Short fiction, be it flash fiction or longer ’short stories’, is a good way to learn dialogue, characterisation and structure. They are by no means “easy” to write, but they’re less daunting than a novel!
Once you’ve amassed a few stories, you might want to get them published. Be aware there are hundreds, if not thousands, of would-be writers sending their work to the same titles. Editors don’t have all the time in the world so they’ll pay more attention to manuscripts that follow their guidelines.
Give yourself a head start by following these seven tips to submission success!
1) Perfect your Work
Don’t send your first drafts to publications. That should be obvious!
Read and re-read your story, preferably leaving a couple of days between reads, until it’s as good as you can make it. If you have a critique group, ask them to look it over, or find a few helpful writer friends to beta-read for you.
You can take or leave their comments, but they might spot inconsistencies or awkward prose that you’ve skipped over. Remember you are writing this story to be understood by your reader, not just by you.
2) Find Suitable Titles
Now you’ve got your story to a publishable standard, you’ll want to find it a home. You can always Google terms such as “short story magazine” or “short fiction online” but I’m guessing you don’t have time to trawl through the pages and pages of results you’ll get.
Try looking at Duotrope’s Digest, which lets you search online markets by genre, word count, and even whether or not they offer payment. They offer a free trial, and then it’s $5 a month after that.
I’ve been asked whether a first time writer should aim high, or start small. I don’t see why a new writer shouldn’t try for the big name titles, but the competition is fierce. You can start small for your first couple of credits, and work your way up, or just start at the top.
The most important thing is finding a magazine or website that runs fiction that your own piece can sit alongside without embarrassment.
3) Browse Magazines/Websites
Identify magazines or websites that you think could be a good fit for your work. Now read some of the material they’ve already published! Many websites publish fiction for free and have back issues available. Some print magazines are often available as single issues so you can sample them.
List the titles in terms of where you’d most like to see your story. Will your work fit in with what they already publish? After all, there’s no point sending a gory horror tale to a website that publishes noir fiction.
Don’t think of this step as a waste of time. It’s important to know what the market is currently publishing, and besides, you could encounter some brilliant writers!
4) Check Submission Guidelines
Are the titles open to unsolicited submissions? Do they have a reading period? Do they charge for submissions? (If you’re new to the process, I’d advise you avoid these until you have a few publishing credits to your name) Do they have a word limit? If they do, then stick to it. If they don’t want anything over 2000 words, then they’re not going to accept a 15,000 word piece.
Check if they accept multiple submissions – i.e. can you send more than one piece at once? Also check if they accept simultaneous submissions. If they don’t, then if you submit your story to them, you won’t be able to submit it anywhere else until you get a reply. Some titles will send you a note whether you’re accepted or rejected, but some won’t. See if they give you a time frame within which to expect a reply.
Also double check their guidelines in case they run “themed” issues. You can use the theme as a prompt for a piece (as long as you submit before their deadline) or you may already have a piece that fits the theme, but don’t send something that doesn’t fit.
5) Check Formatting Guidelines
Many magazines or websites will ask you to submit your work in the body of an email in order to cut down on transmitted viruses found lurking in attachments.
But some titles will still request attachments. Make sure you stick to their guidelines and send files in the right format. Laying out your work is another hurdle. Many magazines or websites recommend the standard manuscript format found here.
If they don’t specify a layout, it’s probably best to follow this standard format anyway. A lot of titles are now using services such as Submishmash to accept submissions. Once you’ve created your account and submitted your piece, along with a short covering letter (which may in fact be a bio, depending on the title), the service allows you to track any submissions made to any titles through the site. Neat, huh?
6) What Are You Being Asked For?
Most places will ask you to simply send a submission, in which case your covering letter/email/note can be as short as “Dear Editor, (Insert their name if you know what it is – a browse of the site will normally yield this kind of info) Please find attached/enclosed/below my submission, titled “Blah blah blah”. It is approximately x words long. I look forward to hearing from you. Kind regards, Name”.
If you’ve had any prior publishing credits, you can insert them after the word count, but keep it brief. e.g. “I have had work previously published in A, B and C.” Some titles may request a bio, in which case include the bio after the covering note – if they want a bio, they’ll give you a word count, but most bios are between 30 and 100 words.
7) Submit!
If you’ve polished your piece to the point of perfection, and you’ve used their submission guidelines as a checklist, then what are you waiting for? Get submitting!
Afterword
It’s helpful to keep a list of what you send where, and when you send it. I use an Excel spreadsheet, with story titles down the side and magazine titles along the top. I colour the cells yellow when I submit (as well as entering the date) and then turn the cells either red or green depending on the reply.
Good luck! How do you increase you own chances of submission success? Please share your experiences in the comments below.
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Images courtesy of Duotrope’s Digest and Submishmash.
Really great tips. This seems to be the most daunting bit about the entire process.
xo Anne
Fab tips the last one about the spread sheet is really handy. I keep a log of everything I submit too and it’s super handy
My biggest issue is remembering to send stuff out!