What’s the best length of time for an author to read at an event? The question has haunted generations of writers and publishing reporters.
At the Los Angeles Festival of Books, the Dime Stories reading set a strict three-minute time limit for a team readers. After listening to these stories at the book festival, this GalleyCat editor thinks three might be the magic number. What do you think?
Dime Stories founder Amy Wallen summed up why in a simple sentence: “Everybody has time for a three-minute story.” Orange County Dime Stories host Michele McCormick explained: “It has really taught us how to edit– to throw away the nuggets we want to hold on to. At the readings, if somebody goes over the three minute limit, we give them an hourglass to take home with them.”