Sticky Suggestions

[Izz]

In the near future i'll be doing some sticky maintenance here in Short Fiction. This will involve tidying up the market stickies somewhat, but it'll also involve creating a FAQ-style sticky relating to short fiction.

pdr has already suggested (and pdr was the initial sticky suggester, too) cover letters, and poppyseed has suggested manuscript format. That's two things.

What else should be included?

[Polenth]

Links to market listings, like Duotrope.

Possibly average word counts for shorts, as we get is this a short, what's flash fiction, etc.

[Smish]

Maybe something about person/tense choice? Even just a short post like, "Why yes... you can write in present tense. You can even write third person/present tense, if you like..." :D

[Izz]

Thanks for the suggests so far, peeps.

Any more?

[Gray Rose]

We could do a FAQ-like post with all the questions people ask, and in some cases link to responses. For example, "Is short fiction worth it?" seems to recur regularly. Another semi-regular question is about pen names (how to use them, where to sign, etc).

Even though this is a general short fiction forum, a lot of people here write SFF, so I think that a link to SFWA-qualifying markets and a link to Strange Horizons' list of tired plots would be good (again, perhaps from the FAQ).

[poppyseed]

I think a submission guide would be excellent. Kind of like a step by step guide for us clueless, and could have sections so we can skip to the ones we need, or read the whole thing if we're really new. For example:

I've written something...now what?

1. Classifying based on word count. Flash, Short Story, Novella etc.

2. A basic how-to on markets
-A basic explanation on how to find an appropriate market for your story
-How to approach said market
-A list of your basic markets separated by word count or genre or pay rate etc
-Resources such as Duotrope etc.

3. Before you submit- Manuscript formatting and Cover Letters
- Basic manuscript format, plus the warning to ALWAYS check the specific magazine's guidelines first
-What to put in a cover letter. The help the kind folks gave to me here (http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=211060) could be condensed into a basic: here's what it should look like (example) and don't try to be cute etc.

4. I've submitted...now what?
-Have a party, you're awesome!
-Check the market's guidelines as to when it's appropriate to query, most have a pretty long wait etc.
-Don't sit around and wait- write!
-Link to rejection/dejection thread and link to Accomplishment thread

5. Most Frequently Asked Questions/ Miscellaneous
- Some of the stuff people have already mentioned such as whether short fiction is worth it, person/tense choice.

6. Resources
-Links to handy advice etc

I don't know if this is even feasible, just throwing it out there. I felt like I was floundering when I first started out because I could never find a step by step guide or just a general "hey, this is how you go about it". I'd be happy to help out to, if you need a hand. Short stories are such a different world from novel submissions that I think it's easy to feel like you have no idea what you're doing and just kind of wing it. Then people make the sort of brilliant noob mistakes I did.

Thanks for taking suggestions Izz. :)

[dgaughran]

Just in case this post sounds weird, I wrote it as a separate thread (I didn't know this one existed), but I think a lot of the content holds.

Hi all,

I thought it might be useful for newcomers to our little sub-forum to write a general overview of the various ways they can sell their stories. It's not intended as an authoritative listing of markets, more as a primer to the whole world of magazines, reprints, anthologies, collections, and self-publishing shorts.

I have copied a draft below, and I am open to suggestions about what needs to be added or cut or expanded upon. Or if you want to rewrite the whole thing from scratch, I have no problem with that either. Hack away!

Then, if people think it's a good idea, and after everyone who wants to has contributed, we could post a clean version in a new thread and maybe ask one of the mods to sticky it. Alternatively, if you think we don't need anything like this, you can just stand back as this thread sinks to the bottom of the page, pops onto the next and dies the slow, slow death of the obscure.

Dave

GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE SHORT STORY MARKET

Magazines
There are lots of short story magazines, both online and offline, where you can submit your work. If it's accepted, you will receive a fee in return. Rates go from nothing or a few free copies, right up to pro rates of $0.05 a word or higher. Typically, stories between 2,000 words and 4,000 words are the most marketable, but you there's a market for all lengths.

Duotrope (http://www.duotrope.com/) is an excellent search engine for short story markets, and you can filter the results by genre, pay-rates, and so on. It's also great if you have something which is of an awkward length, like a novella, as you can search for places that accept those. Ralan (http://www.ralan.com/) is another, more geared towards science-fiction, horror, and fantasy.

This sub-forum is an excellent resource where you can get the skinny on what editors are looking for, and they way they like submissions to appear. It's a great support network with writers of all levels, and you can find great beta readers here too.

There are also two other sections called Paying Markets (http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=24), and Non-Paying Markets (http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=25), where you will see calls for submissions from editors. Check back regularly to see if there is anything that interests you.

Generally magazines pay for "first rights", meaning the story cannot have been published anywhere, even on your own website. Critique forums are exempt from this, as long as they are hidden from search engine bots in a password protected section, like we have here (http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=26) [(password: vista).

Magazines can be great for building up your writer's CV, and for seeing your name in print for the first time, but don't expect to make a living out of it. If you are planning to query an agent about a novel, a credit from a known magazine will help - at the very least the agent will read your query thinking it might be interesting as opposed to assuming it's probably going to be awful.

The main drawback with magazines is that they are often run on a very tight budget (not enough people are reading them), so hearing back on your submission can take anything from a week to a year, but two or three months is standard. Some markets allow simultaneous submissions, some require exclusives. Check first.

I'm not going to talk too much more about magazines here - there's a lot of information elsewhere on the subject - but you should know that it's crucial to follow the submission guidelines and you should read a copy of the magazine first. If you submit without seeing what kind of stories the editor likes, you are probably wasting the editor's time as well as your own, especially if it’s a competitive market.

Reprints

After you have sold the first rights to your story, there are a small number of magazines that you can sell the same story to again, although it is usually good form to wait a little after the first publication so as not to cannibalise the first editor's sales.

Rates are usually, but not always, less than you get for first rights, but it's great to get paid again for the same story, when the only work you have to do is to submit it. It's another publication credit on your CV, and it brings you more readers, which is what this is all about. Duotrope will allow you to search for markets which accept reprints.

Anthologies

Editors regularly put together collections (often on a single theme) and put out a call for submissions. Again, pay rates can range from nothing to free copies, a flat rate for acceptance, royalties from sales, or all three. If you sign up to Duotrope's newsletter, you will get a monthly list of available markets.

Sometimes they want first rights, sometimes they don't mind if a story has been published before or even reprinted. Check before submitting.

Selling Collections to Publishing Houses

This is very, very difficult. If you aren't already traditionally published (with good numbers), you are going to struggle to interest any agent in a collection. Linked collections may have a greater chance of success, but not by much.

This isn't a realistic option for most writers, especially if they haven't attended a prestigious MFA in Creative Writing, and are at an early stage in their careers. If you think that's unfair, ask yourself this: when is the last time you bought a short story collection by an unknown writer?

Maximising Your Short Story Income

If you have been following closely you will realise there are many different ways to sell the same story, but only if you are smart and you do it in the correct order. If you write short stories exclusively, or have a lot of them in the bank, you might consider setting up a system where you sell first rights, then reprints/anthology rights, and only then consider publishing them online. I advise this because once you publish them online, first rights are gone, and you severely restrict reprint/anthology options.

All of this depends on your goals, but if you want to maximise the income from each short story, at least consider the above.

If you are considering self-publishing short stories, you should be aware that there is not a lot of money in it. Even guys like Joe Konrath, who have been selling a ton of e-books, make little from short stories. You should also keep in mind, that if you are going to do this professionally, as in, if you are going to do this properly, you will, at the very least, have to spend money on a copy-editor and a cover-designer, and spend a lot of time learning things like formatting, and all about the various sales channels.

It’s not easy, and takes up a lot of your potential writing time.

If, given all of that, you still want to self-publish short stories you will find lots of advice on how to get started over in the Self-Publishing sub-forum (http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=47). It can be very rewarding (but often not in financial terms), but you need to know what you are getting into.

Each writer should make their own decision based on their own situation.

If you want to minimise your costs, and still do it professionally, I recommend waiting until you have five or six stories, then publishing one collection. If they are successful, you can release them individually, and you will have the money for the extra covers you will need.

[Izz]

Hi Dave

As you might've noticed, i'm going to be doing some sticky maintenance over the next day or two. One of the new stickies i'll be writing up will be an FAQ-type sticky, which some of what you've posted here could definitely fit within. I'll also be tidying up the market stickies.

My overall goal is to reduce clutter at the top of the page, so that more threads get first-page face-time, and that the info we need is easily accessible in one or two places.

Thank you for the work you've put into this. :)

In fact, i think i'll merge this thread with the sticky suggestion thread, which means things might get funky for the next few minutes ;)

Cheers
Izz

[Izz]

Threads merged. :)

[dgaughran]

Thanks Izz,

As you might have guessed, I hadn't spotted your thread when I started my own (thanks for merging). I think this thread is a great idea.

Dave

[pdr]

Poppyseed's idea is excellent although I would suggest keeping all the market lists/resources in a separate thread but with a link to them. That's because the market lists are huge.

I know most of you only use Duotrope but it is limited to a small number of markets compared to the actual number of markets out there and there are a number of other market lists which are invaluable, particularly for literary and contemporary markets.

I would also beg that the Sticky be noticeable. - In Purple capitals with flowers all round perhaps? - and whenever anyone asks the How do I question they are referred directly to the sticky.

I can't think of any other way to get new people to read stickies. Newbies will rush in where angels fear to tread and blurt out their need for instant magic wand aid but I've seen the same old questions come up month after month, year after year and I've run out of different ways of repeating the same answer and often don't post because of this.

[Izz]

I know most of you only use Duotrope but it is limited to a small number of markets compared to the actual number of markets out there and there are a number of other market lists which are invaluable, particularly for literary and contemporary markets.
pdr, do you have an up-to-date list of market listings? Many of the ones in the existing stickies are out-of-date or no longer exist (some now appear to lead to phishing sites (nzwriters.co.nz being one example)). I have a few other than duotrope and ralan to link to, but in no way are they exhaustive.

[pdr]

Yes, but no time now to send anything, end of month deadlines loom and I have several columns and market pieces to finish or edit for editors. Won't be free until May 8th to check and send a few lists people here might find useful.

[Izz]

Yes, but no time now to send anything, end of month deadlines loom and I have several columns and market pieces to finish or edit for editors. Won't be free until May 8th to check and send a few lists people here might find useful.Thank you, pdr. I appreciate how busy you are, and thank you muchly for your offer :)

[Polenth]

pdr, do you have an up-to-date list of market listings? Many of the ones in the existing stickies are out-of-date or no longer exist (some now appear to lead to phishing sites (nzwriters.co.nz being one example)).

The trouble with trying to keep our own lists is they'll get out-of-date too quickly. Perhaps better to focus on a list of lists?

[Izz]

The trouble with trying to keep our own lists is they'll get out-of-date too quickly. Perhaps better to focus on a list of lists?Yes, sorry, that's what i meant. A list of places that list markets, rather than a list of markets.

[Izz]

Right, the new market list sticky is up (http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=212041). The previous three market stickies have been unstickied, though relevant information from each of them is included in this sticky (and the international post info will be included in the FAQ sticky).

Let me know if i've missed anything from it.

[Izz]

I'm still yet to get around to the FAQ sticky, so if you've got anymore suggestions for what might be included, there's still time to let me know.

Also, at this stage i'm thinking of putting each question in its own post within the sticky, so i can then index from the main post.

[Polenth]

Another one I thought of was "Do you need an agent to submit short stories?"

That comes up fairly regularly.

[Sagana]

Did someone mention sim subbing yet? That seems to come up a lot.

[pdr]

Sim and Multiple subs please and what is a reprint? Reprints because new writers still think a story published online can be sold for First Print Rights.

And refer them to the sticky elsewhere explaining what a standard publishing format is.

And refer 'em to the sticky which points out the difference between US and UK/Commonwealth short story subs. There is a little more than just reading the guidelines.

[Lillie]

And refer 'em to the sticky which points out the difference between US and UK/Commonwealth short story subs. There is a little more than just reading the guidelines.

What's that then?

[pdr]

if you are sending a hard copy the standard in the UK/Commonwealth is to put a cover sheet on your story with all your and the story details on it. The story then begins on page one with the title at the top of the page.

USA print subs usually have all the writer's details on the top left of the first page. The story usually begins half way down the page.

Covering letters are usually more formal and business like for the UK/Commonwealth and usually require a writer's C.V. which is more formal than a 'brief bio'.

However, the first rule is always to check the magazine/zine/journal's guidelines and follow them. Editors have personal preferences and it's best to indulge 'em.