I don’t know if all journalists feel like this, but for me, the Holy Grail of this field is long-form journalism. And it’s saddened me that there are fewer opportunities to really dig into a topic and write a piece that’s truly in-depth, except in a few elite markets.
But when I opened my New York Times this morning (Yes, I still read the paper edition, so my kids will know what a newspaper is) I was excited to see Dwight Garner’s article about Kindle Singles.
As Garner explains, some prominent nonfiction writers, including Jon Krakauer, have been publishing long-form journalism in these mini-books–pieces that are longer than a magazine article but shorter than a book. “These singles allow real writers a chance to stretch their legs,” he writes.
He says Amazon’s effort is being led by journalist David Blum.
From the business side of things, it’s interesting to note that writers get to set the price tag on their work and keep 70% of royalties — though prices are low, just a few dollars per piece.
It’ll be interesting to see how well received Kindle Singles are. If readers bite, then this could turn out to be a great market for talented freelance writers.