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Short stories do not have a market, that is what the publishing world tells you. One Story tells you a different story.

I found out about One Story while trawling the net, and must say it is quite a gem. This literary magazine publishes one story by a particular author, and never publishes the same author again—because they want to cover as many new voices in the short story genre as possible. Here’s what they say about themselves:

One Story is a non-profit literary magazine that features one great short story mailed to subscribers every three weeks. Our mission is to save the short story by publishing in a friendly format that allows readers to experience each story as a stand-alone work of art and a simple form of entertainment. One Story is designed to fit into your purse or pocket, and into your life.

Because we like a challenge we will publish each writer one time only. This prevents us from relying on a stable of writers and helps us find new and exciting voices. Between September and June, all writers can submit their work.

Since launching in 2002 we have grown to have over 5000 subscribers. Many of the stories we have published have won awards, and many One Story writers have gone on to publish their first (or third, or tenth) books. But what keeps us going is the community we have created. Please join us: subscribe, come to an event, or chat on our blog.

The founder of One Story, Hannah Tinti says in an interview:

If you look at the numbers from publishing companies, it’s nearly always true: short story collections sell less than novels. But that doesn’t mean that people don’t read short stories, because that number doesn’t take into account individual short stories published in magazines and online and being read in schools. In just a few years we’ve grown to 7,000 subscribers at One Story, and I think that shows people are eager for short fiction. I also believe, with the advancement of technology, short stories will get an even bigger jump, once people begin to read on their cell phones and other portable devices.

So there is hope for the short story after all. This looks like a good place to submit your work, so I’d encourage all avid short story writers to try their luck here!
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o Visit my website: Amloki.com o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Damyanti Biswas

Damyanti Biswas is the author of You Beneath Your Skin and numerous short stories that have been published in magazines and anthologies in the US, the UK, and Asia. She has been shortlisted for Best Small Fictions and Bath Novel Awards and is co-editor of the Forge Literary Magazine. Her literary crime thriller series, the Blue Mumbai, is represented by Lucienne Diver from The Knight Agency. Both The Blue Bar and The Blue Monsoon were published in 2023.

I appreciate comments, and I always visit back. If you're having trouble commenting, let me know via the contact form, or tweet me up @damyantig !

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5 Comments

  • Damyanti says:

    Hi L,

    I have provided a "submit" link in the post, just click on it.

  • L says:

    hi, how to submit short stories to One Story?

  • Damyanti says:

    Develop all three, who knows which one would get published? Maybe all three, at different places? Going by your blog, you'd make a good writer.
    I'm excited for you!

  • shoreacres says:

    Oh, my. This arrives at just the right time. My current post, "Saving Mr. Val", is my first attempt at anything resembling a story, but it was fun, and got me thinking I might like to give a "real" story a try.

    To have a goal like this – submitting to One Story – would be a good motivator. I think I'll give it a go. Now I just need to decide which of my three little story ideas will become the one I try to develop!

  • lunardancer says:

    Thank you very much for posting about this incredible site! With the current trend in writing, short stories that entertain and indulge readers without requiring as much reading time as novels are the expected wave of the future. I do not see why it wouldn't.