Advice for a Newbie

folkchick said:

I've been thinking lately about submitting some of my stories, but am having trouble getting over the fear of the whole thing. I saw the thread about dream sales, but was curious about where everyone here had been published—dream sales included of course! Also, what kind of genre did you submit? How long did it take you to get published? What are your suggestions for someone who is just starting out?

I write in the vein of mainstream literature; kind of quirky, sometimes romantic. I also write memoirs of my childhood in the late 70's.

Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!

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What is there to be afraid of? Stories get rejected, not writers. We all receive rejections. I have about three hundred under my belt. But I've also sold a big bunch of short stories, and several novels.

Rejection is just a fact of life. It isn't personal, no one thinks less of you, and a rejection means only that an editor either didn't like a particular story, or didn't think it fit his magazine. The next editor who sees the story might love it.

I wrote one story that was rejected,well, I can't remember how many times, but it was more than a dozen. Some really tiny magazines rejected it. Then Sports Afield bought it, paid me a thousand bucks, and asked for more stories. That same story later sold to Cricket for $375.

That first short story was a western, but I've sold stories in pretty much every genre there is. The one thing I've always done, however, even with that first story, back when I knew nothing about writing and less about getting published, is know the market I'm writing the story for. That first story was intentionally written for a magazine called "Far West." I read several issues of the magazine front to back, and then sat down and wrote a story I be lived would fit. It did.

I always write with a particular magazine in mind, but I also write so that the story stands a chance in as many magazines as possible. To sell, I've found doing this helps immensely.

Because I write with the aim of selling to a particular magazine, but also write in a way that gives the story a chance at several other magazines, the dozen plus rejections the Sports Afield story received earlier meant nothing. They didn't mean editors thought I couldn't write, and they didn't mean the story wasn't any good. They just meant that particular story wasn't right for the editors who rejected it. It was right for the editors who bought it.

I sold the first three short stories and the first two novels I wrote before having anything rejected, but numbers don't matter.

My advice to any new writer is write as often as possible, know your markets, and keep the stories in submission. Heinlein's Rules say it all.

HEINLEIN'S RULES FOR WRITING

1. You must write.
2. You must finish what you write.
3. You must refrain from rewriting, except to editorial order.
4. You must put the work on the market.
5. You must keep the work on the market until it is sold.


I understand your fear, but there's really nothing to be afraid of. An editor may reject one of your stories, or ten of your stories, but the editor will never reject you. Writing means having some stories rejected. This doesn't mean you're a failure, it means you're out there trying your best.

The best things you can do if you want to see your short fiction published (and be paid for it) are to write, grow a thick, tough skin, remember what James said in the post above about rejection is about the work not the writer, and keep writing.

Many of my stories that have since been published in a variety of markets were first rejected numerous times. My novel that I recently sold was rejected several times and turned down by agents before a publisher accepte it.

Don't give up. Don't be afraid to revise what you write if it isn't selling. Be stubborn. Know your markets and know them well.

I took the plunge myself and the first couple of times I submitted things got rejected.
Just when I thought the story might be simply bad, someone accepted it.

Do what I did. Take the plunge. At some point you'll start floating.

folkchick said:

I've been looking online at all the different markets, but I think I'll go to Border's tonight and the library, and go through anything I find there—just to get familiar with what's out there. I think if I do that, I'll feel more comfortable with submitting.

Thanks again!

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Excellent idea...if writing had ten commandments, know thy markets would be a good one. Depending on what markets you want to submit to, you might also think about visiting the local college or university library - they often have some of the smaller and literary mags that bookstores don't always stock.

I'm a newbie here too - so take my advice for what you are paying for it

Rejection is an industry standard. EVERYONE gets rejected, the trick is not to get dejected. In fact the rejections are kind of like dueling scars. The other thing to remember is that the industry is changing in a big way. In a way that it hasn't for over a century. Within that change there will be many opportunities for good, polished, professional writing.

Leave the shore ...