ShortStories.co.ukA Five Step Guide to Getting Short Stories Published
If you have written a short story (or even a full collection!) then you might think that the hard work is over - but you’d be wrong! You may have spent hours of blood, sweat and tears crafting a perfect story but getting short stories published could be even harder work than writing them. With the help of our five step guide to getting short stories published, however, things might just get a little easier!
Step One: Magazine Publishing
Many short story writers will submit their stories to magazines. There are a lot of options here - from women’s magazines that publish romance stories through to sci-fi magazines that publish sci-fi/fantasy stories. If you feel that your short story/stories could appeal to a particular type of magazine then do some research. Read various issues of the magazine(s) in question to see what kind of stories they print. And, contact suitable magazines direct as the chances are that they will have submission guidelines that - if you stick with them - will make it easier for you to have a story accepted.
Step Two: Publishers/Agents
If you would prefer to have your short stories published in a book rather than in a magazine then you should be approaching either publishers or agents. The key to getting short stories published here is to target publishers/agents who you know will handle this type of writing already as this will improve your chances of acceptance. So check out publishers that already publish short story collections or anthologies. Don’t just send off a load of stories - check first how the publisher likes to have new work submitted and then make sure that your submission fits their guidelines.
Step Three: Self Publishing
If you have some spare cash then you can always publish your short story collection yourself. Obviously, you won’t have the might of a major publishing house behind you in marketing terms but you could always try and have local book shops hold your book as a local author and things might take off from there.
Step Four: Online publishing
It’s quite common now for short story authors to self-publish on the Internet. There are various websites out there that will allow you to post up your short stories. Some sites will simply give you a showcase for your story whilst others will have them rated by readers which could lead to success with mainstream publishing down the line.
Step Five: Competitions
Another way of getting short stories published is to enter a specific short story competition. There are various online and offline options here. Some will come with prizes (i.e. cash prizes or publishing offers) whilst others will simply give you publicity for your story. This publicity could, in itself, make getting short stories published easier in the long run.