Expert: Cathy Clamp - 2/4/2008

Question
Hi. As my title suggests, I am an aspiring author, and my focus right now is on short stories. I seem to be more equiped to handle those right now. And they are easier to find time for.

Anyways, there are two conflicting theories when submitting. On the one hand, many writers say they compile a list of potential markets (anthologies, magazines,etc) and starting with the best (Highest paid and most respected) then work their way down until they get a taker. The downside of this strategy is clearly the amount of rejection slips I would be sure to collect, but I might get lucky and get a good deal right off the bat.

On the other hand, some say to start small, try to build confidence by submitting to lesser known markets that may pay less; or even start with local venues. This is problematic because if you are not careful, this could actually hurt a career more than help it. On the plus side, it would probably be easier to get published this way, and I am sure it would be a confidene builder, even if I only sell a story for fifty bucks.

I hope you can give me advice on this, and thank you for taking the time to generously answer my inquiry.

Answer
Hi, Andrew!

Well, honestly---I'm a fan of theory #1. If your writing is good, then why not get paid top money? You don't sound to be a person (but I might be wrong) who is worried about rejections. They're business decisions, after all. What appeals to one market, might not appeal to the next or the next three.

I don't think that "starting small" really builds much of an audience, since there ISN'T much an audience for the small markets. What it WILL do is get you accustomed to having your work edited (provided it's a market that does editing.) This can teach you a great deal, and get you into the mindset of understanding what readers want. But it might be you already know that, so it wouldn't help much.

I found working for magazines (articles) helped hone my attention to word count. Many magazines and anthologies have specific word counts, and learning how to streamline a 5,000 word piece by up to 1,000 words is invaluable . . . whether you intend to remain with stories or move into novels.

That said, however, there IS a value in small markets. Some stories might be perfect for a small regional magazine that wouldn't have wide appeal for a national audience. In that case, it becomes a matter of taking the check for $50, or leaving the story to sit in a drawer for possibly years until you build enough of a name that ANYTHING you write will have an audience.

There's no one answer to the question. You might consider trying BOTH options and see which one strikes gold quicker. If you quickly sell to a small market, it might be that a large market would want you to. I can tell you that it's very easy to become comfortable in ONE place, to your detriment. If a small market wants everything you can write, that's extremely flattering. But there comes a time when it's time to move on and go for larger things. My best suggestion is to hedge your bets. If a magazine/anthology doesn't require exclusive submissions (or states "no simultaneous submissions") then submit an individual story to various markets. See which one bites.

Don't know if that helps any, or just confuses you more. LOL! Good luck though. :)

Cathy