I love Poe's short story's some of the best.

While I usually don't like Steven King or Dean Koontz they both write excellent shorts.

'A Christmas Carol' is really more of a short story, and a good example of how shorter works can be better. I love Dickens, but he does run on in some of his stories...... Many of his longer works were actually serializations- published in penny papers and magazines and then compiled into novel form later.

Murikami and TC Boyle both have fantastic collections of short stories.

Yes, I had to drag myself through Great Expectations, and didn't give him another try. Perhaps I should. I found the filler chapters (where I assume he simply ran out of something to say at the moment but had to deliver a chapter for that week's publication) really, really grating.

I feel similarly about Neil Gaiman. Love his comic books and short fiction, and don't care for most of his longer novels.

Then never EVER try reading any unabridged versions of Victor Hugo's works.

There isn't any padding in Les Miserables! The unabridged version is the only one worthy of reading. (Though that is about as far from "short fiction" as you can get.)

Hunchback, however, can be trimmed down to about 25 pages without serious harm.

I've only read Hunchback, which is one of my favorite books. I love Hugo's writing style. Dickens far less.

Ah, I think I disagree. I loved reading him going on and on about architecture, but that's a particular passion of mine...

Can I de-rail for a second?

Headliner (my daughter age-12) came up with an interesting idea today. After we take a little time to flush it out I'd like to present it to a publisher.

My questions include:

Who to bring it to, can it be a draft or do you need a complete project?
Etc...

It would be marketed at Girls pre-teen to teen.

Thanks for any help.