Writing Blog

20220108 On Submitting

January 8, 2022, 5:30pm

While I won’t go into it, I don’t “do” self-publishing. I rely on traditional publishers, small to mid-sized, to see my short stories, poems and books get published.

Just to give an idea, I’ve had 3 books published (contracts signed for 3 more), 88 short stories (10 more pending), 40 poems (2 more pending). Pending means contracts have been signed and we’re just waiting for the books/magazines to be released.

Of these, 10 have been online only, but only one is currently available to read for free. Apart from Thirteen O’Clock Press, I won’t submit to “for the love” presses. Why do I make an exception? Because the original iteration of 13OCP gave me a go when I was a completely unknown author, and I feel a sort of loyalty to them. Otherwise, I either expect a flat fee or a cents per word payment. It is mercenary of me, but I think I’ve had enough published to be fussy.

So, submitting.

First, where do I find places to submit to? Duotrope is my main one. I am a paid member, so I get a weekly roundup of open calls closing soon. I reckon a good half of my sales have come from Duotrope. The next most common I use is Horror Tree. While I have an issue with the owners, and their recent site/newsletter revamp leaves a bit to be desired, I have got about 20% of my sales from there. I sold two of my books through the Twitter #PitMad event, so never knock that idea. The rest come from various newsletters with open calls or perusing publisher websites on occasion. I also have the luxury of some publishers approaching me for stories for anthologies if they’ve published me before.

Next, read the guidelines. Even after all this time, I still make sure I read the guidelines. While most just want the manuscript in Shunn format (easily Googled), some want tab indents and some want formatted indents, some want 1.5 spacing and some double spacing, some want the normal header and some want no header, and some want a blind manuscript, so always read. This may seem like fussiness, but it’s for two reasons – to make their final formatting easier depending on the programme they use; and to see if you are serious by following guidelines.

Also make sure you are submitting to something that your story suits. Sending a light paranormal romance to a splattergore anthology is not good. And small to medium publishers talk to one another (I know this first-hand because that’s how my book releases have been staggered) so if you annoy one, word will get around. If in doubt, send a query before submitting. 90% of publishers are relatively easy to approach in this way.

Then comes the waiting. For books it can be up to 6 months before you get rejected; short stories it’s generally within three months or a month after submissions close, and poetry is all over the place. But don’t start hassling the publishers until you’ve waited for all dates on their website to have passed.

So… how do you know if a publisher is worth your time? Writer Beware sites – SFWA has a good one and there’s a decent on I use on Facebook (my son has an account) – are vital. If a publisher does not have a website, experience has told me to avoid them at all costs. If a publisher appears on Duotrope, there has been some effort to find out if they are legitimate or not; on Horror Tree they just have to pay money. As for agents, there is an agents database online somewhere. Go for a US agent! In the USA legitimate agents are not allowed to charge money up-front; in Australia and the UK, agents can charge and not even do anything. I have no idea about Canada. I have had no success with any agent.

Then, once you have been accepted, you will be edited. Sometimes a lot. In short stories, I tend to go with the flow; in novels, I am a little fussier. I have rejected a contract because I hated the editing the company did, removing every joke from a comedy novel. Your mileage may vary, but if you reject all edits all the time, again, you will get a bad reputation.

As for contracts for books, I like US and UK companies, because they tend to do some good percentages. Apart from Black Hare Press, Australian publishers are lousy.

But I think that covers everything.

Look, if you have any questions about the writing process or anything else I might bring up, please leave a comment and I’ll try to address it in a later blog post!