I'm pretty new to writing and really new to Hatrack. I've seen the stuff on Duotrope and Ralan, but I'm a little confused about the whole "choose your target and submit" concept.

I've never published anything outside of a High School or Work newsletter, and that was by request, so I certainly didn't have to query.

I found Duotrope most helpful in getting a better idea of what the short story market looks like. However, I still have a couple of questions.

1) How do you decide the most appropriate genre to target. Right now I have two WIP. One is soft SF, with emotion drinking aliens, and the other is Dark/Horror/Psychological, with a guy who has a crappy Thanksgiving and then whacks the family at Christmas. What's the best way to select your submission genre? Or do you play it safe and shop out a market that publishes everything?

2) Do you generally shoot high (pro market, SFWA-qualifying markets), get lots of rejection letters, and then start subbing to the semi-pro market? Or do you shoot low for your first story or two until you feel like you have things under your belt?

3) What are the rules on sending your story to more than one market at a time. Can I send a story to six different magazines at the same time, hoping one will bite? Or do I sent it one by one?

4) What do you actually do if they decide to publish the bloody thing? Do they mail you a contract to sign? Or just a check? What's the actual process between sending it in and seeing it in print (or on the web)?

I feel like I'm working on some things that can be submitted, so I'm hoping to have at least an idea of where to start.

Thanks, and sorry in advance for such a long post,

T2

1) How do you decide the most appropriate genre to target. Right now I have two WIP. One is soft SF, with emotion drinking aliens, and the other is Dark/Horror/Psychological, with a guy who has a crappy Thanksgiving and then whacks the family at Christmas. What's the best way to select your submission genre? Or do you play it safe and shop out a market that publishes everything?

I mainly go with pubs that are genre specific. It's best if you've read the pub you're submitting to (and I try) but there are more than it is really practical to read so sometimes I submit blind. I try to get a feel for at least what subgenre they like. If they hate S&S and my story is that, no point in sending it. Sometimes if it seems like a good fit I sub to non-genre pubs but not very often.

2) Do you generally shoot high (pro market, SFWA-qualifying markets), get lots of rejection letters, and then start subbing to the semi-pro market? Or do you shoot low for your first story or two until you feel like you have things under your belt?

I always tell people to shoot high and then don't do it myself. But I'm not very impressed with my own short stories. Maybe if I ever write better ones I'll shoot higher.

3) What are the rules on sending your story to more than one market at a time. Can I send a story to six different magazines at the same time, hoping one will bite? Or do I sent it one by one?

Sending to more than one is called a simultaneous submission. Many pubs forbid that. If you want to do it, there is a simultaneous sub check box on Duotrope. Check that and the pubs that come up don't mind.

4) What do you actually do if they decide to publish the bloody thing? Do they mail you a contract to sign? Or just a check? What's the actual process between sending it in and seeing it in print (or on the web)?

The ones I've sold emailed me a contract that I signed and mailed back. Then they mailed me back a copy with their signature added. I doubt that's universal though. I've heard not all pubs even bother with a contract. You want to be very clear on what publication rights they're buying though.

Hope that helps.

There was a certain hierarchy among the markets when I sent things out. I started with my favorite (and highest paying at the time, I think), moved on to one with a more literary bent (which paid almost as much), moved on to another that published somewhat irregularly (which paid less and more slowly), then to a magazine that published relatively regularly (but paid bottom-of-the-market rates). Now it's down to, oh, maybe four markets, and actually an effective two markets.

Generally I avoid the semi-pro markets...it's a lot of fun, but I feel it's a phase in my career I've passed through and am done with. (The closest I've gotten to a sale-for-money was with a semi-pro, ten dollars on publication---then they folded up shop before publishing.)

quote:

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"Once it gets rejected..."

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Now there's optimism!

Here's to all those soon-to-come learning experiences!

Thanks all for your feedback. I'll let you know who punted as they come in...

Thane

Thanks to both. I can't decide whether I am rationally hopeful or hopefully rational. I am fully expecting 9 "no, thank you" responses.

But, in either case, I shipped this out at this time for several reasons. A) It's a dark holiday/christmas story, so if it's going to get published at all, it will have it's best chance soon (or more likely, two months ago, but oh well). B) I felt like I hear a lot about writing, revising, polishing, editing, reviewing, etc. on this forum, but little about submissions. and C) I'm an experiential learner, so I needed to know what it's like to shove something out there into the cold dark world. I figured I might as well feel like the rest of the published and aspiring authors here who have actually had a small and shining hope sit like a shadow in the corner of their eye, just out of sight, but always almost somehow seen...