Sniplits: Downloadable Audio Short Stories

by Courtney Mroch | More from this Blogger

30 Apr 2008 09:57 AM

I am very excited to introduce you to Sniplits. Their tagline is "Audio Shorts 2 Go" and they mean it. Their stories are published DRM-free, making them compatible with any device that plays digital music, which means you can take them on the go with you wherever that may be!

What Kind of Stories Does Sniplits Publish?

Sniplits publishes a variety of genres. From Literary/Mainstream to Romance, Horror to Humor they're sure to have a story that will appeal to any taste. (They even have a Tweens2Teens section.)

Complete Listing of Sniplits' Genre Categories

Literary, Mainstream

Adventure, Travel, Sports

Humor

Horror, Spinetinglers

Period Pieces, Historical Fiction

Mystery, Crime, PI

Romance

Speculative, SF, Fantasy, Myth

Suspense, Thriller

Western

Tweens2Teens

Do I Have to Become a Member to Buy?

While it's true Sniplits offers a Community where you can discuss your favorite stories, join author fan clubs, join groups, and create your own page, you don't have to become a member just to download a story. (You do if you want to participate in all that other stuff though.)

Speaking of Buying...How Much Do Stories Cost?

Not very much. Most stories cost less than a buck. (88 cents) However, they also have 48 cent specials --for stories that run under five minutes.

Speaking of Listening Time...How Long Are the Stories?

As I mentioned above, some are short. I believe the shortest one available currently is "Victory" by Marianne Crone that's all of 42 seconds long. Some are just over a minute, like Guy Belleranti's "Doctor's Orders," Lydia Ondrusek's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," and Karen Bernardo's "The Year the Tree Fell on the House."

Are There Longer Stories?

You bet. In fact, one way Sniplits lets you browse stories is by Listening Time. You'll find that option by clicking the "Stories" tab which will take you to a page where you can find Stories by Author, Stories by Listening Time, or Stories by Type.

(And in case you're wondering, the longest story currently available is "Holy Spirit" by Sally Bellerose --just over an hour.)

Complete Listing of Listening Time Options

Less than Five Minutes

5-10 Minutes

10-20 Minutes

20-30 Minutes

Over 30 Minutes

Tell Me About Downloading and Paying

Sniplits uses PayPal to check customers out. But if you don't have a PayPal account, no worries. They have it set up where you can use your credit card too. (It still goes through PayPal, but you don't have to have an account with them.)

As far as downloads...I guess that depends on your computer and if you have high-speed Internet or not. I downloaded one of the longer stories and it took less than a minute. (But I have high-speed Internet service.)

How Come You're So Excited About This, Courtney?

Okay, you busted me. Just as I was excited to share Amazon Shorts with you, I'm excited to share Sniplits because I also have a story available there. ("Aunt Charlotte" which you can find under the "Mystery, Crime, PI" offerings.)

Be sure to check out other interesting and useful websites in the Computing Blog.

CORRECTION: I wanted to clarify something. PayPal is serving as Sniplits' merchant bank to process credit cards rather than to "check people out." Sorry for any misconceptions I may have caused.

Courtney Mroch writes about animals great and small in Pets and the harmony and strife that encompasses married life in Marriage. For a full listing of her articles click here.

Learn more about Courtney Mroch

Courtney Mroch is a wife, a proud pet parent, and a writer. She's been with her husband, high school sweetheart Wayne Pryor, over 20 years, married 11 of those. She's "mom" to Mr. Meow, a.k.

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