|
Post by Jaqhama on Jan 17, 2009 14:01:16 GMT
Hey guys and gals
I'd like to see a section for Writing Markets...where people can post up info about places looking for new stories/authors/novels etc.
Then it won't get lost in the 'general' section.
I know quite a few places that are always looking for new stories. Some of them even pay money. (Though most not very much. But writing and being paid is better than writing and not being paid.!)
You can also (apparently) call yourself a professional author if you get three short stories published and paid for. Although the SFWOA profess that this only counts if published by certain magazines that they think are major league. But the SFWOA are a bit behind the times in terms of webzines/ezines and ebooks and the like, so take no notice of them.
Anyway...a section for Writing Markets would be good.
Cheers: Jaq.
|
|
|
Post by carolinec on Jan 17, 2009 15:49:59 GMT
Yes, that's what I've been saying too Jaq - but I think Rog has been a bit too tied up lately to deal with this. I'm sure he will when he gets the chance.
|
|
|
Post by benedictjjones on Jan 18, 2009 12:32:21 GMT
it would definitely be something that would interest me. i think the HWA require three published stories that each paid at least 25 $usd or a novel that recieved a certain advance.
|
|
|
Post by carolinec on Jan 18, 2009 14:26:42 GMT
i think the HWA require three published stories that each paid at least 25 $usd or a novel that recieved a certain advance. Do you know, I've never been paid for anything I've written so far. Well, I did get a tenner for a letter in TV Times about the Corrie serial killer (Richard Hillman - I think there's been another Corrie serial killer since then, hasn't there?), but that doesn't really qualify me as a pro! ;D
|
|
|
Post by benedictjjones on Jan 18, 2009 14:52:07 GMT
i got payed for my first one but nothing on the second or on any others that have been accepted! i think the days of making real money from short fiction have well and truelly gone - but who knows!!
|
|
|
Post by Jaqhama on Jan 19, 2009 18:11:35 GMT
I'm not saying this to be boastful, just to advise you all that there are plenty of markets out there that do pay some money. For my eerie Biker tales I got US$100 each. For my sword and sorcery stories, slowly being published in current and future copies of Flashing Swords magazine I got US$ 60 each. For a story I recently wrote, set in an RPG world I got US$75. And the offer of more work, on a larger scale, in the future. I've also been paid for motorcycle related articles and a couple of adventure travel articles. I've been asked to submit stuff to Weird Tales and Abandoned Towers magazine. I've had a story accepted for an anthology novel by RBE an American publisher. Currently waiting on the contract for that one. The trick is to pick your markets and write what you know. Or write something you enjoy. Here is the one place that you should all be keeping an eye on. For info on the majority of speculative fiction magazines: www.ralan.com/Cheers: Jaq. (Hey...does this mean I can join the HWA?)
|
|
|
Post by benedictjjones on Jan 20, 2009 10:53:40 GMT
^yay! cheers jaq - you give me hope!!
|
|
|
Post by Jaqhama on Jan 21, 2009 4:56:27 GMT
Quick bit of advice here.
On another forum recently a few folk were complaining that they couldn't find a market for stories they have written.
I quickly realised that they had written the tales first, and hoped to find a publisher for the stories later.
I don't do it like that. I find a market, magazine/webzine, whatever, that appeals to me and the kind of stories I like to write. I have a good read of what they're about...and then I write a story specfically for that mag/zine.
Because I mainly write pulpy action/adventure/eerie/sci-fi stuff; I do have more than the one mag/zine to submit to. There seems little point writing a story about something if you don't already have a good idea of who would consider publishing it.
Although I do agree that many people write for themselves first and aren't fussed if something ever gets in print or not. I do write for myself...but also for others and the oppotunity to see my work published in some form. (Hopefully with some kind of payment.)
Cheers: Jaq.
|
|
|
Post by benedictjjones on Jan 21, 2009 12:01:19 GMT
^oh i agree but some stuff i just write because i want to write it and it's important to me.
i've also found that by looking away from the genre mags there are quite a few markets in magazines that simply publish fiction who are quite willing to look at horror/ghost stories etc.
|
|
|
Post by coral on Jan 23, 2009 13:06:39 GMT
Ben, go and have a look at the Ralan website. There's every publication in the world all listed in one site, with details of word counts, genres and payments for every one. And non paying mags and books too, of course, just depends what you're trying to place. I'm surprised more people don't mention it, it seems to be the small press's best kept secret, I think the "real" small press writers don't like small fry to know about it, as it virtually guarantees you'll get an acceptance sooner or later in something or other, including ezines and podcasts etc. because all the sites are there, and I never fail to point it out, hee hee. I don't remember the address, just google Ralan, that's how I found it, after a tip off. That's a thought, perhaps we should put the ttmc info there I'm off to do some research...
|
|
|
Post by carolinec on Jan 23, 2009 14:48:48 GMT
Ben, go and have a look at the Ralan website. There's every publication in the world all listed in one site, with details of word counts, genres and payments for every one. And non paying mags and books too, of course, just depends what you're trying to place. I'm surprised more people don't mention it, it seems to be the small press's best kept secret, I think the "real" small press writers don't like small fry to know about it, as it virtually guarantees you'll get an acceptance sooner or later in something or other, including ezines and podcasts etc. because all the sites are there, and I never fail to point it out, hee hee. I don't remember the address, just google Ralan, that's how I found it, after a tip off. That's a thought, perhaps we should put the ttmc info there I'm off to do some research... It's www.ralan.com Personally, I find that site difficult to navigate. It was brought to my attention a while ago, but when I found it difficult to use, I don't go back there and so I keep forgetting about it! Good idea, Coral, about getting TTMC on there though - I didn't think of that as I'd forgotten about Ralan again! With me, I guess I tend to be writing for myself anyway - not really thinking much about publication, or not with stories anyway. I do keep wondering if it's about time I tried to get my interviews into a paying publication though. Any ideas where you can find out about those? I think Ralan is fiction-only.
|
|
|
Post by carolinec on Jan 23, 2009 20:20:21 GMT
Ooo, and isn't there another one - called Duotrope Digest or something like that? I'm sure I've seen that somewhere too as another internet listing of writing markets.
|
|
|
Post by benedictjjones on Jan 25, 2009 15:08:58 GMT
yeah duotrope's pretty good to.
|
|
|
Post by che2000 on Jan 27, 2009 1:11:44 GMT
There are a lot of decent markets out there, finding them is the real trick, though, so Ralan and Duotrope are good sites to bookmark or subscribe to.
The SF Reader site has a lot of editors, publishers and writers who post on it, and that's also a good way to keep track of various markets. Joining a crit group is another good way since the various writers tend to 'share the wealth' as it were, in terms of market information (although I suppose it depends on the group in question, again, the SF Reader crit groups are very generous as regards this).
|
|
|
Post by che2000 on Jan 27, 2009 1:18:37 GMT
And in that particular spirit of sharing, a few zines that folks might like to check out are: Sorcerous Signals Beneath Ceaseless Skies Everyday Fiction Mirror Dance (although if you type it into a search engine you need to put in something like Mirror Dance Fantasy) Mindflights Abyss and Apex Space Westerns Aberrant Dreams Aphelion
I've submitted to all of the above and, in general, found them good markets to try (some have even accepted my fiction)
|
|