When to Stop Submitting Short Works and Self-Publish
The short story marketplace is vast and growing vaster by the month. Any subscriber to Duotrope or user of Submission Grinder or any other of the consolidated listings of markets for flash fiction, short stories, novelettes, and novellas can see that there are near infinite places to submit work for publication, be they in print or an e-pub. The trick is to know when to stop submitting your short works and self-publish
Why is it that most writers don’t get their work accepted into the pages of Asimov’s or Arthur C. Clarke’s, et al? The real answer is simple numbers: too many writers submitting too many stories despite soooo many publications. Once you come to terms with that, it’s easier to set limits on how long to keep pushing the same 3500-word tale of a teenage girl discovering a magic burrito that needs her help to escape a south Dallas Qdoba.
Here’s some more good news: readers LOVE short works and readers are EVERYWHERE! Yes, the marketplace is no longer your local Barnes & Noble nor is it even Amazon. Amazon.com is only the biggest venue in the USA. Outside of America there are dozens of online opportunities (and some still using good, old fashioned paper) to publish your works that don’t meet novel parameters. With the ability to get your stories anywhere in the world (with a little Internet effort) and with more and more readers wanting a quick read that will get them through a commute or flight or lunch break, you have a perfect recipe for self-publishing your little guys.
Let me back up just a bit. Periodicals and publications looking for short works do abound and do carry with them the clout of having your work selected by an editor and should be your first stop on the publication road trip. However, this is not a cross-country slog along Interstate 70. Thank God for that.
Do this: Make a Top 5 list of publications you’d like to get your story into. Could be Top 10, whatever. List the periodicals, literary journals, anthologies, etc. where you think your story would fit (and that are open for submissions). Work your way through that list. STICK to that list. The list is a commitment. Then, if none on that list accept your story, publish it yourself and move on.
Set a limit on submissions. If you hit that, then self-publish.
Amazon.com has categories for short reads. Labels like 30-Minute Reads, 1-Hour Reads, etc. are used by the site to help readers find what they want. It’s not a label you can put on yourself, but Amazon uses it once you’ve uploaded and published your story. That’s how you can see stories ranked as #18 in 2-Hour Reads!
I’m not going to delve into pricing your short story, cover design, etc. here. The advice I want to offer is simply to give yourself a deadline or goal that if by X, your short work doesn’t find a home, self-publish. Get the story out in the world. I have couple you can check out right here.
And hey, if you’re already a known author with thirty works out in the world then you can ignore my advice. You’re doing your thing. You don’t need me messing with your success.
