Betty's Tips Jul/Aug 2015
Hello Dear Readers,
Finally, my baby--my humor/mystery/sci fi short story--was honed and refined to perfection, and ready to be published in all its glory. So I needed to check some online sources on how to find the right outlet for my magnum opus. I found many websites that focussed on how to query and market, so it was hard to know where to start.
I found some terrific information and encouragement on Chip MacGregor’s blog. One contributor, Beth Jusino, tells us that publishing short stories introduces us to the influencers,—the magazine and journal editors, radio hosts, popular authors, respected book reviewers, bloggers, businesses—anyone who connects with readers. This can multiply our message extensively.
So I was raring to go. But when I went to find a great magazine dying to print my short story, I realized that not many of those tips led me there. I was just hoping to see my baby up online someplace for free. Just so she could feel the light of day. I wanted to bask in the light, of course, but my baby had to get there first. So I fired up my search engine and found a few gems.
Duotrope: It is a list of markets for all kinds of writing. You can search based on whatever criteria you’d like such as genre, length of story, or, the one I liked best, paying market. It’s not free, but well worth the cost if you’re a serious writer.
The Short MysteryFiction Society (SMFS) is a valuable site to tap into for ezines and print magazines that specialize in mystery, suspense, thrillers, or pulp fiction. They also offer the prestigious Derringer Award. Be aware, though, that the SMFS has some outdated listings, including magazines that no longer publish, so be sure to check the publication's website before getting too excited. One good e-zine that pays is Spinetingler Magazine. Over My Dead Body offers a wide variety of mystery genre fiction.
Also, check out Market Notes on Ralan's SpecFic& Humor Webstravaganza . It provides up-to-date listings of markets in the speculative and humor genres. Love that monster gargoyle. It covers everything from the bizarre to swords and sorcery. Two new markets are Strangelet – a bimonthly and The Sockdolager – a quarterly webzine.
Science Fiction &Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) is a professional organization for authors of science fiction, fantasy and related genres. They list magazines that accept short stories in numerous categories including horror, dark suspense, science fiction, fantasy, steampunk and more.
Another interesting possibility is Kings River Life Magazine. It’s a California magazine offering a wide variety of articles and short stories.
And, of course, there's Bethlehem Writers Roundtable--near and dear to my heart. They've helped a lot of authors publish their work in only four short years.
Wherever you decide to submit your work, be sure to have all the grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors corrected. And read and follow each publication's submission guidelines. After all the work you've done to perfect your story, it would be a shame to be rejected for having the wrong word count, sloppy copy editing, or submitting incorrectly.
It might take me a while to find the right outlet for my baby--I mean short story--but I'm off to a good start. Best of luck with your submissions.
Happy writing!
Betty Wryte-Goode
Mixed Up
Words
of the
Month:
Which vs. That
(vs. Who)
It can be confusing when your grammar checker tries to change which tothat. Which is right?
If the sentence doesn't need the clause beginning with which/that--use which. For example: The shoes, which were blue, were covered in mud. You don't need to know what color the shoes were for the sentence to make sense. (Also note, the clause is surrounded by commas.)
If the sentence doesn't convey what is intended without the clause--use that, as in: The books that are on sale are marked. To say just "The books are marked," doesn't tell us what the sentence intends.
Use who to replace either which or that--but only if referring to humans, such as:Writers who join critique groups become better writers. Although it might be tempting, don't use who even for your dearest pets. (Mean--I know!)
Betty Wryte-Goode is a writer, mother, and wife who lives in the Lehigh Valley. Her passions include writing, reading, shopping, gardening, and exploring the internet. Betty is always looking for writing tips, so if you have any you would like to share, please send them to her through our Submissions/Contacts page.