I recently answered some questions about publishing short fiction, and thought my answers might be of use or interest, so here they are.
Question: How do you find good models for short fiction submissions?
I think it's important to read authors of the genre you intend to write, and it's better to read as wide a range as possible.
For erotica, the approach I used was to go to a local bookstore and sit down in the coffee shop with a pile of anthologies. I soon became familiar with the most prolific editors and got an idea of their tastes. I also began recognizing the names of frequent contributors, and getting an idea of what themes seemed overused and what might be a fresher approach. Maxim Jakubowski's Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica series is especially useful to look at, because it contains only reprints; by checking the copyright information on the stories, you can get a broad idea about a wide variety of markets of all kinds (book anthologies, novel excerpts, magazines, online markets).

For romance, I think a good approach is to look at the anthologies coming out in mass market paperback or trade paperback and shelved in the romance section. Most of those will include 3-4 writers. In general, those anthologies are invitation-only, but I think it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the style and story structures.
Question: How do you find markets for particular types of short stories?
I recommend using the search engine on Duotrope, which will let you choose options such as pay rate, length, and theme. They're a good site, but if you have any doubts about a particular publication, it's worth checking out Writer Beware.
For erotica calls for submissions, my favorite site is Erotica-Readers.com, because it's updated regularly.
Question: How do you interpret guidelines on calls for submissions?
So far as guidelines go, I stay as close to the concrete requests as possible: word count, genre, theme, location. If there are no specifics, I look for guidance in previous work by that editor or from that magazine or anthology. Beyond that, I think it helps a great deal to be different, so long as you're within the basic requirements. Easier said than done, I know!

When writing for a specific anthology, I discard the most obvious story topics and try to take a different angle. For instance, an early sale I made was to a lesbian erotica anthology titled Tough Girls. I immediately realized that a lot of submissions would involve female soldiers, criminals, etc.. My idea was to write about a female soldier, but I set the story in the future on a spaceship, which turned out to be much rarer than contemporary settings. Mingling science fiction or fantasy with my erotica also helped with themeless anthologies such as Best Lesbian Erotica.
I can't overstate how useful it is to read in the market to which you plan to submit. If you know the tastes of the major editors, you're already a bit ahead of your competition. If you've read a number of stories published in the last couple of years, you have a much better idea of what ideas have been done to death.
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Great advice! I'm looking forward to your follow up columns. Love the pics;-)
ReplyDeleteFantastic, Victoria!
ReplyDeleteI know another writer who has been looking for this info too.
Ash
I'm glad it was of help!
ReplyDeleteI should collect more questions....
Great information. I love writing short. It's a great way to flex my creativity without the time commitment of a full length novel.
ReplyDelete