Which type of book do you prefer reading and why? Do you like short stories in a series, or longer stories in a series? Each story can be good and addictive.
I like shorts compilations, they are fun when you find a collection you like. Novels are good too, but in series they are less so.
I think it was Stephen King who used the analogy that novels are like a long, passionate affair, whereas short stories are more like a kiss in the dark from a stranger. This doesn't necessarily mean that novels are better, just that the intensity of the experience is markedly different. Sometimes we don't have the energy for a passionate affair, and a kiss in the dark is just what we need.
I am a 'novel' type, but I'm guilty of writing the first part of my story in shorts. Yeah, a trifle inconsistent The problem I have with short story collections is that the shorts in one compilation are almost always written by different authors. If I take a peek at one short, like the voice and want to read it to the end, there's no guarantee that the next short will make me want to read it too.
It's pretty rare for me to enjoy a short story. I feel like I can appreciate them intellectually, sometimes, but I just don't get sucked into them the way I get sucked into a good novel. There just isn't enough time for me to really care about the characters.
This is pretty much how I feel. I used to read a lot of horror and mystery short stories when I was younger, but I've gone back and read some that I know I liked back then and now they just seem like they're over before I've even gotten my motor running, so to speak. When I really love a story I almost dread coming to the end of it. I've been known to stop reading and go do something else when I realize that if I keep at it I'll finish "x" book tonight. I re-read my favorites, of course, but there's nothing that captures the feeling of falling in love with a book for the first time, and I like to ride that high for as long as possible.
Love love love short story collections. I don't get much time for reading (or, more accurately, I don't prioritise reading above the other 100 things I have/want to do) so short stories are ideal. I can read one before bed instead of getting sucked into a novel and staying up until 3am because I need to know how it ends. Strangely, I really don't like novel series. I very rarely buy a novel if I can see that it's the first in a series. Partly it's the time thing again - having to invest so much time in completing the series. Partly it's a suspicion of cliffhangers, which I hate. Partly the fear of the series going downhill rapidly, and marring the first one or two which I enjoyed (the majority of series I've read fall into that pattern). But I know I'm not representative of an average reader. Sales figures show pretty conclusively that short stories aren't popular, and novel series are incredibly popular.
I just wanted to add that I've heard linked short stories, which is what I think the OP means by series, are often easier to sell than other short story collections.
How much does a reader need to know in order to care about a story? I usually put down novels if they have too many descriptions of it with color words that confuse the heck out of me. But if the novel has a nice pace with simple sentences and an interesting story, I would keep reading it. It shouldn't be about how many words the story should have. Good stories should last as long as possible, even if it only has two thousand words. If the story can expand into a novel, then it will still be awesome. I also hate filter subplots that are only meant to add more words to a novel. Even if the plots add more stuff to the characters, each plot shouldn't last for a hundred pages with too many descriptions. Short stories can suck if they are flat and uninteresting. There should always be a good balance and grabbing moments, no matter the size.
Sounds like there's a lot you don't like. I like complex stories, lavish prose and for things to be on the shorter side. I actually don't mind long short stories or novellas or even long novels. But I am more likely to pick up a book under 500 pages than over 500 pages.
I do like both. I am reading lots of novels and like to stick to the same story for days. It is like I get to know the characters so well that I become part of them and sad when the story ends. But also a good short story gives me the "kick" i just need sometimes. It feels like a drug where you get pulled into another world for a short time.
Depends on the mood i am in. To me the short story is the equivalent of watching a film whereas a book is like watching a season of a TV show, and thus a saga of books the same as a successful show that runs multiple seasons. Sometimes you just want a quick story, a quick fix with no commitments, and sometimes you want to immerse yourself in something much bigger. Try to write both.
