publication, Reading, signal boosting, Writing

A New Way to Read Stories

M.E. Garber

There’s a new “experiment” going on in publishing. A site called Quarter Reads lets authors upload very short stories (500-2,000 words), and, after a quick preview of a few sentences, lets readers access the whole thing for 25 cents per story.

There is no “editor” per se, no gatekeeper compiling a “magazine,” and thus no initial payment for the writer. But the writer gets 88% of each quarter read, and 100% of any tips dumped into the tip jar by a reader who really like a story. The writing can be of any genre, and search fields can narrow a reader’s options by genre, author, hottest read, latest uploaded, etc.

I think this sounds like a great idea, and I’ve got stories in the queue waiting to be uploaded. There are some great stories already there, and some wonderful writers contributing to the site. I suggest you pop on over and give it a try–read something. Drop in a tip, if you really liked something. Directly support writing, and writers. How awesome is that? I’d be interested in knowing what you think of the site.

Published by M.E. Garber

I'm an itinerant Ohio-born speculative fiction writer now living in central Florida.

7 thoughts on “A New Way to Read Stories”

  2. Interesting. I poked around the site a bit, not that there’s a lot to see, (unless one signs up, I suppose) and I found the lack of an ‘about’ page a bit of a red light. I want to know who I’m giving my 25 cents/stories to, before I commit.

    Not that it’s not a splendid idea, just a bit more upfront accountability please.

    1. Widdershins, your comment here worked! :-D. The editor checked out my website (since I asked to link to it), saw your comment, and committed to changing the lack ASAP! Thank you!!!

    2. Widdershins – As M.E. said in her reply, I took a look at this post and you’re absolutely right – an about page is something we should have had from day 1. I’ve added one at http://quarterreads.com/about.php, along with a contact email to ask any additional questions. Thanks so much for your comment, and I hope you’ll get in touch if you want to know more.

  3. It looks interesting. I have problems writing anything that short, but if I create anything I feel worth trying, I will send it that way. May sign up to read as well once I can get the initial fee build up. Being a broke college student bites.

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