Looking for advice on submitting: high-level or low-level?

[rowriter]

Hi Everyone,

Hope you can help me a bit. I have a short story ready for submission. I am unpublished except for a few poems (most recently in a college publication), and still pretty wet behind the ears as far as submitting goes.

What I'm curious about is whether I should submit to the big-name guys before I start submitting to lesser-known publications?

I've heard different ways of going about it: starting with the big name publishers first, then if those don't accept, moving lower and lower on the rung. Then there's starting with the lesser known publications because you're more likely to be published there.

What do you think is the best way to go about it?

And as a side question, should I mention in any cover letters that I have had poetry published, or is this beside the point?

Thanks for any responses and/or links to previous threads concerning this...

[arrowqueen]

As long as your story fits their remit, then my advice is to aim high. (Since I'm a mercenary cow, I go for the best-paying market first, then work my way down.)

[DeniseK]

That's what I've been doing too. However, may I make a suggestion? It is easy to become disheartened by the slow response time or the complete lack of a response at all from the big guys, much less the rejections.

Keep writing more stories and sending them to the big name mags, but while you wait, write some more stories, maybe just flash fiction, and send to small, respected literary magazines. They answer quickly, like within days or weeks, and if they reject you, many of them send a personalized response with a critique of why and encourage you to submit again. It is much easier to get accepted, the credits will help build your portfolio, not counting the positive boost to your ego.

Good luck,

Sarah

[JAlpha]

Write, revise, revise some more, submit to the high-end markets, write, revise, submit to the mid-level markets, write, revise, submit to the little lits, write, revise, enter some contests, write, revise, submit, write more, submit, write, submit, write, submit, write, write, write, write, revise, revise, revise, revise, submit, submit, submit, submit . . .

It's a momentum thing. Honest :)

[DeniseK]

Jalpha is absolutely right. Writing breeds writing.

[rich]

Take the attitude that what you write is worthy of the big guys. After rejection, send those stories to the low pubs. It's a win win situation.

[rowriter]

Thanks for all the responses!!

I think I'll start with the big guys first, since that seems the most logical (and if they actually accept it, well yay!). My rejection pile is sadly low, so I need to build it up!

Thanks for the encouragement, too. I'm keeping myself very busy lately, working on my first novel right now, and starting work on another story I wrote a few years ago (I've got about ten that need to be 'shaped up' for submission). I'm hoping to finish the novel in about two weeks (I've got the scenes worked out till the end, we'll see if they stay that way, lol) and at that time I'm going to start working on a new short story; I haven't written a completely new one in a couple of years. Then in November, it's NaNoWriMo and time to start my second novel.

Thanks for everyone's responses!! This place sure does help keep me positive and motivated. :)

[Mike Coombes]

Forget how big they are. Does the story dovetail with what they publish?

You stand a far greater chance of acceptance if you do your homework first.

[rowriter]

Forget how big they are. Does the story dovetail with what they publish?

You stand a far greater chance of acceptance if you do your homework first.

That's a given (at least, it is for me) and wasn't quite the reason for my question, but thanks for the response. I wasn't planning on just sending the story out to whoever, hoping to strike it lucky - I'm sorry if I gave that impression with my specific question. :Shrug: (hmmm...I suppose the term 'wet behind the ears' might give that impression, eh? lol)