Comments on: When to Mail Short Fiction To Traditional Publishers

By: Clare K. R. Miller

Clare K. R. Miller — Mon, 21 May 2012 03:39:45 +0000

Richard, if you’re still reading this (and I recommend this to everyone else who wants to submit short fiction to publishers, too), check out Duotrope.com. It has a powerful, customizable search to help you find markets (you can even specify pay, so you can only look at the markets that pay pro rates if you want) in any genre. And then once you’ve found the market, you can use the site to help keep track of your submissions.

Dean, this is a really interesting and helpful article, so thank you! You’ve confirmed my thinking that I, without any ebooks up yet (though I will have some soon!) and with not a whole lot of short fiction written, should keep sending stuff out to magazines and anthologies.

By: dwsmith

dwsmith — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:01:15 +0000

Richard, I am so out of that loop, I only go to Queen and Hitchcocks and then put it up indie. Anyone else around here to help out Richard?

By: Richard Jefferson

Richard Jefferson — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 05:16:48 +0000

What’s the best way to go about researching the top short story markets? I’m most interested in the Noir, Mystery/Thriller markets? Are there any short story markets for humor as well?

By: Thom

Thom — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 22:28:42 +0000

Yes. Novelettes are at $2.99 as stand alones, because they are at least 7,000 words. I’m going to add interview to those as well. Novellas will be at $3.99 to $4.99, once I get them up there. Flash Fiction pieces are anywhere from 800-1,000 words. They will eventually be put into an anthology of 8 to 10 of them at $2.99 to $3.99.

Thank YOU for the idea. It’s a good one. An offering goes in the TIP JAR

By: dwsmith

dwsmith — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 22:12:53 +0000

Wow, thanks, Thom. Sounds great and good idea on the excerpt on the novella. Great idea. And I assume the novellas are priced $2.99-$4.99 depending, right? Thanks and great idea on the interview.

By: Thom

Thom — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 21:34:42 +0000

Dean:

Thought i’d give an update on how I’m adapting your ACE DOUBLES concept, which I find brilliant and to which I tip my hat to you and your think tank.

I’m about to reconfigure my shorts into Duos. But in addition, I’m going to add an excerpt from one of my novellas or novelettes. Finally, each double “cover” will have a unique Q&A with the author on the writing of the cover story; kind of like a DVD interview. I’ve always been interested as a reader in the process, so I think this might work well.

So: story “A” will have cover A, bonus story “B:, an extended novella excerpt, and unique interview “A1.”
Story “B” will have cover B, bonus story “A”; an extended novella excerpt, and unique interview “B1″.

That will bring the word count of each duo to at least 10,000 words.

As I bank some flash fiction, I may also add a unique story to each cover.

Sell price: $2.99

Thom

By: dwsmith

dwsmith — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 01:08:41 +0000

Eric, honestly, for an average or what is common, it’s different from writer to writer. We used to call what you are figuring our “sell through.” But I looked at Asimov’s only for me, my rate would be 0 of 250. But if I looked at my overall stories, I sold almost 80% of everything I wrote eventually. And now that other 20% gets it day in the light with indie publishing as soon as I get that deep into my backlist. (grin)

So no right way, no common number, just your number. And you will discover that as you become a better writer with a ton of words under the fingers, that number will decrease. (grin) Works that way.

By: Eric Cline

Eric Cline — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 20:31:30 +0000

Dean, thanks for the math!

I have only submitted 18 stories to Asimov’s in this millennium, and I thought I was really paying my dues. Guess I’ve got a ways to go to catch up with you!

I did some math on my own blog and found a ratio of one in 31 of my story submissions get accepted. I’m okay with that, but it still would be good to know: is that common?

I’ve met some other writers who really do produce the pages (I’ve seen their completed stories) but then they either don’t submit anything or only submit it once and get discouraged. Good grief! These days, it doesn’t even cost postage to submit to most places!

Thanks again. And I would direct any newcomer to your blog to read your May 19, 2011 post on the myth that a writer can do SOMETHING that will somehow kill their career. I think it’s one of the most inspiring and useful pieces you’ve written: http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/?p=4131

By: dwsmith

dwsmith — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 22:43:57 +0000

Yes, historical fiction was a very strong genre for a time, just as gothic was a very strong genre and horror was a very strong genre. Historical fiction, gothic, and horror are all still around, of course, and readers still love them all, but because of traditional publishing, they are called by other names now, and absorbed into different areas of the bookstore. But all still there and being written.

By: Tom

Tom — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 21:54:56 +0000

That’s interesting. Was it ever a strong genre of its own, in your experience?

Thank you for your insight, I’ve found your blog columns on Publishing and The Freelancer’s Survival Guide to be invaluable in spelling out the reality of life as a writer and in gaining a broader perspective of the current self-publishing revolution.

I’ll look forward to meeting this Smokey Dalton, too!