I'm writing a collection of short stories that I intend to publish as a book. The stories range from 500-2000 words generally and I'm aiming for 15-20 stories for the book - I currently have 5 that I would consider book-worthy and a couple I don't like too much. I've been leaning towards Kindle Direct self-publishing the book, but I'm exploring all my options. I see that most publishers have an option to send incomplete or parts of manuscripts for consideration and I think this would work particularly well in a short story format. My question is, how many stories should I have ready and send for consideration? Is 5 enough, or should I carry on writing before I start looking for a publisher? Cheers
I had a similar idea but received advice that one should focus on getting one's stories published in magazines or journals first. I think this makes sense.
When it comes to contacting a publisher you should have the whole thing ready to go. And you will also want to have some known credentials before reaching out. Publishing a collection is not the first step. Your stories are also on the short side. Take a collection of short stories off your bookshelf. Look at a few of them. Also, take note where stories were originally published and who the publisher of the collection is. Hopefully, you have these resources close by. If not, you really shouldn't be thinking about a collection. Of course, anyone can self publish where industry standards mean very little if anything.