Question on Submitting Short Stories

[ratsy]

I am just curious how it works when you submit short stories to publishers.

Is there a list of who is looking for what to go off of?

Can you submit the same work to multiple publishers at the same time?

I want to focus on some short stories while I try to hone my skills and I thought it would be fun to understand the process and maybe even get a few rejections along the way.

Thanks for any feedback

 

[Mouse]

Look on Duotrope (though I don't know how it works now it's not free) or Ralan. Check guidelines of everywhere, all the time. They'll say what to send them.

With short stories, I usually send it to one place at a time, wait for an answer, then submit elsewhere (if it's a no).

 

[Abernovo]

You can also try The Grinder, my new favourite, which is a free site, similar to Duotrope.

Just look at the various publications' submissions pages for their requirements.
Good luck.

 

[Mouse]

You can also try The Grinder, my new favourite, which is a free site, similar to Duotrope.

They look very similar to Duotrope. Awesome. Thanks. (You've possibly told me about them before, can't remember!)

Ratsy - I found it really helpful to keep a spreadsheet of my short stories with their word counts, then write down who I'd submitted to and when I could send a chase email etc. Some places are quite specific on what word counts they're after.

 

[alchemist]

What Mouse said, in both posts. I have a sreadsheet on her recommendation and it's vital.

Duotrope (and now possibly Grinder - regretting your decision, duotrope?) will tell you about response times and success rates, so you can plan your assault accordingly (e.g. pick good outlets, then rank them on how fast they are and what your chances are)

 

[ratsy]

Thanks for the quick info, so The Grinder is a tool to keep track of who you sent to and how the rejected you or accepted the piece? Also what they are all looking for

 

[Mouse]

You can do a search on Grinder. So fantasy, short stories, electronic subs, (for example) and it'll give you a place of every mag that fits (238 results!).

 

[ratsy]

That is cool. I registered.

So what happens if you submit the same story to multiple people? Would it be first come first serve if a couple were interested?

I am sure these guys don't want to wait for an answer.

 

[Mouse]

I (used to) write lots of short stories, so I never really needed to send the same one to multiple places. I'd send one somewhere, then send another elsewhere or work on another while I was waiting for an answer.

Check guidelines, they'll say whether they're ok with you sending it to lots of people or not.

 

[Kissmequick]

With short stories, I usually send it to one place at a time, wait for an answer, then submit elsewhere (if it's a no).

I'd second this, unless a pub's guidelines say explicitly otherwise (some are fine with it).

Otherwise, what might happen is they think they've got it, you say...er I didn't follow your guidelines and they say 'Actually, here's your reject.'. IF they are cool with simultaneous subs, then once you get an offer, you tell them you need to inform the other people who have it, tell the others and wait and see.

But most (from what I've seen, I've not delved that much) like exclusive subs -- and if you send it to them on that basis, and renege...

Also, just a brief cover letter is usual

Dear X

Here is my [wordcount] [genre] story, which I am submitting to your X anthology (or whatever). Here is my bio (if any) I hope it fits your requirements etc. Here are my contact details. Yours...

A bit more fancy, but basically that's it.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

ralan is also very good.

 

[Ian Whates]

I'm with Steve on this: Ralan's every time.

Does everything Duotrope did when it was free, but whereas Duotrope always seemed clinical and impersonal, Ralan's is quirky and friendly.

http://www.ralan.com/

 

[Nerds_feather]

The Grinder doesn't have has wide coverage as Duotrope, but it's much more navigable than Ralan's, has statistics (which I find to be VERY useful) and you can track your submissions a la Duotrope. It's probably best to supplement this with Ralan's, though, as there's extra information on Ralan's (e.g. about anthologies, etc.).

*stupid annoying duotrope, what with the charging*

 

[ratsy]

Well thanks again for the info. I can't wait for my first rejection so I can feel like a real writer

 

[Nerds_feather]

Well thanks again for the info. I can't wait for my first rejection so I can feel like a real writer

LOL, you better get used to it!

Seriously, though, it's a tough business. When someone rejects your story, it might be because it needs work or has some fundamental problem. But it might also just be because they have limited space and lots of slush to choose from. I have found that, early on, it pays to submit to places known for giving personal feedback. Also to "beta test" your stories with people whose taste you trust and who you can rely on to give you "tough love."

 

[ratsy]

Well I have officially gotten my first rejection! That was quick...It was for a short story I created to try something different from my norm. But like Nerds said, they just said a generic, "no room for this" comment.

Will keep working at it, but it is good to just work on the process

 

[johnnyjet]

Congratulations on your first rejection! That means you're one rejection closer to your first acceptance. (Unfortunately there can be quite a lot of rejections before you get your first acceptance.)

I found that critiques from writers groups can give you the best feedback on your stories. It took me a long time to learn that. I haven't tried the critique group here in the chrons, since I started going to a local writers group about the same time as I joined the chrons. However, it looks like a pretty good critique group.

 

[ZombieWife]

I use a spreadsheet to track my submission. Just make sure to follow guidelines to the LETTER. Also, the best way to educate yourself on a particular magazine or journal is to read it first. The libraries (at least here in the US) carry quite a few.

Also, I was super excited about my first rejection. I know that sounds lame, but yeah. It made me feel like a real writer, I guess? I was out there suffering with the rest of them.

I get a wide variety of responses. The form letter is the most popular. Warm rejections are nice. I got a great one from the Missouri Review. Had a little advice and a note to submit something else. Speaking of which, have more than one story "submission ready." If someone rejects one, but wants more, it's great to have another one ready to go.

I worked for a lit mag for a few years on the fiction board. I rejected most stories inside of 2 pages. The biggest things that made me say "no," were:

1. Overuse of adjectives.
2. Over-modifying nouns: the crisp, yellow-orange light filtered in through the red, dreary, peeling door.
3. Characters weren't interesting from the get-go.

These were submissions OUTSIDE of the ones you get that have no sense of grammar or spelling, or, who cannot follow submission guidelines. We rejected 80% based on those things. Just by following directions, you can bypass a bunch of others who haven't taken the time to read the guidelines (and who refuse to spell-check).

 

[ratsy]

Well, to keep you all up to date on my rejections....I had submitted my Sekrit Santa story and got a rejection on it today. They were very nice.. at least. So I will keep trying.

Here is the reply I got:

Thanks for giving us the opportunity to consider this one. After reading and discussing it, we've decided it's not right for us at this time. Good luck placing it elsewhere.

Not this one, but maybe your next one. Keep trying.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Don't let it get you down! It's all part of the curve. Not a fun part, admittedly but.... Keep smiling.