Most recently, I have begun to submit my short stories for possible publication in magazines. This is not as easy as it sounds, and it is the first time I have done so. However, I have submitted countless portfolios to comic magazines before (in the 1990s). I liken the process of submitting short stories, to be most similar that experience. Every magazine has their own stipulations and guidelines for submissions. Make sure you check into what those are before submitting your writings; or else you could end up on the bottom of the slush pile rather quickly.
I would say that most of the editorial staffs, at fiction magazines today, are very overworked and underpaid for what they do (that is just my opinion). They have an enormous workload to do for each issue, with tight deadlines to meet their very precious press times. Most are working six months, to a year ahead of when the publication will actually print and deliver (if it is printed). Electronic magazines will more than likely be working three-to-six months ahead of schedule for publication on-line.
With that in mind, when it comes to your query letter for the in-house submissions editor of a particular magazine to read your submission, keep it as short as possible (one page or less printed). Below is an example of the query letter that I use for my own submissions.
When you put together one of these for your own submissions, just remember to be direct and do not waste time showing your flare for writing in the query itself. You do that in the submitted manuscript.
Things I attempt to do are:
· Introduce myself to the editor
· Introduce and describe the piece I am submitting
· Give a short background of myself (the editor may or may not care)
· Give the reason that I am submitting the piece to the publication
· Give a means for future/further contact.
Query letter example:
Dear Mr. or Ms. Editorname [Get a name and address it to a person],
Good day, my name is Framen Stewart. I am writing you today to submit a short story for your magazine, [Name of Magazine]. I have attached a short story that I have written to this e-mail for my submission for your review (MS Word file, 2007 version).
Name of Your Short Story is a completed 5,000-word contemporary horror short story, set in rural Texas, in Any-town America. This short story is intended for the horror genre marketplace.
I am a writer, and illustrator. I have worked in both the comic book and advertising/marketing industries. I have been writing professionally for ten years, and I have finished a number of manuscripts to-date. However, I have only recently become interested in publishing my own fictions, and at this time, I am an unpublished author. If you would like, please feel free to visit my website (listed herein) for more information.
If you are interested, I would very much like your magazine to review this completed short story. Your feedback to the manuscript is most welcome. If you prefer, you can send an e-mail, should this be more convenient for you in your response. However, all of my contact information is located at the beginning of the manuscript, should you wish other options of communication. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Framen Stewart
If you have submitted the same story to multiple publications, list them. This is so whoever is reviewing your fiction knows this upfront that it is submitted elsewhere.
Submission History for this short story
· Dead Lines (Ezine) February, 2010
· Horror Bound (Ezine) February, 2010
· Weird Tales (Magazine), March 2010
Website: http://framenstewart.com/
E-mail: framenstewart@gmail.com
