Tips for getting published

The golden rule for getting published is know your markets.

Identifying appropriate markets for your work requires self-education and research which can be time-consuming, expensive, and often frustrating. There aren't really any shortcuts.

The basic steps are:
1. identify publishers (or agents)
2. find their submission guidelines (if they have them, not all do)
3. find and read examples of their publications
4. evaluate whether what you write is right for them or whether you can write something that meets their guidelines
5. submit something or move on to the next publisher (or agent)

Novel & Short Story Writers Market, usually referred to by writers as Writers Market, (published by Writers Digest) comes out once a year and is a good place to start. Although it is out of date before it hits the shelves, it contains useful information on the standard, traditional print markets. Libraries generally have the most recent year in Reference and older editions on the shelf available for borrowing. Copies can also be bought cheap through online or local used bookstores. Writers Market will give you a good basic working knowledge of the standard markets. Every writer should have at least one old edition on their shelf next to the dictionary and thesaurus.

There are some market services that require subscriptions like Writer's Market online and the highly respected Queen Gila http://gilaqueen.us/, but for new writers especially, it's unnecessary. One important rule most writers follow is to try not to spend much money on market research.

However, one of the chief benefits of spending the money on membership to national writing organizations or joining free online writing groups is networking and information about markets.

Mystery-- Submitting a novel to a major publisher requires an agent; novels to small presses and short stories do not require agents. See http://www.writemarket.com/. For short stories, consider joining for free the Short Mystery Fiction Society which maintains a nice basic market page: http://www.shortmystery.net/markets.html

Romance--Romance Writers of America (RWA); also try http://www.writemarket.com/. Consider subscribing to Cyndi Sterling's excellent free weekly newsletter--http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CynthiaSterling/
For short fiction, there is the ever popular high-paying: Womans' World Guidelines

Horror--Horror Writers of America (HWA); also see http://www.writemarket.com/

Science Fiction & Fantasy-- Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA): see also the SFWA market resources: http://www.sfwa.org/links/market.htm

Children's--Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)

Two good free resources that cover every kind of genre fiction and some literary fiction:

http://www.fundsforwriters.com/ offers two free weekly email newsletters as well as one for paid subscription

http://www.writemarket.com/

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Updated on October 6, 2007.

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