I wasn't sure which topic to post this in, so hopefully I chose correctly. I was just wondering if anyone has experience with publishing short stories. Before I start asking questions, I'll give you the basics about the story. I guess it would be a horror story, about 1800 words long.
Anyway...
Would a magazine be the best place to get this published?
If not, where?
If so, any suggestions? I would prefer it to be a magazine that I as a minor could buy and read without getting in trouble, but would also rather it not be a "Teen Specific' magazine.
What would be the best way to get in contact with and market the story to a magazine/other publishing method?
thanks in advance for your help!
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60,054 / 50,000
Jun 30, 2008 - 12 43
Moving to Novel Draft Aftercare
57,563 / 50,000
Jul 1, 2008 - 09 14
Things you'll need:
1. Your story written and finished.
2. Your story edited to perfection. Use other writers to help you out and Betas, if you can find them. (This means to terminate your editing process, and find one suiting for you)
3. A list of publishers, most likely magazines. Try here: http://www.duotrope.com/ and here: http://www.ralan.com/ Tip: Don't narrow the bar too much and don't pay to be published--though both those sites seem to try very hard to make sure sleazy publishers don't get in.
4. A cover letter based on those places you plan to submit to. Get the editor and the name of the magazine right. Do queries if you have to. Read the instructions carefully and well.
5. An expectation for rejections. You will get rejected a whole ton even if your story is edited ad nauseum. If you make a game of it it is a whole lot more fun.
6. Persistence. Until you wipe off all the magazines that could ever accept your story, don't give up.
7. When you do get published, be willing to a. make changes. b. take a very, very small pay check that is worth probably a quarter of your time. Getting published in a magazine is always pittance of money. You probably could buy a book with the money you get... Or a round of beer. So if you want to publish, don't expect returns on the postage even for sending out all those stories. So publish because you want your name out there. Think of it that way.
Another key is while you submit and edit, write a new story... always have one going while the others are being submitted and edited. It will make your current story better and your future stories good too. It's also a good idea in general. It means you renew hope every time you start a new story...
In general, it's a good idea to read Writer's Market every year. The front matter goes over this kind of stuff every year. It will help you to get published if you are persistent enough and don't care about the money.
67,548 / 50,000
Jul 7, 2008 - 08 04
As Kimberly Dawn mentioned above, Writer's Market is a good source but make sure you double check the information in a listing. Things change during the publication of the guide, and a potential market may not be accepting submissions or it might have gone out of business, particularly in the case of small press journals. Remember: Google is your friend.