The author should be proud of his skills to write a tight, taunt short story that will hold the reader's interest. Such a story in a stripped form could be placed, with embellishments, to blend into a full length novel. Robert E. Howard used to recycle some of his short stories to be placed in novels as a sub-plot.

I want to also encourage writers to get the mechanics of writing. With a few short stories, an author can propel themselves into a novel. Even a short story can be an accomplishment.