Many people want to know what they can do with their rejected stories and where else they can submit short fiction. I asked one of my regular visitors, Chris, to compile a list of markets. Chris sells a lot of fiction to these publications and I'm so grateful that she was willing to help us out.
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OVERSEAS MARKETS
compiled by
Chris
Guidelines for Fast Fiction and That’s
Life (Australia). Humorous, positive contemporary stories of 700 (That’s Life) and 900 -
2800 words (Fast Fiction) with a strong plot. If the story has a twist it
should arise from the story, rather than from a detail kept from the reader. To
check your twist, imagine your story were being made into a film - would the
surprise still work? For Fast Fiction please write to the following lengths;
1 page - 900 words
1.5 pp - 1,200 words
2pp - 1,400 words
3pp - 2,100 words
4pp - 2,800 words
Subject Matter: Read several issues
of the magazines to get the flavour of the type of fiction we publish. Many
writers waste a lot of time and effort because they haven't done this. Please
avoid straightforward romance ie. boy meets girl and they live happily ever
after. Also avoid stories narrated by animals or babies. Please remember that
that's life! is a family magazine so graphic murders, sex crimes and domestic
violence are not acceptable.
We normally
write in chronological order, so please keep events in sequence and avoid
"jumping" around time slots, as this can be confusing. Also, please
bear in mind that if your story is themed then it needs to be sent to us about
3 months in advance of the magazine in which it needs to appear. For example a
Christmas story would need to reach us no later than September.
Common
twists to avoid:
- The
heroine/narrator is revealed to be a cat, dog, car, possum, tree or ghost!
- A partner's
mysterious arrangements turn out to be for a surprise party
- The
perpetrator's murder plan backfires and s/he eats the poison
- A woman meets
up with a handsome "stranger" for a steamy rendezvous and it
turns out to be her husband
- Someone nervous
about a first day at school turns out to be the teacher; or about a
wedding, the vicar; or an interview, the interviewer.
- A woman spots
her boyfriend/man of her dreams with a beautiful blonde lady - who turns
out to be his sister.
- Anything
involving twins
A
murder/death actually turns out to be part of a play rehearsal Common plots to
avoid:
- Woman gets her
revenge on bullying husband, mother-in-law or boss
- Widowed woman
finds new love in her autumn years
- The heroine is
a writer
- Anything
involving winning money/the lotto
- Con artist
tries to fleece little old lady - but the old lady ends up conning him.
It's not
that we would never use a story with these plot lines, but bear in mind we do
get a lot of them. So your story would need a fresh angle to stand out.
Characters: It can
be confusing if you have too many characters. A maximum of four is usually
best.
Originality: Stories
must be your own idea and original work, previously unpublished, and not on
offer to any other magazine or publisher at the time sent to us. Should your
story be accepted we may have to edit it to conform to page length, style, and
the photos available to illustrate it.
Presentation:
Manuscripts should be presented in a typed Word document format. Please ensure
your name, address and telephone number are included in the manuscript. An
accompanying letter is not necessary. PLEASE ensure you send it with a word
count and let us know if it is 1st or 2nd rights. Also, we prefer not to
receive bulk submissions, so please don't send any more than 4 stories at a
time.
Replies: If
you've heard nothing after six months your story is unlikely to be used.
However, you may resubmit it if you wish. A story that may not have been
suitable, in length or subject, at one point could be just what we need months
later. Please be aware that due to the large volume of stories we receive we
cannot offer individual guidance or assessment.
Rejection: If your
story is rejected it can be for any number of reasons. Sometimes we have
already published, or have in stock a similar story, or we may feel it will not
appeal to our readers. This does not mean we will not like another of your
stories, so don't lose heart.
***
Best is a weekly British magazine that
uses one story of around 900 words per issue in one of several different
categories such as Three Minute Thriller, Three Minute Mystery and Passion on a
Page. Submit by email at best@natmags.co.uk. Bear in mind you'll only hear back
if they want to buy, so if you haven't heard in three to four months it's
probably a no.
UK mag My Weekly only considers
submissions from writers who’ve had work published by them before, but you can submit for the Specials and Annuals.
Fiction editor for these is Maggie Seed – email her on mseed@dcthomson.co.uk to
check what she is looking for at the time.
From the same stable as My Weekly (DC Thomson) comes Weekly News. It looks
more like a newspaper than a magazine but they still use fiction stories of
1,000 - 1,500 words. It's read by men as well as women, so male perspective is
fine, but fiction ed Jill Finlay isn't keen on first person or present tense
stories, so avoid those. Email her on jfinlay@dcthomson.co.uk
Ficta Fabula is a Canadian magazine, formerly
called Pages of Stories. For their comprehensive guidelines contact editor Darlene
Poier on
info@pagesofstories.com
You
may also like to consider what's called the 'grey market', an unflattering
description for mags aimed at the older reader. In the UK we have People's Friend (also from DC Thomson).
Guidelines on http://www.thepeoplesfriend.co.uk/Peoples-Friend-Submissions.
Unfortunately only postal submissions are considered.
Another
mag aimed at older readers is Yours.
YOURS Short story (fiction) guidelines
YOURS is always looking
for good short stories. Every submission is read but we receive more than a
hundred manuscripts a month and are able to publish only one short story per
issue.
Please allow up to six months for reply and enclose a
stamped, self-addressed envelope if you would like your manuscript to be
returned. Submissions should be 1000-1,200 words long and not have been
published elsewhere before. Manuscripts must be TYPED on one side of the paper
and the title page must include the following:
- 100 -
150 word synopsis.
- An
accurate word count.
- Your
full name (and real name if you write under a pen name), address and
telephone number
If we can’t use your
submission and you would like it returned to you please enclose a SAE with
enough postage to cover the cost of the submission/s.
Know your audience
It is essential that you study three or four published
stories in YOURS before writing anything for us. Many manuscripts are rejected
because, although they may be well written, the stories are aimed at a
completely different market, such as younger women or a largely middle-class
readership. Read several issues of YOURS. This will give you a good idea of the
type of reader you should be writing for and the general tone we use. Our
readers range in age from fifties upwards, with most in their mid-sixties and
seventies. They are mostly women, although YOURS is read by some men, so don’t
ignore their interests! They are Catherine Cookson readers rather than Jilly
Cooper fans
Good subjects
Some of the most popular themes with YOURS readers are
romance, families, grandchildren, nostalgia and wartime comradeship. A lot of
our readers did war work and/or had husbands or boyfriends serving in the
Forces. Don’t be limited to these subjects though; the style and tone of what
you write about must appeal to our readers as much as the content. The first
line of your story should grab the attention; it is all too easy to start a
story with a bang, which quickly turns into a damp squib by the end of the
first page. Keep up the reader's interest until the end or they will not bother
to get that far - and a brilliant surprise ending will not make them read it in
the first place.
What to avoid
Avoid stereotypical images of older people as ill, frail and
lonely. Make sure your story is plausible and realistic and do not rely on
unlikely coincidences. Try and avoid the hero turning out to be a cat or dog.
Avoid downbeat subjects such as death, widowhood, illness
and loneliness, or write about them in a positive way that does not dwell on
negatives.
Try not to rely on obvious plot devices such as twists in
the tale and memory flashbacks. These are very common and, unless superbly
written, can be predictable. A good story does not always need a surprise.
Remember this
Always think of YOURS readers, not just as older people, but
as ordinary human beings who have experienced everything in life - childhood,
growing up, starting work, falling in love, friends and family, joy, sorrow,
heartache, longing and laughter. YOURS readers have their own interests and
needs which match their years of experiences but many of their hopes, fears and
dreams are shared by all of us and they still enjoy a good story.
Send your manuscript to*:
Short Stories
Yours Magazine
Bauer Media
Media House
Peterborough Business Park
Peterborough,
PE2 6EA
England
Or by email to:
yours@bauermedia.co.uk
(Subject: Short Story Submission) – email submissions must include contact
telephone number and address details. All successful submissions are accepted
on an All Rights basis that gives Bauer Media exclusive copyright.
Another
British magazine that uses fiction is Woman’s
Weekly. Their guidelines state;
Fiction
is a vital ingredient of Woman’s Weekly, the place where readers can escape and
switch off. This doesn’t mean predictable plots. Escapism means getting
involved in a really gripping tale with believable characters. Above all, we
are looking for originality and a wide variety of themes and moods, such as
mystery, humour, relationships and family issues, with warmth still an
important factor. Try to be subtle in your writing and remember the maxim:
“Show don’t tell”. We recommend you read several issues of Woman’s Weekly and
Woman’s Weekly Fiction Special to get a feel for our audience. Unfortunately,
we can’t offer criticism but if your writing shows promise we will contact you.
WHAT WE
ARE LOOKING FOR;
For the
weekly magazine: Short stories of 1,000 and 2,000 words. Serials in
3, 4 or 5 parts of 3,300 words each.
For Fiction Special (At least 20 stories 12 times a year): Stories
of 1,000 to 8,000 words
GENERAL
TIPS
We read
only typescripts. Handwritten work can’t be considered. Double line spacing on
one side of the paper only and wide margins. Number each page and make sure
your name is at the top of each page. If sending stories from abroad, please
enclose an international reply coupon (NB
by Chris - these are no longer
available, so UK stamps would be required).
If you
would like us to acknowledge receipt of your manuscript, enclose a stamped,
addressed postcard. Please note that it can take up to sixteen weeks for
manuscripts to be considered, and that we are unable to enter into any
correspondence by e-mail.
Please
send stories/serials to:
Fiction
Department, Woman’s Weekly,
IPC
Media,
Blue Fin
Building,
110
Southwark Street,
London,
SE1 0SU
England.
Fiction Feast
is another UK mag that uses fiction.
Stories of 750-3000 words. Postal submissions only Response time
usually around 12 weeks. If you haven't heard back in that time, email fiction
editor Norah McGrath stating the name of the story, the date it was submitted
and a 2-line plot outline and she'll get back to you.
Pay
is currently £200 for 1 page rising to £400 for 3,000 worders (NB from Chris - please bear in mind that pay rates for all mags are subject to change)
Send
seasonal stories six months in advance
Submission
address:
Norah
McGrath,
Fiction
Editor,
Fiction
Feast,
24-28
Oval Road,
London
NW1
7DT
England
Lastly, in S. Africa there is You magazine (you.co.za). Stories of 1,500 words may be emailed
to Cecilia
van Zyl: cvanzyl@media24.com
As mentioned elsewhere, IRCs (International
Reply Coupons) are no longer available, so for overseas submissions where
return postage is required (SAEs) UK stamps would have to be obtained.
Addition 3/6/14 - Shades of Romance, an online magazine for readers and writers, pays $25 for romantic short stories, 500 to 1,500 words, in any romantic sub-genre. Shades of Romance also accepts articles on the craft and business of writing. The deadline for submissions for the next issue of the quarterly publication is June 1, 2014. For guidelines and a list of upcoming issue themes, go here.
In a Nutshell: It's Saturday. Katy's neighbor is reluctantly, and only somewhat successfully, babysitting his infant niece. She converses with him about it. A week goes by. She sees him around but they don't talk. Saturday rolls around again and he's volunteered to babysit again. He also finds the courage to ask Katy out.
