In keeping with my earlier post about not resting on the laurels of my accomplishment (which is still ongoing, by the way, and going well, thank you, very much), I have been spending time each weekend searching for magazines to place a couple of my short stories that I think are polished enough to be sent out into the world. I'm also keeping an eye out for a publication looking for longer works for another one of my stories, a 14,000 word monster based in the universe created by H.P. Lovecraft. And book publishers for my first novel. And...
You get the picture.
It feels like drudgery at times. Scouring the internet for that one place that will be a good home for your creation can be frustrating, especially when your story matches a publication's guidelines almost perfectly, only to be disqualified by one or two things like length. It can take quite a while to find the best fit for your story, and then you've got to write up your query, dig to find out a name to address it to (you should always do so, whenever possible. It shows you're serious about sending to that publication, and not simply trolling) and quite possibly changing the format of your story because you wrote it in Garamond font and that particular mag wants submissions written in Courier New, single-spaced, while the next one wants it in Times New Roman, double-spaced, and so on, and so on.
Drudgery, like I said. But if you want to be published, this is what you have to do. Luckily, there are resources to help. There's The Writer's Market guides that list tons of magazine and book publishers by name, and include their general guidelines, pay per word or story, and other information to get you started. There are online resources as well. For me, my first stop after typing "The End" on my story is DarkMarkets. Their listings are, as you may have guessed by the title, specifically geared towards horror writers. They do a great job of updating their site with the latest info, and you can even sign up to have their newsletter containing the newest listings emailed to you. Cool, huh?
Once you've found the best place for your gem, make sure you've got it decked out according to that pub's specs, or you're going to have wasted a good bit of time only to have ruined the best chance for your story to see the light of day. I'll dive deeper into that subject another time. For now, I'll leave you with this thought: The business side of writing may not have the glamour and romance of the writing itself, but it is necessary. And if you want this to be more than just a fun hobby, you will do everything you can to learn the ins and outs of that business. Talent aside, that may be the only thing that separates you from the writers with the list of publishing credits. Capisce? Of course, you do. So go on, get to work, why dontcha?
Peace,
Chris
You get the picture.
It feels like drudgery at times. Scouring the internet for that one place that will be a good home for your creation can be frustrating, especially when your story matches a publication's guidelines almost perfectly, only to be disqualified by one or two things like length. It can take quite a while to find the best fit for your story, and then you've got to write up your query, dig to find out a name to address it to (you should always do so, whenever possible. It shows you're serious about sending to that publication, and not simply trolling) and quite possibly changing the format of your story because you wrote it in Garamond font and that particular mag wants submissions written in Courier New, single-spaced, while the next one wants it in Times New Roman, double-spaced, and so on, and so on.
Drudgery, like I said. But if you want to be published, this is what you have to do. Luckily, there are resources to help. There's The Writer's Market guides that list tons of magazine and book publishers by name, and include their general guidelines, pay per word or story, and other information to get you started. There are online resources as well. For me, my first stop after typing "The End" on my story is DarkMarkets. Their listings are, as you may have guessed by the title, specifically geared towards horror writers. They do a great job of updating their site with the latest info, and you can even sign up to have their newsletter containing the newest listings emailed to you. Cool, huh?
Once you've found the best place for your gem, make sure you've got it decked out according to that pub's specs, or you're going to have wasted a good bit of time only to have ruined the best chance for your story to see the light of day. I'll dive deeper into that subject another time. For now, I'll leave you with this thought: The business side of writing may not have the glamour and romance of the writing itself, but it is necessary. And if you want this to be more than just a fun hobby, you will do everything you can to learn the ins and outs of that business. Talent aside, that may be the only thing that separates you from the writers with the list of publishing credits. Capisce? Of course, you do. So go on, get to work, why dontcha?
Peace,
Chris
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