I have just learned to check their response times. I'm still waiting to hear - 6 months later - on one story.

The first step is to take your finished manuscripts and format them for submission to the markets.

Please see these two links:

http://www.sfwa.org/writing/vonda/mssprep.pdf

http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html

The format illustrated in these examples can be used for practically any market that takes short fiction. Make sure to follow the format as exactly as you can. It has nothing to do with content, and everything to do with presentation. Also, if you use Windows and/or a Microsoft word processor, consider adopting the Dark Courier font from HP, which is superior on paper to the atrophied Courier New that comes standard from Microsoft.

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareDescription.jsp?locBasepartNum=lj611en

Next, you need to identify which markets might be good for your stories. I suggest using the following resources:

http://ralan.com/

http://www.duotrope.com/

Specifically, target the markets that are SFWA-approved or which meet SFWA's guidelines for pro sale. Don't lowball yourself by thinking you can't start at the top. Also don't assume that semi-pro or 'small' markets are any easier to break into than the top markets.

Once you have a market(s) selected for your work, you need a cover sheet. The cover sheet contains your demographic data, the demographic data of your market you want to submit to, and should be as brief as possible. See the example below:

http://home.comcast.net/~brad.r.torgersen/cl_example2.pdf

Now, in sequence:

1) Print the properly-formatted manuscript.
2) Then print the coversheet, taking care to make sure the coversheet has the correct date, name of the editor, and data for the market you want.
3) Take a letter-size white paper business envelope and put your mailing address on it.
4) Put a stamp on the envelope. This is now your SASE.
5) Put the envelope on top of the cover sheet, and the cover sheet on top of the manuscript.
6) Now, take a 9" x 12" manilla-paper pouch envelope. Write neatly, and print your mailing address in the top left corner. Also writing neatly, print the mailing address of the market the story is going to, and do it in larger print in the middle of the front of the pouch.
7) Slide your SASE, cover letter, and manuscript into the pouch envelope. Lick, seal, and clip; if it has a clip.
8) Take it down to the local USPS office and get it metered. Even after hours, nearly all USPS centers now have automated metering machines that can print first-class barcode stickers for your manuscript.
9) Finally, drop it in the OUTGOING mail slot.

Go home knowing you have successfully navigated Heinlein's first four Rules.

Naturally, there are some big DO NOT DO THESE THINGS items which need to be covered...

DO NOT....
- Use colorful or unusual paper for anything.
- Be overly wordy in your cover letter.
- Use unusual packaging.
- Glue, staple, or paperclip anything.
- Deviate from standard manuscript format.
- Use special or cute fonts or colored inks/toner.
- Fold your manuscript to fit an envelope that is too small.
- Waste postage on SASE which get the entire manuscript back to you.
- Procrastinate on starting the next project!

Keep track of where you send stuff. Doesn't matter how you do it. Could be a notebook. Could be a spreadsheet. Make sure you always know where your manuscripts are, when they got mailed, and which markets have already sent you a rejection; since it's unlikely any market, having rejected your story once, will accept it the next week, sans editorial request for a re-write.

And just because your manuscript didn't sell the first couple of times, don't lock it in a drawer and be ashamed of it. Keep it out on the market.

"I've been going to this highschool for seven and a half years. I'm no dummy!"

Good luck with your submissions!

Also also also....

DO NOT VIEW REJECTION AS FAILURE.

This is death on new writers, and the reason why 98% of us will never make it as pros. We get tired of the rejection. We take it too personally. We let it sap our will to continue. Our morale goes down.

AWSullivan brought up The Race. Check out that thread and use it as a way to get over rejection. All authors are rejected. Even the biggest pros. Even when they're deep into their pro careers. Rejection is a fact of the business. Don't let it get you down.

Do you usually just submit through email this way?

I'm of the email age (I think I have the only letter I ever mailed was to a pen pal in english class in grade 2).

Every electronic market has its own rules. Look them up in the guidelines.

I'd say that, in general, these are the "dummy" rules for e-subbing:

1) Be sure to follow the guidelines for the market in question; if they have an automated form, use it.
2) Rich Text Format (.rtf) is about as universal as it gets; when it doubt, use this.
3) All the other manuscript format rules still apply.
4) The text of the cover letter can be pasted into the body of your e-mail submission.