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mary rosenblum
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Hello all.
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mary rosenblum
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Welcome to our Tuesday Forum.
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mary rosenblum
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I hope you all had a great
weekend.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about finding markets. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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mary rosenblum
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I wanted to talk about markets
today.
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mary rosenblum
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It's a subject I try to return
to frequently, since it is often the most difficult part of the LR writing
course...choosing markets.
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mary rosenblum
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And the market indexes can be
so hard to understand.
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mary rosenblum
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I was putting up the posts on
the Post It board yesterday and found a post that really annoyed me.
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mary rosenblum
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The poster didn't annoy me,
but the poster's experience annoyed me.
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mary rosenblum
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That person had had a piece
accepted to a market, and then caught flack from family because 'that
market takes anybody'...
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mary rosenblum
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and 'you'll hurt your
reputation, being published there'.
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mary rosenblum
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That is SO much BS.
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mary rosenblum
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It made me angry, first of
all, because this sniping came from people who were close to the poster...
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mary rosenblum
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and writing is tough enough on
the ego without getting undercut by those close to you.
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mary rosenblum
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But what I said in my response
was...if it's so darn easy to get published there, how come THEY haven't
done it?
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mary rosenblum
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If someone criticizes your
efforts at any stage, first you look at their publication history.
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mary rosenblum
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What? They've never published
anything? Well then, what do THEY know?
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mary rosenblum
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Markets vary from no-pay,
small markets to big, commercial markets that pay well...
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mary rosenblum
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but mean you have to compete
against the likes of me. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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But publication anywhere is
going to help you. People will read your work.
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mary rosenblum
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If they like what they read,
they'll remember you.
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mary rosenblum
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If they see your name again,
they might buy the magazine or they might tell a friend that you're good,
read this person if you see anything.
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mary rosenblum
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You begin to build a fan base.
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mary rosenblum
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And editors read the small
press and ezines...they keep an eye on what is happening in their
universe...
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mary rosenblum
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because their success depends
on it.
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mary rosenblum
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So you are always doing
something good for yourself when your work shows up in public space.
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, it might be the only good
story, say, in a really lousy little ezine...
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mary rosenblum
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but then it shines by
comparison.
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mary rosenblum
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Wow, did you read that story?
It was the only good thing in the whole issue.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about finding markets. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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geezer
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I looked at Glimmer Train. They
say they want all genres, but then say they are a literary magazine. I'm
confused.
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mary rosenblum
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Yeah, I've pretty much stopped
recommending GT to new writers unless they're writing literary fiction.
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mary rosenblum
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GT used to be pretty eclectic,
but recently it has only published work from people within the
university/literary crowd, so I don't think it's a realistic..
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mary rosenblum
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market for most writers. I
think you're going to need university credentials to sell there, alas. Too
bad.
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andi
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I read they have fiction
contests.
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mary rosenblum
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They have contests. You can
enter them. I don't know what they are selecting as winners...
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mary rosenblum
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but it may not be any
different from what they are looking for from submissions.
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mary rosenblum
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It's worth a try, just don't
be too disheartened if you don't win.
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andi
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Mary, could you tell me where
Arabella magazine web site is?
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mary rosenblum
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As far as I know Andi, they
have ceased publication.
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mary rosenblum
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I think she brought the
magazine back up briefly, but from everything I can determine, it must have
gone out of business again.
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mary rosenblum
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That's the problem with new
markets in the small press print universe and for-pay Ezines.
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mary rosenblum
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It is very hard to get a new
market to a self-sustaining level.
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mary rosenblum
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They often open for a year or
so, but are essentially funded by Visa and if they don't start...
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mary rosenblum
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generating enough ad revenue
to make ends meet, they close sooner or later.
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andi
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Darn, i had one to send there.
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mary rosenblum
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Yeah, it's too bad. Short
Romance markets are very very scarce, and short paying Romance markets
are...
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mary rosenblum
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as far as I can tell...pretty
much limited to anthologies.
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mary rosenblum
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If you want to sell in Romance
you need to join RWA (Romance Writers of America) and get their newsletter.
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janecj333
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When you say university
credentials, do you mean an MFA, or publication at a university lit mag, or
either?
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mary rosenblum
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I don't get the magazine
anymore, but my informants tell me most of the authors have MFA
credentials.
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mary rosenblum
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That's not a certainty, it's
second-hand information.
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cherley
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Off topic. I am working on a
novel. It's kind of historical fiction, Bibical times. But I want to add
things that are more modern but not today's times. Can something like that
work.?
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mary rosenblum
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Wow, not in the historical
fiction market, Cherley.
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mary rosenblum
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In that market you MUST stick
to historical reality. But there is another genre...
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mary rosenblum
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alternate history.
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mary rosenblum
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This is in the speculative
fiction field and includes stories from a history that has 'diverged' from
the real history.
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mary rosenblum
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Your novel might fit
that...hard to say.
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geezer
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MFA?
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mary rosenblum
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Master of Fine arts from a
University. Pretty much worthless, in my opinion, if you're planning on
publishing anywhere except the lit mags.
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cherley
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I want it to just be fiction,
but I just wanted to use some of the bibical stuff and move it forward in
history.
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mary rosenblum
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Hard to say where it would
fit, Cherley. The mainstream market is really large.
|
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about finding markets. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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mary rosenblum
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The main issue with any market
is really understanding what the magazine needs...or what the book
publisher is looking for...
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mary rosenblum
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and relating that to what you
have to sell.
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mary rosenblum
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Nearly every editor I"ve
talked to (actually EVERY editor I can remember asking) gives the same...
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mary rosenblum
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answer when I've asked what is
the biggest reason for rejecting ms...
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mary rosenblum
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and we're talking well written
ms, not junk.
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mary rosenblum
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The reason is: It doesn't fit
the magazine.
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cherley
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Just wanted to know basically if
it's acceptable to move it around like that. Like changing the scenes to
add like wagons and horses and more modern homes.
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mary rosenblum
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Its' really hard to say,
Cherley. If it's not the real world, or a real historical setting, then
it's probably going to be seen as a fantasy world...
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mary rosenblum
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and your market will be the
fantasy publishers.
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mary rosenblum
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Fantasy and speculative
fiction do cover a wide range of fiction.
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geezer
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Hey Mary, you do everything
else, why not start a magazine for people like us?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, geeze, I'm already
living more than 24 hours in a day now. If you can figure out how I can
squeeze 48 hours into a single day, I'll do it! :-)
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massite
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Can entering contests can affect
you as a writer?
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mary rosenblum
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Yes and no, massite. It
depends on the contest.
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mary rosenblum
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It always helps to say 'my
story won XXX contest' in a cover letter, even if the contest is tiny.
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mary rosenblum
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And some contests are well
known.
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mary rosenblum
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Saying you won or even placed
in the Writers Digest contest means something...just because they get SO
many entires.
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mary rosenblum
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If you're writing SF/fantasy,
winning the Writers of the Future contest gets you some name recognition.
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janecj333
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I'm sure I have seen ezines that
publish fiction specifically written by unpublished authors.
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mary rosenblum
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You have indeed Jane.
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mary rosenblum
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There are a few that focus on
unpublished writers only and let's face it, the nonpaying markets...
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mary rosenblum
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really don't attract
professional writers.
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mary rosenblum
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We need to get paid for our
work, because we're paying bills that way...
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mary rosenblum
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and a small unknown magazine
won't do a lot for our careers...
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mary rosenblum
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so you don't get a lot of
competition that way.
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mary rosenblum
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BUT...
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mary rosenblum
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And this is a VERY important
BUT...
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mary rosenblum
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you should not BEGIN with a
tiny, no-pay market if you think your article or story...
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mary rosenblum
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should work for a big, high
paying market.
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mary rosenblum
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AlWAYS start at the top.
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mary rosenblum
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Hey, maybe you'll sell that
piece right off to the no-pay market because it's great.
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mary rosenblum
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But maybe you would have sold
it to Women's World, if you'd sent it there, first.
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mary rosenblum
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Send it to the top markets and
if they turn it down THEN go for the small markets.
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mary rosenblum
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When you're starting out,
clips and a bit of name recognition will help you.
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acook
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By top markets you mean more
recognizable markets to the average person?
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, acook...these are the
large circulation mags that you see in the bookstores, the really well
known ezines like Slate.com, or the book publishers whose books appear in
Barnes and Noble.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about finding markets. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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drowningmermaid
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This is a little off-topic, but
there seems to be a reasonable interview market out there. I was wondering
if it is proper etiquette to approach the person you want to interview
First, or the magazine you want to write for?
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mary rosenblum
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It's not off topic at all,
maid.
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mary rosenblum
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A good interview is the BEST
way to break into the NF market.
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mary rosenblum
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Editors want 'primary' sources
...like an expert interview.
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mary rosenblum
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They do NOT want something you
researched from the internet (any reader could do that).
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, make sure you have a
'yes' to an interview before you query editors.
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mary rosenblum
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You don't want that editor to
say yes, only to come back with a shamefaced, 'uh, he won't talk to me'
letter.
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mary rosenblum
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A tip here:
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mary rosenblum
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Pick your market first, decide
what topic you think that editor wants, and then pitch the interview.
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heal
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clips and name recogniions?
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mary rosenblum
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Clips are the list of
publications you have.
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mary rosenblum
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When you send in a query or a
cover letter, you tell the editor where you have been published.
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mary rosenblum
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Editors don't know ALL the
markets out there, so even if this is a tiny ezine...
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mary rosenblum
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it's still a publication.
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mary rosenblum
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And name recognition is just
that...
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mary rosenblum
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it is the coin of the realm.
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mary rosenblum
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The more people who know who
you are, the more people who will buy something Just Because YOU Wrote It.
That is worth cash.
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mary rosenblum
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It means readers KNOW you,
know you won't dissapoint them, and will snap up something because your
name is on it.
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mary rosenblum
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That is what editors pay good
money for and that is what you work HARD to build as a new writer.
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paminnapa
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Im still really new at fiction.
I know there are sub catagories in most genres. If say Im writing a SF
would I strictly have to promote it as SF when IMO its more of a thriller/
mystery?
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mary rosenblum
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Some mystery markets will take
crossover mystery/sf, pam.
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mary rosenblum
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Others...like Ellery
Queen...will not.
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mary rosenblum
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You can submit to any market
where your story fits, no matter what marketing label it's sold under.
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mary rosenblum
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You'll find plenty of
speculative fiction in mainstream, for that matter.
|
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about finding markets. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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geezer
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So where would you send an
adventure/romance SS if you didn't have a name?
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mary rosenblum
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any market where I think it
would fit, geeze.
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mary rosenblum
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I'd try to line up four or
five possible markets, rank them from best paying to no pay...
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mary rosenblum
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and start with the best paying
market.
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mary rosenblum
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Never avoid a market just
because you don't have a name.
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mary rosenblum
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If the story or article seems
to be 'right up their alley', try it.
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mary rosenblum
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While names matter because
they sell books and issues to readers, editors don't have enough...
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mary rosenblum
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good stories or articles from
name writers and they are always looking for new blood.
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geezer
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There doesn't seem to be any
markets that fit.
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mary rosenblum
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alas, the short fiction market
is very think, geeze.
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mary rosenblum
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You'll probably have to search
the small ezines.
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mary rosenblum
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There's a new publishing trend
that may help you.
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mary rosenblum
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The anthology market is moving
from reprints only to first-rights stories (stories that have never been
published).
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mary rosenblum
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That should open up more short
fiction markets, although you may have to find them...
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mary rosenblum
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via the internet or
professional journal newsletters rather than the regular print market
indexes.
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mary rosenblum
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Anthologies tend to open and
close in short spans of time, so the market indexes that get updated once a
year (the paper ones in other words), may not include them.
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mary rosenblum
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And new markets come about
...and fail...often.
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mary rosenblum
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If you can't find a market for
a story right now...hang on to it.
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mary rosenblum
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It's inventory.
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mary rosenblum
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If you find a market, you have
a story ready to send off.
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janecj333
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Writers Market lists university
presses, many which accept spec fic, and also regional lit mags (many come
and go, so you have to research them online) which accept the same
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mary rosenblum
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They do, Jane, but the lit
mags and university presses are a real catch 22. You are pretty much
wasting postage...
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mary rosenblum
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unless you order the magazine
and read it.
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mary rosenblum
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They are subsidized...that
means they don't have to sell advertizing in order to stay solvent.
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mary rosenblum
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That means the editor only has
to please himself or herself...
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mary rosenblum
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so you tend to see very narrow
'takes' on 'good fiction'. If what that editor likes is what your story
happens to be...
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mary rosenblum
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you might sell there.
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mary rosenblum
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But the window is smaller than
it is for the commercial publications (Well, excluding Fantasy and SF,
LOL)...
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mary rosenblum
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and the standards are more
whimsical.
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mary rosenblum
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That market is really worth
the price of a sample copy or two.
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mary rosenblum
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Especially if rejection slips
really depress you.
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mary rosenblum
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My joke about F & SF could
use some explaining...
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mary rosenblum
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Gordon Van Gelder, the editor
of F &SF, really does buy what HE thinks is good fantasy/SF...
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mary rosenblum
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and that excludes a lot, such
as classical Sword and sorcery type fantasy...
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mary rosenblum
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so that's one where a sample
copy will save you some rejections.
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janecj333
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Iowa Woman and Latino Stuff
Review, two high-quality but short-lived lit mags, accepted my work and I
had never reead either one, so it pays to try them, imo
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mary rosenblum
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Sure, but it's a crap shoot.
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mary rosenblum
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I've known writers who sold
their very first story to a lit mag and ten years later had never sold
another piece.
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mary rosenblum
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You just don't know.
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mary rosenblum
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If you really want to sell to
that market, buy some sample copies.
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mary rosenblum
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I send some magic realism
stuff to the literary anthology markets once in awhile, but I'm always
amazed when it sells. :-) I'm just throwing a dart to see if it lands near
the target. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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The first thing to think about
in any market is...does my piece really fit it?
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mary rosenblum
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I can't repeat enough that
you're much better off finding a copy or two to read...often you can do
that at the library...
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mary rosenblum
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or find some samples on the
magazine webpage...
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mary rosenblum
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than depending on the
guidelines.
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mary rosenblum
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Most guidelines sound exactly
alike and the magazines are far from alike.
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mary rosenblum
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In nonfiction especially it is
really really important to read back issues.
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janecj333
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I think it was Octavia Butler
who early in her career sold a short to a major sf mag, then not another
story for five or more years after that. Funny.
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mary rosenblum
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Oh yeah...many of the big
names in SF had a slow start...you never know how you're going to proceed.
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mary rosenblum
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That's why you can't quit if
you don't sell something right away.
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mary rosenblum
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You really do have to keep
sending work out and striving to get better.
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mary rosenblum
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Sometimes the market has to
come to you.
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mary rosenblum
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Jeff VanderMeer, my guest some
weeks ago...
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mary rosenblum
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started publishing in very
small ezines, but he began to grow in popularity...
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mary rosenblum
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and now he's publishing with
the big NY and London publishers.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about finding markets. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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beryl
|
Forgive me if this has been
covered. I have heard you don't need an agent for magazines. Then I see
Good Housekeeping and others say only agented ms accepted.
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mary rosenblum
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Ah, that's too bad, beryl.
It's probably because nearly every new writer out there...
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mary rosenblum
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has sent something to GH even
if it's not what they publish...
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mary rosenblum
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But I think GH is still open
to queries. In fact, almost NO major commercial NF magazine will accept a
mss.
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mary rosenblum
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They all want a query first.
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mary rosenblum
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Some will accept a personal
narrative as a mss rather than a query.
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mary rosenblum
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But rarely nonfiction.
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mary rosenblum
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That's why you want to
practice writing strong, dynamic queries.
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mary rosenblum
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Remember that often that 'no
unsolicited mss, or no unagented mss' simply means that the publisher wants
a query.
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mary rosenblum
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They don't want the mail room
cluttered with a dump truck load of mss every week!
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mary rosenblum
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Read the guidelines carefully.
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mary rosenblum
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Don't stop reading when you
get to 'no unsolicited or no unagented mss'.
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mary rosenblum
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Even the book publishers use
that when what they are saying is 'query us first'.
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mary rosenblum
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And market list jargon can
seem very arcane at first.
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mary rosenblum
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The query letter and agents
(for book length works) have been set up as 'gateways' to stem a flood of
paper that hit the big publishers some years ago.
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mary rosenblum
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Most commercial magazines get
1000 submissions a week, most of which are not suited to the mag.
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mary rosenblum
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(SO you're not competing with
1000 people, don't worry)
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mary rosenblum
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Now with nonfiction, one way
into the market is to sell to the small magazines that don't attract the
big pros...
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mary rosenblum
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tja
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mary rosenblum
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that's pretty easy to do.
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mary rosenblum
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And as you amass clips at the
'bottom level', you then pitch articles to the larger mags, and with your
clips...
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mary rosenblum
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adn improving technique (are
ARE working at getting better, right?), you ...
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mary rosenblum
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sell to those, and then you
step up again...
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mary rosenblum
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finally making it to the very
top markets that pay very well.
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mary rosenblum
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That doesn't mean you
shouldn't query the big markets if you have a dynamite idea that seems to
fit...
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mary rosenblum
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them perfectly. But you can
sell pretty easily to those small circulation mags...
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mary rosenblum
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and clips matter.
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mary rosenblum
|
Another foot in the door for
nonfiction and occasionally fiction magazines...
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mary rosenblum
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is in the 'departments'.
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mary rosenblum
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These are sections in the
magazines that invite input from readers.
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mary rosenblum
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It might be a 'tips' column
for a garden or kitchen or pet magazine...
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mary rosenblum
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or a column where readers
share experiences.
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mary rosenblum
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Editors notice well written
material and remember the name...
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mary rosenblum
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especially if you contribute
regularly.
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mary rosenblum
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If that editor later sees a
query from you, the name recognition will help you. She knows you write
well and regularly.
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mary rosenblum
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She is inclined to give you a
break.
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mary rosenblum
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Occasionally an editor will
even suggest a topic.
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mary rosenblum
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Editors do like to give
writers a hand up if they can do so.
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mary rosenblum
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But it IS their job AND their
reputation, so they won't publish poor material just to be nice to you.
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mary rosenblum
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Use the internet for research,
too.
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mary rosenblum
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Many magazines have websites
and they post samples from their issues.
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mary rosenblum
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Those are very useful and you
don't even have to drive to the library.
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janecj333
|
The problem with writing to the
market is that it's hard to stay passionate about your story. Invariably,
writing for a theme, contest, or anthology brings out no good in
me...writers block, procrastination.
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mary rosenblum
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Well in nonfiction there is
ONLY writing to the market, so you have to be able to find your passion
there, Jane.
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mary rosenblum
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And some writers can't write
to theme. You do what you can do, and that's it.
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mary rosenblum
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Me, I love theme anthologies. :-)
They've done half my work for me...given me a plot start. I love the fun of
coming up with a story...
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mary rosenblum
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and characters to highlight
that theme. :-) But that's just me. Not all writers do that.
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cherley
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I do well with a theme. I feel
like you, half the work is done. LOL
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mary rosenblum
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yeah, me, too, Cherley. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Everyone works in his or her
own way.
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heal
|
define anthology please
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mary rosenblum
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An anthology is a collection
of short stories published in a book form, heal.
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mary rosenblum
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You have 'single author
anthologies', (I have one of those out), and anthologies with multiple
authors...
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mary rosenblum
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those are often 'theme
anthologies'...
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mary rosenblum
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where every story sticks to a
particular theme -- ghost stories, dog stories, horror stories, dragon
stories...
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mary rosenblum
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something like that.
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mary rosenblum
|
Those used to be mostly
reprints, but now they're mostly new stories.
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mary rosenblum
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One new market by the way, for
fantasy and horror stories is Fantasist Enterprises...
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mary rosenblum
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this is a new company trying
to publisher multiple theme antholgies every year...
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mary rosenblum
|
and they're very open to new
writers.
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heal
|
how do you mean the work is
almost done for you
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mary rosenblum
|
Oh it's hardly ALMOST done,
heal.
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mary rosenblum
|
But I like the challenge of
coming up with a story to suit a theme.
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mary rosenblum
|
It's like picking word out of
the dictionary and then coming up with a story that contains that word in
the title...
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mary rosenblum
|
another fun challenge I do once
in awhile.
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janecj333
|
I suppose the biggest problem I
have is not so much finding a market, but deciding a piece is ready and
then letting it go.
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mary rosenblum
|
Ah, that's very common.
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mary rosenblum
|
And it's something that each
person has to work through...because each of us...
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mary rosenblum
|
throws more barriers in front
of our writing than the publishing world does.
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mary rosenblum
|
And at first it's hard to know
what is 'real' and what is your self doubt (ie shoulder vultures) talking.
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mary rosenblum
|
It's VERY easy to feel 'this
is awful', when what you're really feeling is your own doubts about your
ability as a writer.
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mary rosenblum
|
You don't have any reader
validation before you publish, so you can believe your own worst opinion.
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mary rosenblum
|
That's where good critiquers
come in, who can tell you when something works.
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heal
|
Oh so hey give you a theme to
write about
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mary rosenblum
|
Most of the time, heal.
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mary rosenblum
|
Generally, if you're only
fixing single words on a revision...just tweaking sentences...
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mary rosenblum
|
then you've gone as far as
you're going to go with this piece right now...
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mary rosenblum
|
and it's time to send it out
or give it to a good critiquer.
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mary rosenblum
|
(Actually, I give my second
draft to my critquers...no way I'm polishing something I might change! )
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janecj333
|
Mary, I've found a site called
critiquecircle.com where members have passwords to post and see others'
work. They claim that because it is password-access, anything posted is not
considered 'published online'.
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mary rosenblum
|
That should be true, jane.
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mary rosenblum
|
You're only compromising
rights if you publish in public space.
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mary rosenblum
|
That's the same as mailing
your story to readers.
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mary rosenblum
|
Or passing it out to a critque
group.
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mary rosenblum
|
Readers are your best
feedback.
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mary rosenblum
|
Not every reader will give you
good input...but when several readers say the same thing...
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mary rosenblum
|
this is great or I had trouble
here...you should listen.
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mary rosenblum
|
Well, this has been a fun
Oregon hour. :-)
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mary rosenblum
|
The markets are very daunting
as you first start sending work off...
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mary rosenblum
|
but you just have to make the
best choices you can and persevere.
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mary rosenblum
|
It doesn't hurt your as a
writer to keep sending work out, it DOES hurt you as a writer to NOT send
work out.
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mary rosenblum
|
Rejection slips are not meant
to tell you 'don't write'. Even tho we tend to read them that way as new
writers.
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mary rosenblum
|
They are 'try again'.
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mary rosenblum
|
Well, have a good week, all.
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mary rosenblum
|
I''ll be in Wisconsin at
WisCon, a conference on feminist SF...so I'll have to miss..
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mary rosenblum
|
our Friday Forum this week.
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mary rosenblum
|
But I'll try to get on Sunday
and say hi.
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mary rosenblum
|
Do join us tomorrow morning
for our casual chat thought.
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mary rosenblum
|
Have a good week all!
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mary rosenblum
|
I'll post the transcript at
the usual place:
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mary rosenblum
|
Writing Craft: Forum
Transcript.
|