Hay Festival 2013: The magic of short stories Inevitably, the boom days of big book advances ended with the recession: at the moment, even well-known authors are receiving a fraction of what they once did for a typical novel advance. We have all been reminded that, historically, very few writers have ever earned a living solely from their craft. And magically, mysteriously, short fiction, that butterfly of a literary form, is back, as authors collectively remember that a few beautiful words that earn us nothing is why we got into the game in the first place. In addition, the explosion of accessibility and creativity encouraged by the internet lends itself perfectly to the short story form. The Kindle Singles initiative; Shortfire Press, where you can download short stories from new and established writers; small presses such as Short Books and Salt Publishing, literary salons such as the Word Factory - new ventures working at the cutting edge of our literary culture spring up every day. Even in more traditional forms of publishing, the short story has seen a remarkable renaissance. Published authors of huge repute now vie for the Sunday Times Short Story Award or the BBC National Short Story Award. Last year, the Society of Authors launched a Save the Short Story campaign, including a short-story Tweetathon. Short story competitions have always formed launchpads for new writers to establish themselves. An online search for them will produce more than you could ever enter in a lifetime, including a new Costa Prize category for a short story, brand-new initiatives for flash and fan fiction, and the long-standing Bridport Prize and Asham Award. At The Daily Telegraph, we ran our own monthly short story competition for the whole of 2012 and received more than 4,000 entries. The Short Story Club is still thriving online at my.telegraph.co.uk/theshortstoryclub, where you will find all the columns, advice and writing exercises and an opportunity to post your responses. George Saunders and James Salter talk to Gaby Wood on Sunday May 26 at 7pm at the Landmarc 100 Stage [Event 116]. Apple Tree Yard" by Louise Doughty is published by Faber.