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| Dear Yahoo!: |
| How can I get a short story sold and published in a magazine? |
Cozy
Saginaw, Michigan |
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| Dear Cozy: |
For crying out loud, if we knew that, do you think we'd be here? Excellent question! Getting a short story published let alone sold takes talent, perseverance, and above all skin thick enough to withstand a barrage of rejection slips. The web site Soyouwanna.com outlines five steps for publication. Here they are, along with our own comments following each: - Make sure the story is publishable.
Ways to improve your fiction range from enrolling in a writing
program to posting your work on an online critique forum. At the very least, check your spelling and grammar, or editors will shovel you off the "slush pile" quicker than you can say Raymond Carver. - Decide which market you want to publish in.
Before you attempt placement in The New Yorker, aim for something less ambitious. There are hundreds of literary magazines, which you can
find online or in a publication directory. Don't forget to look at each potential market's submission guidelines first. - Make a detailed list of the publications you'll submit to.
One place to start is the Writer's Digest list of 30 best short story markets. And keep in mind, a majority of publications don't allow simultaneous submissions. - Prepare your submissions packet.
Make sure your story is correctly formatted. Include a cover letter. Standard formatting and submission procedures are available on the Web. - Understand your rights.
Periodicals most commonly acquire first serial rights. Copyright law protects your ideas from being
stolen. Now get crackin'!
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