Duotrope - a free writer's resource

Do you write fiction? Poetry? Are you interested in getting your works published? Then you should head over to Duotrope. The site is absolutely fantastic. And it's free! Register, and you've got a stunning array of resources at your fingertips. Search for that perfect market for your story. Find out which markets pay and which ones don't. Check out the markets with the fastest responses, and which ones where your stories go to die.

Personal story: In 2010, I participated in 3 Day Novel. I wrote a 29k novella. I didn't win that competition. But I had this lovely story begging to be published. I found Duotrope, and idly looked at some markets. Huzzah! There was a competition that I did not even know about - The Galaxy Project. Max word size 20k. Out came the knives to that novella. Entered. Didn't win. Back to Duotrope. Another one! JournalStone's 2011 Short Story Contest. 12k max. More surgery on the shrunken novella. Entered. Huzzah! Acceptance! Honorable Mention - no pay. Darn. Back to the 'Trope. Here's one! Rocket Science. Talk about perfect fit! 6k max? Wait, what about that stuff I cut out going from 20k to 12k? Hey, that works! Enter. Rejected, came 'thiiiiis' close to acceptance....and the anthology is looking for more non-fiction pieces. How about I write about one of the main ideas behind my novella? Ding ding ding! Wrote it, sent it in, got an acceptance in NINE HOURS. And a check!

Moral of the story? I would NEVER have heard of ANY of these markets without Duotrope. . Now, I have a constant calendar of upcoming deadlines, where I take my stable of short stories, make sure they match the market, send them off, and wait anxiously for the result. Duotrope enables me to always have something in the pipeline.

I strongly urge all of you who are interested in publication to check out the 'trope. Just click on the image above.

Here's an example of Duotrope's wonderfulness and indispensibility. The Interview with the Editors. They have standard questions for the editors of many of the publications. Here's one:

Q: What do submitters most often get wrong about your submissions process?

If you've ever wanted to get any of your work published, Duotrope should be your constant companion along the way.