Book publishers produce short story collections written by a single author, as well as short story anthologies put together with a range of various different authors contributing. While it is possible for some new authors to get published in this manner, it is unlikely a large publisher will contract an author for a book of short stories unless they have been previously published. Small-scale publishing houses and university presses are your best bet for publishing a collection of your stories.
Literary journals are magazines which specifically feature creative writing in the form of stories, poetry and interviews with authors. Some literary journals pay authors for their contributions, while others pay with free copies or subscriptions. Submitting short stories to journals is very useful for building up a writing resume. According to Susan Sellers, author of "Taking Reality by Surprise", once an author has been published in at least 10 different literary journals, they can then approach a publisher with an idea for a book or collection. For a list of available literary journals, refer to the News Pages web site.
Electronic magazines, also known as ezines, are one of the most popular forms of publishing for new authors available today. While ezines often do not pay or pay very little for contributions, they offer an author readership of a large international online community. For a list of available electronic magazines, visit the Ezine Directory web site.
There are a several roads available for those who have decided to take the self-publishing route. Some authors begin a blog and post their short stories for free on the Internet, while others authors create websites and offer their short stories in digital format either for free or for a small price. You can print collections of short stories or format them into eBooks through services such as Lulu.
Other places where you can see your short stories published include local newspapers, magazines, newsletters, story competitions and even local or national radio programs. Contact the people in charge of editing or organizing these publications and find out if they are currently accepting short story submissions.