Publishing
May 14, 2011 | 
Author Any writer who submits short stories to magazines, e-zines or anthologies knows response times do not always match what the publication states on their website. I’ve heard tales of waiting months and years after submission to hear a “no thanks, not for us” on a short story.
The writer of this Unsent Letter knows the same pain. Her story was accepted by another publication well after the 3 months the original publication gave for a response time. Read her tale here: Dear Editor, by A Writer.
As frustrating as it can be, what do you do about publications who do not respond in a reasonable amount of time (whatever that means)? Do you forget them and move on? Do you drop them increasingly pointed emails if they fail to respond at first? Do you withdraw your submission and pout?
I submitted a short story to an anthology with the promise of a response in three week from submission date. Three week is pretty short when it comes to responses, but hey, they said it, so I thought they’d stick by it. Three weeks came and went, but I figured they were probably just a little backlogged and would get back to me soon.
After five weeks I sent an email reminding them I submitted “Story Title” on Such-n-such date and was eager to get a response. I didn’t hear back from them until three weeks past publication date, which was close to a year after I had submitted. They apologized, but my work wasn’t quite right for them. Form rejection. No problem. The rejection chocolate had already been eaten and I had moved on.
How many emails should you send to get a response? One? Three? Three seems pushy to me, but one is perhaps not affective. If you talk to ten writers you may get ten different answers.
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Getting your short story accepted in a magazine is a thrill in itself. It is hard to do and takes a lot of dedication, research, and time. When you finally do get your story accepted, it is clear you have a winner. So, why not milk it for all it is worth? You can increase profits from a short story by selling reprints.
Selling Short Story Reprints – Rights
Before you try to sell your short story for the second or third time, be sure you have the right to do so. Most magazines or e-zines use up your first electronic or first North American rights, or first serial rights. They might also keep exclusive rights for a certain period of time: anywhere from a couple of months to a couple of years. They do this in order to be able to use your story in anthologies, reprinted magazines, or maintain on the ezine website for a longer period of time. Read the contract.
How to Maximize Profit by Selling Short Story Reprints
I have … (quick counting on fingers) 8 novels in production right now. Three are nearing completion. Two are part of a trilogy – I am counting the 3rd in the trilogy as one of the novels although I have not written any of it yet. It’s all in my head. (tap tap)
I am seriously considering posting one of them online… probably on a blog… as a serial novel. The one I am thinking of is an urban vampire story. It would be a good choice for online serialization since an interactive website is a big part of the story.
Something to think about. I’m always afraid I will regret publishing the thing online though. Is it good enough to be published traditionally someday? As good as any of the others I am writing.
There are two schools of thought about where to start submitting short stories. The scary one says you should start at the top and work your way down until someone accepts your short story. The other one says you should start at the bottom (or near it) and use those credits to help you get into more professional markets.
I agree with the first – but scary – method.
The simple truth of the matter is, getting published in ‘for the love’ or token payment mags and ezines does not help you get published in professional markets. Places like Fantasy Magazine, Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy, and Strange Horizons probably don’t care that your story made it into Bob’s Mag O’ Fantasy.
Submitting your short story to the top magazines first is a ‘hey, you never know’ kind of proposition. I expect to be rejected from them, and therefore, am not devastated when the rejection comes. One problem with this method is that the time spent querying and submitting is probably longer than if you sent your good short story out to a lesser mag to begin with.
You have to start somewhere. Why sell yourself short? Why not aim high?
Magazines or ezines? Professional, semi-pro, paying, token, for the love, copies?
The vast array of places to get short stories published confuses the heck out of me.
Should I start with the pro markets and work my way down? Is it totally a waste of time? Do I really have to read sample copies of every single mag and ezine I’m interested in?
After all the stumbling questions are asked, it really comes down to two things: where do you want your story to be published, and who will accept it.
I’d love to have a story in Fantasy & Science Fiction, or Fantasy Magazine someday. Dream big, right? So, I submit. And I keep submitting. And I write. And I keep writing. And I edit. And – you guessed it – I keep editing.
There is no secret formula. There is no magical method that will garner you acceptances every time you send out a manuscript. Just don’t give up.
I subscribe to both The Writer and Writer’s Digest magazines. I love both of them!
This month in The Writer, there is a great article about writing online… or more specifically, having your writing published online. Besides the face that the internet is pretty much ubiquitous these days, online publishing of short stories, creative non-fiction, articles, WHATEVER! can be easier than trying to break into print.
Of course, just as there are different levels of professionalism in print mags, there are better and worse ezines and online magazines. However, the sheer number popping up these days gives a better chance for new writers to become published.
Submitting short stories to ezines is one of my goals for this year. There are a lot of speculative fiction ezines to choose from. And the same rules of submission apply. Study the market before submitting, pay attention to submission rules, and only submit the best work you can.
Get out of the way! I’m gonna puke!
Submission jitters rarely effect me more when there is an actual cents/word payout riding on it. Self-esteem issues are fairly rampant in the writing community: all that rejection, its hard not to internalize.
Even J.K.Rowling, author of Harry Potter series, was rejected numerous times before finding a publisher. Now, I don’t consider JKR to be THE penultimate example of a fabulous writer, but she is disgustingly successful, isn’t she?
A writer HAS to stay positive… way down deep under the dragon-scale thick skin they aquire to shield them from the arrows of publishers who just can’t use their piece.
The waiting is the worst part…. a month? I have to feel like ducking into the bathroom every time I pass it for a month? Will they accept my story? Me? Will I be shunned yet again… the last one picked for the fiction-ball game at story time?
Excuse me. I have to check my mail to see if they responded. Excuse me. I have to go puke.
Glurp.
Elements of Time
Available from Twin Trinity Media.
Elements of Dimension continues the Twin Trinity short story anthology series with more top-quality stories and poems. This book explores the themes of science fiction, fantasy and reality. I have one short story, "Death Obeyed," and one poem, "Tale of the Suburban Dungeon" in this book.
"Elements of Time" short story anthology is available now. It features winning stories from the Accentuate Services contests plus themed poetry. Two of M. Lori Motley's short stories, "Inescapable" and "No Time Like Now," are included.
"Elements of Soul" short story anthology is available now. It features fifteen winning stories from the Accentuate Services contests plus themed poetry. Two of M. Lori Motley's short stories, "Summer Heat" and "Flood of Tears," are included.