Query letters for short fiction

For short stories, the usual practice (in my experience, anyway) is to simply send in the short story with a really brief cover letter (enclosed/attached for your consideration is TITLE, a XXX-word short story" and perhaps a one-sentence description of the story, e.g., "short story featuring ...." or "short story based on ..." or "short story that answers the question 'what if ...'"). If you have relevant writing credits, add them to the end of the cover letter. For instance, when my stories feature a legal issue or a character who's a lawyer, I'll mention that I'm a lawyer. When I submit to a place that's published my stories before, I'll mention that my previous story, TITLE, was published in their DATE issue.

The cover letter is briefer than a fiction query and perhaps a little more like a non-fiction query, at least when the non-fiction piece is pre-written on spec, with the article attached.

Also, it looks like that's pretty much what Woman's World wants -- the actual manuscript, rather than a query. Check out this discussion here at AW:

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29208

JD

I've never sent a cover letter with a WW story, and it hasn't been a problem.

Unfortunately, Jimmy Meiss just passed away (see separate thread). So, on the front of the envelope, say "Attn: Fiction Editor" or "Attn: Johnene Granger." I think they also want you to specify that it's a romance (as opposed to a mystery).

Woman's World Submissions

I just received a response email from the editorial department at WW - their Romance Fiction word count is 800 words, and they pay $250 for chosen submissions. Query letters should be brief.

Good luck

They're only paying $250 now? It used to be $1000.

seaaircarol said:

They're only paying $250 now? It used to be $1000.

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I think that was for longer stories, wasn't it? $250 for 800 words seems fine; $1000 for 800 words is lavish like whoa.

Well, that's true. Maybe they lowered the pay to correspond with the lower word count (although I don't think they ever took anything over 1100 words, so it's not that much of a difference).

Yeah, but that's still a HUGE change. Down from $1 per word to less than 32 cents a word. I wonder why...

One of the reasons why Woman's World was such a big coup to a writer is because it was such a high-end market. As it stands, I probably won't bother anymore. I can get more elsewhere for the same word count.

Cathy, Britgal & everybody else,

The pay rate for Woman's World is still the same. I requested guidelines for fiction only earlier this month (November 2008) & received them via email. It's still $1,000 for romance (800 words) & $500 for mini-mysteries (700 words).

The $250 must be for one of the nonfiction article categories.

I'm submitting a romance this week. It may be too serious for their taste but I don't know anywhere else to send it that pays decent.

I assume Johnene Granger is still the fiction editor--the guidelines didn't specify a name, just Fiction Editor.

Anyone know? email or snailmail submissions?

Woman's World only accepts snail mail submissions:
Editor's Name and/or Title
Woman's World
270 Sylvan Avenue
Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632

If you're sending fiction, note Romance or Mystery on the envelope. They froth at the mouth if you don't include an SASE.

Good luck!

Cathy C said:

Yeah, but that's still a HUGE change. Down from $1 per word to less than 32 cents a word. I wonder why...
.

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Because they can.

I think I've mentioned that a few years back the True magazines (True Confessions, True Love, etc.) REDUCED their payment from .05 per word to .03 per word. They'd paid .05 for like 20 years -- and instead of raising the rate after all that time, and giving the writers a raise, they lowered.

Many of the writers who had been writing for them for years decided not to do it anymore -- but there were plenty more writers waiting to send in their stories for .03.

So...because they can.

Susan G.

What Susan said...because they can!

I hope Ashling is correct and it remains $1000 for 800 words, but even at that, the chances of 'breaking in' are....I don't know???

I only tried once, a number of years ago. I don't write that short--although for a thousand bucks I'd like to learn! But I do know several authors who have been trying for YEARS, many of whom have even received 'revision requests' and ultimately still been rejected.

With the webby info, I think these places are just buried now, as opposed to a few years back when you had to 'research and snail mail' to get info.