Paid or Unpaid?

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True North

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How do you decide when submitting a short story if you should submit it for pay or not?
 

Soccer Mom

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I always submit for pay. Sometimes I submit for token payment, it's true.

I like getting paid. But the most important thing is to submit to markets that I read and that I really like. If I like the magazine or ezine, then I'm happy to have a story there. And it's probably not a coincidence that the markets I enjoy also pay for their stories. Paying markets tend to get the best stories. Markets that pay really well, they tend to get the very best stories.
 

Bubastes

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What Soccer Mom said. I stopped submitting to non-paying markets this year.
 

wordmonkey

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Depends on the whos, whys and wherefores.

If I think the project is good, the people I'll work with are good (I'm mostly talking about the comicbook writing I do on that part) and the exposure is good, I'll sacrifice immediate pay.

But I'm VERY selective in what I write for other people. If I'm gonna sacrifice time I could be spending on my own stuff, to work on someone else's project, it's gotta be good and it's gotta benefit my career - even if that's just making some connections.

Never say never, is my motto on this.
 

DamaNegra

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Eh, I don't submit short stories. I just upload them to internet, and if anyone finds them and reads them, good. I don't want to make money off my short stories. Novels, though, I want to make money on.
 

PeeDee

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Always paid. Whether it's contributor copies, or cashy money, always paid. At a certain point, you have to say to yourself "I am a professional full-time writer. I am as professional as Stephen King. As Nora Roberts," and then do thou accordingly.

This doesn't mean I'm totally ruling out a story for free....but, if I do, it's for a friend, it's a favor. Even then, my schedule would have to be significantly more deadline-free than mine is before I'd agree to it.

Even if it's not much pay, go for the pay. It's less about the money and more about the credit, and the professionalism.
 

maestrowork

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Paid. I don't think I've ever submitted to any places that don't at least offer to pay -- now, whether they end up paying me is another matter. :)
 

Harper K

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Definitely paying markets, even if they just provide a token payment. I always aim for the top at first, though -- you're never sure that Paris Review, Ploughshares, etc. don't want you until you have the rejection letters to prove it.
 

Jamesaritchie

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How do you decide when submitting a short story if you should submit it for pay or not?

It shouldn't require a decision. You start with the highest paying magazine possible, and work your way down the list. Have faith in yourself and your writing.
 

PeeDee

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And if you're a fan of the editor, then it's cool to even have the rejection letter. I don't care if it rejected my story, I dig my half-sheet of paper with Ellen Datlow's signature on it.
 

KTC

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Paying for short story.

I have done freelance work for charity/cause.
 

DragonHeart

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Paid.

I may not have sold anything yet, but I'd rather have a stack of unsold stories than a stack of them that I gave away. It's a matter of principle on my part. I believe I should be paid for my work and writing is work, even if I happen to enjoy doing it.

~DragonHeart~
 

PeeDee

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Ditto. Get rejected a few times before settling for an unpaid market just to get a publishing credit.

It'd have to be a lotta rejections before I'd do that. I might consider running the story through another draft first...
 

drachin8

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I like submitting to paying markets so that my stories can cover the theoretical cost of a celebration dinner. I like "free" food.


:)

-Michelle
 
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