ahead and pay attention length because a story that fits traditional guidelines is more publishable. The story should then be marketed only to publications that are calling for that particular length of story.
Readers may also enjoy these articles about writing and getting published:Standard Genre Novel Length Requirements, Writing and Marketing the Contemporary Novella or Novelette, and Writing TIps: Finding Plot and Theme in a Novel or Short Story.
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