The "Where can I send this story?" thread

[pangalactic]

mhaynes, maybe try one of the literary markets? Throw it at the New Yorker or Glimmer Train and see if it sticks. It's certainly worth a go while you wait for AHMM.

[jaksen]

Mhaynes,

I second the recommendation to send it to AHMM, especially if EQMM almost bought it.

And no matter where you send it, write something else while waiting.

Write many somethings else.

[mhaynes]

Thanks, pangalactic and jaksen.

I hadn't thought about Glimmer Train. They open for fee-free submissions in April. Giving them a go doesn't sound like a bad idea at all. And by the time I hear back from them, if it's an R, I should be clear to sub to AHMM.

Like I said before, I hate leaving stories sitting idle, but I think I might just "have" to with this one at this point.

I'll keep checking back to see if anyone else has suggestions on this one.

And thanks for the "write many somethings else" suggestion, jaksen. I'll definitely be doing that.

[Deizelcore]

This

[donut]

Hi everyone. I'm the fiction editor for Fugue, and I'm just stopping in to let you guys know about our contest. We're a print literary journal, and the prose prize is $1000. Oh, and I'm publicizing it because we're low on entries this year, which means you have a better than average chance of winning!

Here's the link: http://www.uiweb.uidaho.edu/fugue/contest.html
Contest

Announcing Fugue's Eleventh Annual Prose & Poetry Contest!

Fugue is proud to announce its 11th annual writing contest. This year we will be accepting submissions of poetry and prose (fiction and nonfiction). Submissions will be accepted January 1, 2012 through May 1, 2012. To submit your work, send an email with the subject line “11th annual contest submission” to fugue-poetry@uidaho.edu , fugue-fiction@uidaho.edu , or fugue-nonfiction@uidaho.edu. Include your submission (3-5 poems (ten page max) or 1 essay/story (8,000-word max)) in the body of the email AND as an attachment (.docx or .doc only, please) along with a SHORT bio, and include your contest fee confirmation number (or include that number in a separate email).
Please note that the contest entry fee is $15, which covers the cost of reading ONE submission. Contestants are welcome to submit more than once, but each submission must be accompanied by a payment of the entry fee.
To submit your payment for the contest, follow the links at the top of our page: navigate to “Subscribe” and follow the link “For a subscription click here,” then finally click the link to the Fugue contest fee.
Judges:
Pam Houston (prose)
Rodney Jones (poetry)
The Prize:
First place winners receive $1,000, publication and a year's subscription. Runners-up will be considered for publication and will receive a year's subscription.

[mistermarlowe]

I have a short story that I wrote about fantasy baseball. I have absolutely no idea where I might be able to submit this..any ideas?

[E. B. Pike]

So much helpful information in this thread! Thanks to all who've contributed. I feel like I have a much better idea of where to go with short works.

[barnhijl]

Anyone know where I can send a 12k story? It doesn't really fit into any genre... It's a modern "beauty and the beast" story... but really since there is no magic, and not even a lot of romance it's hard for me to figure out what to do with it. I've work shopped it tons so I think it's ready to send to... somewhere... I've looked at ralan.com and duotrope but no one seems to want a story that long...

I've been putting off looking b/c I'm working on a novel, but my novel is frustrating me so... eh maybe I'm just procrastinating lol

[UniversalExport]

Originally Posted by barnhijl

Anyone know where I can send a 12k story? It doesn't really fit into any genre... It's a modern "beauty and the beast" story... but really since there is no magic, and not even a lot of romance it's hard for me to figure out what to do with it. I've work shopped it tons so I think it's ready to send to... somewhere... I've looked at ralan.com and duotrope but no one seems to want a story that long...

I've been putting off looking b/c I'm working on a novel, but my novel is frustrating me so... eh maybe I'm just procrastinating lol

New England Review accepts pieces in that word range I think

[barnhijl]

Originally Posted by UniversalExport

New England Review accepts pieces in that word range I think

I'll look into it, thank you

[Edarias]

New to this whole sending off my stories business. Looking for a place to send a 2000 word short story that follows a man who is losing his sanity.

The setting is somewhere between Alien Invasion sci-fi and Lovecraftian Horror. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a horror piece, but it's certainly not straight sci-fi/fantasy.

[nonasuch]

I can't seem to find a good venue for this story-- I think the tone is too light for most of the usual places.

5600 words, YA romance. Set in an alternate Regency with craft-based magic, an Inca girl who comes from a village of spell-spinners gets kidnapped by a young American magician. He needs her help to counteract a spell his father plans to cast on his sister. Only problem is, she's the disgrace of the village-- can't spin a spell to save her life.

[JustSarah]

I'm doing a collection of post apocalyptic connected shorts that are supposed to add up to 25,000 words, issue numbers overlap between the ages of 10-33 for each character. Still trying to figure out if its military sf or cyberpunk type dystopia, as the cyberpunk atmosphere focuses a lot on militarized law enforcement. I'm wanting to submit it to a horror magazine, except people that read my work say its closer science fiction. It ranges from 20 minutes in the future to 119 years in the future.

Which genre of magazine would be the best fit? Preferably a print magazine.

[quovadis]

Background - my background's in "literary" fiction (quote unquote), but increasingly I've been working on stories that fit into the slipstream, fabulism, magical realism (etc) genres (think Vernon Lee, Theophile Gautier, AS Byatt).

I've got two stories in particular I'm not sure where to submit (2000 words each, give or take):

The first was written for a Jewish-themed fiction contest (which I haven't heard back from, but I'd like to keep it "active"): - Guilt, patriarchy, sibling rivalry, and family secrets in post WWII Vienna, with a bit of Jewish golem lore thrown in (Talmudic magical realism, maybe?).

The second is perhaps harder still - a Poe-inspired piece of literary/psychological horror about a woman who has had an abortion becoming convinced that she's still pregnant. I'm keen to stress that there's no "political statement" meant at all - apart from perhaps a feminist desire to explore what "horror"/"fear"/etc mean from a female perspective, and to provide a female counterpoint to "Tell-Tale Heart" or similar. Is there a market for very literary psychological horror that won't see "abortion" and immediately shut me down as a wingnut (from either camp)? It's on sub at Apex (but realistically, what are the odds?), rejected already from Nightmare.

Anyone interested in critting either is welcome to PM me, by the way. I'm fine with harsh, blunt criticism.

[princessmiwi]

I have a short story in the 5,000 words range, it's a fantasy story about how a lonely dragon kidnaps princesses because he wants to learn how to communicate with human beings. It's light, certainly a pg-13, no sex, no profanity, more like an incursion into loneliness and our need to communicate.

...any ideas where I could find a nice home for it? :3

[Buffysquirrel]

Originally Posted by nonasuch

I can't seem to find a good venue for this story-- I think the tone is too light for most of the usual places.

Originally Posted by princessmiwi

It's light, certainly a pg-13, no sex, no profanity, more like an incursion into loneliness and our need to communicate.

...any ideas where I could find a nice home for it? :3

Try ASIM. http://www.andromedaspaceways.com/

[princessmiwi]

Originally Posted by Buffysquirrel

Try ASIM. http://www.andromedaspaceways.com/

Thanks. I just bought the latest issue, will read the stories while I wait for a chance to be critiqued at the critique circle

[jack lee]

there is many genre, sometimes we mis up. maybe just put it down according to the length.

[AuroraRose]

I have a 1,500 word flash fiction about a high school jock that's forced to wander through the nightmare world of the girl who shot him. I'm pretty sure it fits neatly into horror genre. Are there any journals that might take the story?

[TMCan]

This is the perfect thread for me. I have been trying to figure out where I can send this short 2,500 word story. It is YA, gen (well a teeny bit of romance, but it's not the focus), and contemporary.

[MumblingSage]

I admit, I'm tickled that a thread I started has proved helpful enough to be stickied!

I have a 1,500 word flash fiction about a high school jock that's forced to wander through the nightmare world of the girl who shot him. I'm pretty sure it fits neatly into horror genre. Are there any journals that might take the story?

This sounds like psychological horror to me, or perhaps even literary horror. Shock Totem has published both types and pays pro rates.

This is the perfect thread for me. I have been trying to figure out where I can send this short 2,500 word story. It is YA, gen (well a teeny bit of romance, but it's not the focus), and contemporary.

What sort of YA? 12 year olds, 18 year olds (the 'romance' bit is why I ask). Is the main character a girl, a boy? What's the main plot--mystery, the romance, coming-of-age?
Cicada Magazine & One Teen Story come to mind, just generally for YA shorts.

[MumblingSage]

Originally Posted by quovadis

Background - my background's in "literary" fiction (quote unquote), but increasingly I've been working on stories that fit into the slipstream, fabulism, magical realism (etc) genres (think Vernon Lee, Theophile Gautier, AS Byatt).

I've got two stories in particular I'm not sure where to submit (2000 words each, give or take):

The first was written for a Jewish-themed fiction contest (which I haven't heard back from, but I'd like to keep it "active"): - Guilt, patriarchy, sibling rivalry, and family secrets in post WWII Vienna, with a bit of Jewish golem lore thrown in (Talmudic magical realism, maybe?).

The second is perhaps harder still - a Poe-inspired piece of literary/psychological horror about a woman who has had an abortion becoming convinced that she's still pregnant. I'm keen to stress that there's no "political statement" meant at all - apart from perhaps a feminist desire to explore what "horror"/"fear"/etc mean from a female perspective, and to provide a female counterpoint to "Tell-Tale Heart" or similar. Is there a market for very literary psychological horror that won't see "abortion" and immediately shut me down as a wingnut (from either camp)? It's on sub at Apex (but realistically, what are the odds?), rejected already from Nightmare.

Anyone interested in critting either is welcome to PM me, by the way. I'm fine with harsh, blunt criticism.

To you, also, I might reccomend Shock Totem for the horror. You're clearly pretty familiar with pro-paying genre markets; have you tried them for the golem one? (Ralan.com is a free listing of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror markets that you might look through). In general I wouldn't worry about people seeing you as a wingnut; stories about abortion have won Nebula honors in the past, and the prestigious markets like Clarkesworld and Strange Horizons aren't really afraid of contraversy. If an editor does find your story wingnutty, they'll just send a fast rejection, and I'd make a monetary bet that your story will not be the most wingnutty a professional genre editor has ever seen.

[MumblingSage]

Originally Posted by nonasuch

I can't seem to find a good venue for this story-- I think the tone is too light for most of the usual places.

5600 words, YA romance. Set in an alternate Regency with craft-based magic, an Inca girl who comes from a village of spell-spinners gets kidnapped by a young American magician. He needs her help to counteract a spell his father plans to cast on his sister. Only problem is, she's the disgrace of the village-- can't spin a spell to save her life.

The interesting thing, to me, is the representation of an Inca character. Look at places that are interested in representation of diverse backgrounds--Crossed Genres (depending on their call) and Expanded Horizons. If the Inca girl is a strong protagonist, you could even look at Sword & Sorceress when the anthology opens to submissions again.

[Buffysquirrel]

GUD Magazine used to be interested in diverse stories. They're about to publish their Iss7 which means Iss8 might be a possibility. Always worth looking to see if they're ever open again to submissions, or even buy a copy, maybe Issue 6?

I probably ought to add I edited Issue 6. Ahem. Smile?

[TMCan]

Originally Posted by MumblingSage

What sort of YA? 12 year olds, 18 year olds (the 'romance' bit is why I ask). Is the main character a girl, a boy? What's the main plot--mystery, the romance, coming-of-age?
Cicada Magazine & One Teen Story come to mind, just generally for YA shorts.

The MC is a sixteen year old boy. The story is more of a cominig of age type thing.nthe romance is only there to serve as a help to him gaining confidence in himself. Thanks for your help. I will look up the two you mentioned.