Submitting Short Stories
Getting your short story published in a reputable literary journal or magazine is a great way to get noticed as a fiction writer. It can:
Help you build your author platform as a fiction writer.
Provide opportunities to get paid for short stories.
Provide opportunities to win awards or cash prizes through short story contests.
Sounds great, doesn’t it? But competition for publication in these markets is stiff, so it’s important to remember a few best practices to improve your chances.
Top Rules for Submitting Short Stories
First and foremost, read the submission guidelines. Sending your bodice ripper romance story to a literary journal for hard core science fiction readers will land your submission in the trash. Bottom line: make sure you’re targeting the right kind of publication.
Never submit anything to a magazine or journal that you have not read at least one issue of. This is as much for your own good as it is a helpful strategy. By reading the magazine first you can get a feel for the tone of the publication and you can decide whether or not your story is a good fit—or tailor it to be.
Include a cover letter for your story that briefly describes what the story is about. This is a short pitch of approximately 25 words that explains who the main character (or characters) is and what the conflict of the story is about. Keep it short. This isn’t a synopsis.
You may include a short bio about yourself, but it should be modest. Keep the main focus on the story itself.
Address your cover letter to the editor by name. Do your research and make sure you spell their name correctly.
List the word count of your story.
Avoid using any sort of fancy fonts or typefaces.
Avoid clichés, such as beginning with your character waking up from a dream.