New Magazine Release & Magazine Submission Tips

Hello out there in Blog Land!

Last week I had a bit of excitement with a short story coming out in Issue 35 of Sanitarium Magazine.

Yeah, looky there. That's my name on the cover (among others, but JUST  LOOK AT MINE!) <--Just kidding. Mostly.

It's available all over the place:

Sanitarium Magazine
Apple Newsstand
Google Play Store
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Pocketmags

Print Edition via Create Space

I already got my PDF e-version, but I get my hard copy around August 12! I can't wait to finally have a print copy of something I'm published in.

Fun fact: One of the authors in this magazine was also in the issue of Under the Bed Magazine I was in. I feel like we should be Facebook friends or something (no, I'm not actually going to stalk that person--it was just an interesting coincidence. The only thing I stalk is my Duotrope page.)

Hello, my name is Shannon, and I'm a Duotrope stalker.

Really, how many times can a person look at the submissions page without going nutso?

I thought since I'm posting about a magazine publication, maybe it would be good to go over the submission process for magazines/anthologies for those who haven't tried it yet.

Then I thought, "Crap, I don't know what people want to know." So if I don't address queries or fears you might have, please leave me a question in the comments, and I'll answer you there.

The Basics:

I'm going to assume here that you've written your story, brought it to a conclusion, and that you've given it a few reads and edited it to where you think it's shiny and polished. (Note: If you keep editing and editing and editing, stop! Don't overdo it. Sometimes the magic is lost that way.)

Format your piece to Standard Manuscript Format.

Your next step is to figure out the genre of your story (if you don't know it already). Here's a post by literary agent Rachelle Gardner on figuring out genre (it's for books, but the principle is the same).

Market Research:

Now that you've written a story and know its genre, it's time to do some market research. First, consider magazines and publications you enjoy. Does your story fit any of these places? If so, go on to the next step: Submission Guidelines.

If not, check out a place like Duotrope or The (Submission) Grinder. These sites allow you to enter the specifications of your search, however detailed you want to get, then create a list of possible publications that are currently accepting submissions. (Note: Duotrope is a paid service, The Grinder is free, but is still in Beta. If you will be submitting quite a bit, it's worth it to join Duotrope. If not, maybe stick with The Grinder.) Start looking through the publication descriptions until you find one that appears to fit your story. If they offer a free example of the publication, read it!

If you can't find something that works for you, search around the internet using related keywords until you find something. Or go to the bookstore and comb through the magazines. Another possibility is to check out where someone else is published, if they publish in the same genre as you.

Submission Guidelines:

It is VITAL that you follow the submission guidelines of each magazine. They will often differ, even if just in one small way. Carefully review them before submitting. Check the requested font, document type, submission windows, cover letter requirements, email or mail (or submission form), bio letter or headshot requests, other requested information, other formatting information, and anything else they might specify. I've seen one specify that the quotation marks had to be a specific type. I've also seen several that do not want you to have pushed "tab" to indent your story (you can look up how to change both of the above online.)

Read these five billion times before you attach and submit your piece.

Cover Letter:

I don't feel terribly qualified to tell you how to write this. I have no idea if my format is actually a good one. I always review the submission guidelines for what they want in the subject line and cover letter. I write the cover letter directly in the body of the email, unless otherwise directed.

One thing I do know for sure is that you must research the editor's name. If there are multiple editors, I typically address it to the managing editor, or whoever is listed at the top of the line. Some magazines/publications make this step incredibly hard, and I don't understand why. I've had to search out interviews or other publications by them to find an editor name. It's frustrating. But you need to do it.

Dear Mr./Mrs. [Editor Last Name],

Cow Tales is a Romantic short story of about 5200 words. Love in the time of the milk harvest can be painful, but Harvey and Delilah find ways to make it work.

I've been published in X and Y, and I won first place in Z contest. I'm a member of P writer's group, and have Q job with this writing related thing or R expertise in such and such job that lends itself to the story I'm submitting. I blog at www.mywebsite.com. (Or my author website can be found at www.mywebsite.com.)

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
[My Name]
[Email Address, especially if different than where you're sending it from]
[Address]
[Website]
[Phone Number, though a lot of places don't need this anymore]

Send It!:

Now, you've written, edited, and formatted your story. You've established your genre, narrowed down the market, researched the submission guidelines and editor name, and you've written your cover letter.

Check your story over one more time. Any typos? Any changes they've requested to format? Is it in standard manuscript format (minus any changes they've requested that differ from SMF)? Great, save and close. Attach that sucker to the email.

Now, check that you have the submission email address correct. Check that you have made the subject line whatever they've requested. If they have no request for the subject line, make it simple: Fiction Submission-Last Name-Cow Tales.

Check your cover letter. Did you include story name, story genre, word count, and some brief information about yourself? Did you include any information that might tip you over the top when they're considering your story? Do you bring a specific type of expertise or belong to a writer's group that has requirements to get in (such as 3 pro-market story sales)?

Check for typos. Good?

Hold your breath and hit send.

Keep Track:

Then record somewhere that you submitted X story to Y publication (you can do this on Duotrope and The Grinder. I also keep a spreadsheet on my computer). If it allows for simultaneous submissions, look for another market to send it to. (Note: I used to do simultaneous submissions until I sold a story, only to have the magazine tank before publication. I had withdrawn the story from the place I'd submitted to at the same time, so I could not send it to them again, whereas I could have sent it to them once the other place tanked. Even worse, they'd held it long past when they usually held stories, which possibly meant they were considering it. So I may have made a sale to them if this situation hadn't occurred.)

Rejections:

When you get a rejection, which is inevitable unless you're the most amazing writer ever, do not reply. Though I've been told it's sometimes acceptable to write a quick thank you if they've taken the time to give you solid feedback on your story. Just file or delete the email (depending upon your preference--I keep them so I can print them up and place them behind the acceptance I ultimately get), find a new market to submit to, and submit that puppy, making sure to comb through their submission guidelines and make any necessary changes to your submission.

Acceptances:

First, jump up and down and scream a little. Oh, is that just me?

Carefully read everything they have sent you. Read what they're offering you. Read the contract. Research any terms you're not familiar with. Research the type of rights they're purchasing. Make sure you're comfortable with what they're offering and expecting. Don't be hasty.

If you're good with it, follow whatever next steps they have laid out. If it isn't clear what they expect now, send them an email asking for that information. Sign. Provide any additional information. Send that puppy.

Then go write another story and submit that, too.

Did I miss anything? Do you have tips that differ from mine (share them!)? Do you have any questions about the submission process? Was anything unclear? Is there something you'd like me to expand on? What is the oddest request you have seen in submission guidelines?

May you find your Muse.

Contest & Submission Nitpicks 101 - Standard Manuscript Format

I've been involved in judging writing contests for a few different writers' groups, and every little once in awhile I like to throw out some pointers on things that I frequently see done incorrectly. I figure it applies for contests and submitting to publications, so something might come in handy for someone in the future.

The biggest issue I see is the writer not following guidelines provided by the contest or publication. Always check around for the guidelines. If they don't have any, follow Standard Manuscript Format. You can just look this up online. William Shunn has the best guide on SMF I've seen.

Here are some specifics I've seen done wrong:

1. Font
You should use 12 point font in Times New Roman or Courier unless the guidelines ask you to do something different (which does occasionally happen). Everything in the document should be the same font. This means your title and byline should also be the same type/size as the rest of the document.

Left-justified

2. Technicalities
Use 1" margins all the way around, be sure it's left-justified, and only put one space after periods, not two. You can get to margins by going to "Page Layout" and selecting the "Margins" option.

To left-justify, look for the symbols at the top of your document that have a series of lines. Choose the one that has the lines lined up on the left, ragged on the right.

3. First Page
The first page is not just the first page of your manuscript - it should also convey certain information. Put a header on the top left of the first page with your name, address, email address, and phone number. On the top right, provide a rounded total word count for your submission. Include the title and your byline about half-way down the page, centered. Leave two spaces between the byline and the first sentence of your manuscript.

4. Indents & Spacing
Your submission is not an email or a blog post. This means the first sentence of each paragraph should be indented, there should be no extra spaces between paragraphs, and it should be double spaced throughout.

To indent, you can either use the tab button, or go to "Paragraph," "Indentation," and, under the "Special" pull down menu, select "First Line." Set it to .5".

To remove extra spaces between paragraphs (it should all look uniform if you've done it correctly), go to "Paragraph," and under "Spacing" check the box next to "Don't add space between paragraphs of the same style." You can also find the option for double spacing under "Spacing" then the "Line Spacing" pull down menu. Choose "Double."

5. Page Numbering
The page number should appear on the top right of each page except for the first page. The information on that page will make it obvious it's the first page. With the page number, you should have your last name and either the whole title of your work (if it's short) or an important word or two from it. To set the page numbers, go to the "Insert" tab and select "Page Numbers." Format from there.

To make sure it starts numbering on the second page, not the first, double-click on the header area of the document. "Header and Footer" tools will appear above your document. Click the box next to "Different First Page."

6. Page Breaks
To indicate a page break, don't put random symbols or lines there. Instead use a centered pound sign (#). This will let them know it's a page break, saving confusion.

These are just the things I see done incorrectly the most often in formatting. You'll want to look up Standard Manuscript Formatting to be sure you know everything you need to know about it. If there are guidelines listed for that contest or publication that differ from SMF, follow their guidelines for that particular submission. You'll need to adjust it to send to a different publication if it just wants SMF, though. To make this easier on myself, if a publication has different guidelines from SMF I will save it as a new document and apply the different formatting. This way, I don't forget that this document was different from SMF and send it formatted incorrectly to the next publication.

Good luck with your contest entries and submissions! Remember, always check their guidelines first, then go from there.

What are your critique or writing nitpicks? Is there something you want to see covered about submissions? What common mistakes did I miss? Any tips of your own?

May you find your Muse.

Writing Contest Tips

We're down to the last month before the May 1 deadline for the Pen Women Flash Fiction Contest I'm chairing (click here for more information on that). This was my first experience in chairing or running a writing contest of any sort, and this has also been my first year of entering writing contests. I've learned a lot in the last year, and I thought passing across a few pointers might be a good idea. I thought about waiting until the contest was closed, but why not pass along helpful tips before the due date to give people an edge in the last month?

I don't know about you, but I'm someone who obsessively checks the rules for anything I'm involved in. Perhaps because of this, I was surprised by how many people entered a contest without actually having read the rules, or at least not very thoroughly. My first pointer?

READ THE RULES AND GUIDELINES. All of them. Don't just read them once, read them several times. Print them up, if you're so inclined. But do be sure you've gotten an understanding of exactly what is being asked of you. Some contests may let you get away with small mistakes, while others may use that as an excuse to pare down a sizable mass of entries. There's no way for you to know which category the specific contest you're entering falls into, so play it safe.

Don't do anything to your check. Don't staple your check to your entry. Don't use double-sided tape to affix it to your entry. Don't do anything that may damage the check, which will render it unusable. If you'd like, it is fine to fold a sheet of paper around the check so that it isn't visible through the envelope, but please, please, please do not do anything to affix it to the paper! I destroyed my nails trying to carefully remove checks stapled to paper, including one stapled directly in the middle of the check.

Use manuscript format unless otherwise directed. If there is no information about the formatting, assume they want it in standard manuscript format. This is the most professional way to present your piece. You took care in writing it, so take care in presenting it. You can find excellent guidelines on standard manuscript formatting here.

Don't do anything wacky with your submission. Whether you present your piece via email or snail mail, be sure your submission is plain. In other words, no frilly email backgrounds, no funky fonts, no colored or textured paper. I know this is a work of art you've labored over, and sometimes it seems like it should be presented with a flourish, but hold yourself back! Send it on plain white paper, and see the standard manuscript format guide for font type and size information.

Be sure to proofread your entry. I haven't seen a contest judging sheet yet that doesn't take grammar, spelling, typos, etc. into consideration when figuring the score. If you enter the most mind-blowing piece, but it is riddled with typos and misspellings, you are going to lose points. Don't let that be what loses the contest for you.

Do your homework before contacting those running the contest. If you write the person running the contest to ask a question clearly addressed in the contest's guidelines, it may impact you. Some may not even respond to those questions. If the only information passed along is an email address, with no website or written guidelines, by all means contact that email address for the guidelines. But if there is a website link or a set of guidelines, always be sure to check those guidelines for the answers first. It's okay to ask questions not addressed therein.

Check and double check! For me, personally, I always go back over my piece when I have attached it to the email to send (or printed it up, if that were the case). This assures me that I've attached the correct document, and also that I've met all of the guidelines. I go down the list of requirements systematically to be sure I've gotten everything as it should be. Sometimes those requirements are murky, so I tried to be clear when I wrote up this contest's guidelines, and I provided a link to a final checklist to hopefully help those entering have the best chance to have things done correctly. Check over your formatting, proofread for grammar, spelling and typos once more, check the requirements for entry, and check payment information to be sure you've got everything down pat. It's really disappointing to miss out on a contest because some small, but important, detail was overlooked. Don't let that be your downfall.

On a final side note, a lot of these things apply for submitting your writing for publication, as well as submitting for a grant or award of some sort. I also had the opportunity to be on a committee awarding a grant this past year, and it was so deflating to have an applicant who was strong in other ways, but who did not meet the requirements as they had been laid out. It was also incredibly frustrating. Always take the time to put your best foot forward, because what you turn in is all they have to judge you on.

Do you have any tips or pointers for entering contests, whether from an entrant's point of view or a judges/contest chair's? Please share! How do you feel about contests?

May you find your Muse.