So, Publishing.

Just...yeah.

I guess I'm curious because I have an idea to try and publish 3 short stories in one small book at the end of the year, and...I don't know, I've been aiming towards getting published for a really long time, and I'm nervous.

But yeah, publishing. Any of you guys out there published? Seeking to be published? Have an agent?

A few tips:

1. Count your pieces in words.
2. Read this page for discerning honest agents from dishonest agents.
3. A searchable database of agents.

Anyway, even for a slim volume you'll want at least ten stories at an average of 3000-4000 words a piece.

edited 24th Nov '10 9:45:43 PM by Slan

You have something called First Publisher Rights, and once you pick one, the life of the book is locked into that one. I'm tempted to say Create Space or Amazon Publishing if you just want the book out and done, but then it's just as much theirs as yours at that point... So Yeah.

^^ Hmm, what if my short stories are kind of long, aroung 6000-7000 words a pop?

Also, thank you for the links. I've already found one or two that look good.

edited 25th Nov '10 7:25:52 AM by Latia

short stories

long

?

{Also, I'm just playing around. Please don't get upset]

edited 25th Nov '10 7:30:38 AM by CyganAngel

6-7k words is kind of normal for short stories.

In fact, many short story magazines specifically ask for 7.5-12k stories as the default for a short story.

Bear in mind that a short novel will be around 50k words. A short novel.

A collection of short stories is expected to have as much content as a novel, in general, if not more — as it's a harder sell for the publisher, the idea of the client getting 'value for money', and cramming as much in as possible, is very important unless you're a hyooge name.

Before sending off your work to publishers, get it workshopped in a dedicated writer's workshop.

If you've already gotten good quality feedback on your work, and edited them well, do a google search for any short story magazines that match the subjects you're writing about. Some don't pay. This does not matter as much as you'd think, as long as you retain all the relevant rights. The important thing is getting it in magazines so you can point to some kind of validation. Do NOT send off work without finding out what rights you can expect to retain.

If you don't have a respectable creative writing course under your belt, contacts in the industry, or works published in magazine form, or if your manuscript is poorly (self)-edited or all in Comic Sans or green ink, it is unlikely to make it beyond the slush pile.

In terms of format, for sci-fi short stories the standard is Courier New size 12 double-spaced. Here is a link.

Formatting Advice

Don't know how it applies to other things.

Editors and the like are busy people. Don't hassle them for a response, but do push if it gets to a ridiculous period of time. Always be clear, polite and write well.

Your work should ideally speak for itself, but in reality, you need to be able to show that you have form, especially where short stories are concerned.

edited 25th Nov '10 10:53:48 AM by mmysqueeant

Don't go for any of the big publishing houses on your first try. Instead go for something more specialized.

Also, as far as I know, few publishers will publish short stories. I'd tell you to go for a magazine. Then you'd have something published when you finally try to get a book published.

Edit: Forgot to mention this, but If anyone want you to pay for anything during the publishing process, just forget it. This might seem obvious, but it is frightening how many get scammed.

edited 25th Nov '10 1:10:44 PM by Sidewinder

Good luck!

Yes — you may not earn more than a pittance, but a real publisher always pays something.