Shannon Lawrence, who lead this workshop, was shooting for 400 (I think) by the end of the summer. She keeps a spreadsheet, same as me, so she also knows the exact number of times she’s been rejected. The difference between her sheet and mine is that there are some “accepted” stories on her sheet. I have yet to snare one of those…

But, apparently that’s because I haven’t submitted enough. And that’s true. I’ve only written two short stories, and I haven’t actually submitted either of them. One I’m waiting for my betas, the other I have to clean up before I send it out to anyone. Then I shall use the helpful advice (listed below) to submit, submit, submit until someone finally caves. :)

(PS, writers are always looking for beta readers… so… if you like to read, let me know… cuz that’d be cool and stuff…)

Submitting Short Stories – Shannon Lawrence

This workshop was really helpful for me. I’ve only ever submitted my novels over and over again, giving none of the attention I should to my shorties. This helped me realize that I had lots of options for them if I just polished them and got them ready. I got good feedback on the two that I have, it might be my way in to the industry. If I can dazzle them with my shorties, then I can maybe convince them the longer ones are good too.

FORMATTING – Same as for a novel, really. [ www.shunn.net ]
- That’s good to know. I never format anything until I’m submitting it, but at least the process will remain the same. ::laugh::
MARKET RESEARCH – Look into the markets that you read.
- Duotrope and Submission Grinder are online submitters, and they track your submissions. They also help you find places to submit as well. I think one is a paid service, and the other is free, but they’re both similar enough that it doesn’t really matter.
- This I am looking into for the “where” to submit rather than the tracker. I’m pretty good with my own spreadsheet, but having somewhere tell me where’s accepting and what, that’s awesome!
LENGTH & PAY – This should all be in the submission guidelines right off the bat.
- Length
  - Flash fiction = <1,000
  - Short Story = 1,000-7,500
  - Novelette = 7,500-1.5K
  - Novella = 1.5K-40K
- Pay – Start at Pro and work your way down. Pro rates pay the best.
  - Pro Pay
  - Semi
  - Token
SUBMIT – ALWAYS check the submission guidelines, and then double check them. Know the editor’s name, and address the submission to him/her.
- This seems like common sense to me, but I was assured that it is not. Apparently I’m a bit more of a Type A than I thought.
CONTRACT TERMS
- Know what types of rights they’re offering you, and how long those rights are good for.
  - First North American Rights – this is the most popular type that you’ll see, which means it is published in a North American market.
  - First Rights – same as above, but not as limiting.
  - All Rights – SAY NO! Do not give anyone full rights to your story!
  - www.writing-world.com
- Once a shorty is published anywhere, it will always be a “reprint” with other submissions with the caveat of “first printed at XXXXX” – which generally means less money offered, if they’ll take reprints at all.
COVER LETTER – Keep it simple!
- Research the editor’s name, and address the letter to him/her.
- 1st Paragraph = word count, genre, and title
- 2nd Paragraph = bio information, which includes website
- Nice closing and signature (with contact information)
TRACKING SUBMISSIONS – make sure you know what’s out and where so you don’t Simultaneously submit when it’s not allowed.
- Whether you use one of the websites above or an excel sheet, keep track of what you’ve submitted. A lot of publishers don’t like Simultaneous submissions, so you have to wait until one says “no” before you can send it elsewhere. But do always be ready with the next submission so that when that rejection comes you can just shoot it out to the next place and carry on with your life.

This whole workshop was eye-opening for me as I’ve never sent off a short story before. I’ve submitted my flash fiction a couple times, but never a short story. So this was a great intro and guide as to how to get it done. Hopefully I’ll have those stories ready soon, and I can get them out into circulation. I’d love to be able to go from “writer” to “author” by the end of the year. That would be pretty swell!

“A professional writers is an amateur who didn’t quit.” – Richard Bach

Word Slinging and Optimism

And I thought my 53 rejections were impressive!

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