Short Fiction

For more information, contact Matty at matty<at>mattydalrymple<dot>com.

Be Your Own Gatekeeper: Indie Publishing Your Short Fiction

Skip the gatekeepers and publish your short fiction your way—across formats, platforms, and audiences—while maximizing rights, reach, and revenue, and building a stronger connection with your readers.

Overview

“Be Your Own Gatekeeper: Indie Publishing Your Short Fiction” shows you how to bypass the limitations of the traditional short fiction market and take full control of your publishing journey. Author and educator Matty Dalrymple shares practical, cost-effective strategies for producing, distributing, and promoting short fiction in ways that generate income, grow your audience, and strengthen your author brand.

Description

The traditional short fiction market simply can’t accommodate all the excellent stories that deserve to reach readers. But with an indie mindset, you don’t have to rely on gatekeepers. In this session, Matty Dalrymple—co-author of Taking the Short Tack: Creating Income and Connecting with Readers Using Short Fiction—shows you how to publish short stories, novelettes, and novellas on your own terms. You’ll learn how to package your work as standalones, collections, or anthologies; produce professional-quality editions without overspending; and distribute across ebook, print, and audio platforms. You’ll discover how to protect your rights, repurpose stories for ongoing income, and use short fiction as a tool for reader engagement, market research, and brand building. Whether you’re looking to monetize backlist shorts, test new creative directions, or connect more deeply with your audience, you’ll leave with a roadmap for making short fiction a powerful part of your author business.

What You’ll Learn

  • How to publish short fiction as standalones, collections, and anthologies

  • Cost-effective strategies for editing, proofreading, and cover design

  • Ways to maximize story value by publishing across multiple platforms and formats

  • How to protect your rights and avoid restrictive contracts

  • Income opportunities from ebooks, print, audio, and beyond

  • Using short fiction as reader magnets, funnels, or social media promotions

  • How short fiction can aid market research and foster community engagement

  • Repurposing and re-releasing stories to generate long-term value

Who Should Attend

  • Authors whose short stories have stalled with traditional magazines or anthologies and want a proven indie path to reach readers directly

  • Novelists aiming to add steady revenue by releasing stand-alone shorts or boxed collections between full-length books

  • Writers looking for cost-effective ways to edit, proof, and design covers without sacrificing quality

  • Creators eager to maximize each story’s value across ebooks, print, and even audio platforms

  • Email-list builders using short fiction as reader magnets, funnels, or giveaways to grow their audience

  • Market-curious authors testing new genres, pen names, or tropes before committing to a novel