What do you want to know before submitting to a fledgling market?

W.L. Marks · Oct 18, 2012

So, I'm planning to ask the editor of a fledgling paying market a few questions before I submit, so that I can get a better handle on what he's looking for and on his plans for the future of his publication. I figure this would actually be a great opportunity to offer him an interview on my blog (my blog is fairly new and the opposite of a big deal, but since there's not much out there about this market...) so that other writers wouldn't be left wondering as well.

With that in mind...

What do you really want to know before submitting to a brand new market? What questions do you wish the editor's site would address?

Datepalm · Oct 18, 2012

Thinking about it a bit, I guess I want contradictory things as a reader and as a writer - as a reader, i'd like to know what makes this mag stand out from a hundred other genre mags, but as a writer, i'm just glad I have another market to get rejected from

V1c · Oct 18, 2012

I want to know there is a business plan in place already, and that it is ready to handle the current marketplace. The fuzzy 'why are you starting a magazine' is great as a reader, as a writer I want stability, plans for growth, contingency plans, what qualifications the people running the magazine have, etc. I want to know my stories are in good hands and if rejected - I'm rejected by quality, darnnit.

W.L. Marks · Oct 18, 2012

Ah...V1c, you read my mind!

That's the kind of thing I always want to know as well. I'm working on these questions right now, trying to phrase them so that I'll get the answers I want without sounding terribly nosy or rude.

I plan to use these questions for multiple markets, because I'd love to make this a regular feature on my blog, helping fledgling markets get the word out and helping writers to determine whether they're the kind of places they want to submit or not.

But it's hard to come up with PC questions to the effect of "Is this zine going to be the next Clarkesworld? Or are you going to flop around for a couple of months and then die a squeaky little death?"

You always hope it's the former of course, but too often it seems to be the latter.

katsincommand · Oct 18, 2012

Information on the editor and past experience. If the editor has never done a zine/antho before, it's one of the key indicators that it's a scam. I won't submit to those. But if the editor has no experience of his or her own and this is a legitimate business attempt, have a bio or something for to give the editor a face would make up for that.

Maryn · Oct 18, 2012

"Do you pay on acceptance or publication?" For any new market, that's a biggie, because if their business plan is unsound, they may take your story, never publish it, and its ownership can be in limbo because you signed a contract.

I guess from a writer's perspective there are the standard questions about any market. What sort of material are you looking for? What publications do you consider your most direct competition? What material do you hope never to see? What are the publishing, writing, or business backgrounds of the owner, editor, staff? Do you accept subs from people who work there? Do you operate any businesses connected with writing or writers other than this publication? How do you avoid conflicts of interest? What is your marketing plan to get the publication into readers' hands? How will it be distributed? What is your hat size?

Maryn, just full of questions

W.L. Marks · Oct 18, 2012

You're absolutely right, Maryn. Payment on acceptance covers a host of other potential concerns, because at least you've been somewhat remunerated for your work. It also helps to address the fear that the publication might be trying to scam writers...scammers don't usually pay scammees.

Polenth · Oct 18, 2012

I want to know the names of the people running the project and what experience they have in publishing. I also want a clear breakdown of the rights they ask for and the payscale. In less direct things, I want a nice layout to the site and lack of typos.

If all those things aren't provided (or publishing experience is "well, it looks like fun and I wrote a story once") I don't submit. I give those markets a year, to see where they're going.

In a case where the site and editor hits all the right buttons, then I want to know what they're looking for, what authors they enjoy reading and so on.

What do you want to know before submitting to a fledgling market?

W.L. Marks

Datepalm

V1c

Hmmmmm

W.L. Marks

katsincommand

Writer, Not Quitter

Maryn

At Sea

W.L. Marks

Polenth

Mushroom