posted
Twain said that he would never write "policeman" when he could get paid just as much for "cop". Though tongue in cheek, there may be a grain of truth in it. Perhaps the statement reveals that he was looking for a good return for effort.
Competition usually means that you have to be better than the others at what you do in order to win.
You can't win by offering a poor return on investment.
The writers in Robert's examples benefitted from being able to submit to competitor mags. Although the other publications may not have paid any more they did represent a better return for effort. In the end the writers abandoned those villainous editors who didn't pay enough for the work they expected. Exactly why Poe left Graham's.
I'll add the mitigating statement that at various points in our careers we will consider different things as fair recompense for effort.
Something I recently discovered was that Poe's first printed work was self-published and distributed for free. There were only fifty. What was the payoff? It was promotional. Promoting one's work is clearly the biggest pay-off for online publishing too.
PS: One of those first books of Poe's recently sold for $170,000.
[This message has been edited by hoptoad (edited June 14, 2006).]
posted
But then online is huge, and there is no guarantee that anyone will see it, even though the possibility is there for everyone to see it. (BTW I dare someone to print up a bunch of copies of their story and walk down a parade route passing them out, I don't know if it would help you, but it would be funny.)
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This is a new area, and you have to make your own judgment calls. In general, electronic publication is not yet held in the same esteem as print publication. That may change. There are now some well-respected editors working in the field of on-line publication, but whether any of those publications will survive over the long haul, it's too soon to know.
If you look, you'll find lots of ways to publish your work on line. You might find such an outlet attractive. But beware: publishing on line might reduce your chances of selling to a print publication. You will no longer be offering a print publisher first publication rights, and they might be less interested. So think hard about it. (Circulating your story among members of a workshop is not considered publication, by the way.)
posted
There are now very few paying print markets for short fiction. For science fiction, I count four: Analog, Asimovs, F&SF, and Interzone. For fantasy, scratch Analog but add Relams of Fantasy. For mystery, only two, Ellery Queen and Alfred Hitchcock.
I'm sure there are a few others -- they come and go.
Which means, after four rejection ships, either you go on-line or you give up.
posted
I think there are more print magazines than that. Weird Tales. Talebones. Andromeda Spaceways. That's three more.
But your point is a good one: you've listed as far as I know, the only pro print magazines left. After those four, if you want to keep submitting to pro magazines, you have to go on-line.
posted
Also, I recently picked up a book by the writer who made this remark--before I even saw this. I couldn't finish it. I thought it was horrible. The largest flaw being the completely unbelievable characters: two-dimensional cardboard cutouts that just wouldn't exist in the real world. (And the book had won some awards and so forth. I have no idea how.)
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posted
Being a web designer (student), I always figured I'd build a site one day and maybe put up things I just couldn't sell. Then I realized that probably wouldn't look good, since there would likely be a reason it wouldn't sell.
Then I thought I might do that if I ever gave up on being a writer. then I realized that would never happen.
Maybe I should write a virus that will spread my work across the web after I die.... (kidding)
posted
Yeah, I think IGMS doesn't yet qualify to be a professional market. They offer the right payscale, but I don't think they've been around long enough, and they don't publish regularly enough. I think they have to publish at least quarterly, which they seem to be close to doing. It's been a while since I've looked, but I believe you have to publish regularly for two years before they'll consider.
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posted
Actually according to the SFWA website it has to hav been published for one year to qualify. IGMS does yet show not on the list but I read a few days ago that it had be added. It may be that they just haven't yet updated the online list. Strange Horizons -- an extremely well respected online publisher that has published several Nebula award winners -- is on the list.
Here is the SFWA qualifying Short Story list.
Analog Science Fiction and Fact Asimov's Science Fiction Baen's Universe Brutarian Cemetery Dance Chizine Cosmos Dark Wisdom Dragon The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction Odyssey - Adventures in Science Pedestal Magazine Realms of Fantasy Strange Horizons Subterranean Magazine Writers of the Future Anthology
Edit: And anyone who thinks that "people who publish online just aren't good enough" should go over to Strange Horizons and read some of their stories such as "Pip and the Fairies."
[This message has been edited by JeanneT (edited July 26, 2007).]
[This message has been edited by JeanneT (edited July 27, 2007).]
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