Getting published. Fiction.
 

This article was brought to my attention by Nina Schuyler on FB. Nina led a wonderful course in writing under auspices of Able Muse some years ago. We were a goodly number of Spherians who took part and we were all enthusiastic. It was online and I can say unhesitatingly that it was the best workshop course I've attended because it was over a lengthy time and was detailed and gave us meaningful exercises every week. End of PR.

I am prompted to post this link because of a recent FB post by one of my favorite editors who made public an indignant reply to a rejection.

There is some good advice here if you are just starting to submit or thinking about submitting or seem to be on the wrong track.

Feel welcome to agree or disagree.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/lincolnmiche...NWK#.tdqDM2jEb

I'm talking about poems.

1. Write as many as you can.
2. Submit in at least two places at once.
3. Get your poems out there.
4. Enter competitions only if the final judge(s) read(s) all the submissions
5. Don't suppose that you are the best judge of your own work.
6. Put poems up on the Sphere first. Sphereans really can improve what you have written.

Thanks, John, for zooming in on poetry.

I wish I had the fire to submit and research these things but I do not. Until very recently, I thought submitting 3 or 4 times a year was a lot.

Thanks Janice and John. I was surprised to see the author advocating simultaneous submissions by the half dozen.

Bill, that is something I don't agree with, but different folks have different opinions.

Personally I never, at least very rarely, submit a poem (and never a story) to more than one magazine at a time. And If I do, I say so and explain why I am including it anyway. Usually I state in my cover letter that the work is not submitted elsewhere. I also state that it has not been published before (unless it has, of course, and then I'll say where and when) and that it is my original work. That last may seem superfluous but it isn't.

Bill, the author was talking about fiction. Since people write fewer stories, they are likely to submit them to more places simultaneously. There may be some people who submit poems to half a dozen places at the same time, but if they are formalists, there is a limited number of journals that are likely to take the work anyway, and they probably risk alienating the few editors who do take formal work if they are often withdrawing the poems because of their being accepted elsewhere (especially if the rules say "no simultaneous submissions").

Susan

Thanks for the explanation and further tips.

As far as poetry is concerned I follow the Murray dictum that different continents don't count.

Here is a link to a very good article that explains rights.

http://www.writing-world.com/rights/rights.shtml

It is important to know what rights you are selling--IF you are selling. I.e. if you are getting money for it.

If you are just letting someone publish it without getting anything besides a copy or two or the journals, there is usually a statement that all rights revert to you with a certain time and all the editor asks is that you mention the first place of publication if you republish it in a book or in some other magazine or online.

In North America, if you are accepted by a paying journal you will usually be asked to affirm that they are buying the First North American Serial Rights. This is an old, old practice and you should take it seriously.

My advice is to not mess around with editors--show them the same respect that you want to shown--that both parties are professional.