[charlesatan]

There's a term for that kind of phenomenon but I forgot what it's called edit: "fix-up novel"

It really depends on the short story/novelette/novella: is there room for it to grow/expand?

Linking it to other stories are a different matter. Sometimes, the short stories were really chapters in a novel to begin with. Sometimes it's the reverse.

It still happens in genre. Margo Lanagan's The Brides of Rollrock Island/Sea Hearts (title depends on where you are) was previously a novella. Jeffrey Ford's The Shadow Year was also based on a novella of his (different ending though).

If done right, I don't feel it's a cheat. On the other hand, some were better off left as short stories/novellas/novelettes.