Guest Author - Sharon Cullars

Establishing yourself as a short story writer takes patience and acumen. It also takes marketing saavy. The short story market, once stalled, is growing again due to the proliferation of on-line magazines, and these magazines are in search of good writers. There are e-zines for every possible genre, so no matter what type of short fiction you write, with research, you should be able to locate the right market for your stories.

If your goal is to be a paid short fiction writer, know right now that many magazines and ezines either pay very little or not at all for submissions, but even non-paying periodicals provide value by allowing you to become a published writer and, thus, create name recognition. Once you have firmly established yourself as a writer, then submitting your works to paying markets will be easier. The paying markets for short fiction range from a few cents per word (basically e-zines that are subsidized by advertisers) to several thousand dollars (these are usually hardcopy magazines and the competition, of course, is more difficult).

To break into any market, you should first study that market. If you write mysteries or sci-fi, look at all the ezines and magazines that accept these types of submissions. Study their guidelines diligently. Even a technical error such as printing on the wrong type of paper or using the wrong font can exclude your submission from further consideration. Study the variety of stories they offer. If the ezine or magazine is basically contemporary fiction, the editor will most likely reject something literary, no matter how well-written. Speaking of editors, don’t send off a manuscript to a blind address; make sure you have the correct name of the editor or associate editor for your genre, otherwise your submission may end up at the bottom of the slushies or worse, be pitched right into the circular file.

As the market is competitive right now, the first objective should be to write the best fiction that is possible for you to do. This may mean taking your story through several edits. If you don’t feel you can be objective enough, then enroll in a workshop or critique group, whether online or off. Submit your manuscript for critique, then listen and don’t let your ego close your ears. Everyone can do with good criticism; this is just a step up the ladder to writing success.

A good resource on the short fiction market is the AWP Writers Chronicle which lists current contests as well as magazines looking for stories. The Chronicle also has a website with update information. Another source is Poets & Writers, which contains market listings, conferences and contests. Their website is www.pw.org..

Here’s a tidbit for you: novelist Amy Tan was "discovered" from one of her short stories in Seventeen (yes, Seventeen) magazine. A book agent saw the story and asked her to write a book outline. Now that was in 1985, but it can happen today. So, one last bit of advice: don’t be a snob. Any magazine or ezine is an opportunity for a writer trying to establish herself and can help lead to a satisfying (and sometimes financially rewarding) writing career.