Marketing--Narrow The Field

We ended last week with the topic of writing and marketing needing to be partners. That is, if you would like to have what you've written published. This week, we'll look at some marketing factors.

The man above is wondering how in the world to go about finding a place for his brand new story. Who would want to publish it? Where should he send it? How should he start?

First of all, he should narrow the field by determining if his story is sci-fi, fantasy, horror, erotica, or literary fiction. You'd think it would be obvious that, if his story is literary fiction, he should not send it to Sci-Fi Feast or Black Ink Horror Stories (fictitious publications!). Surprisingly, some writers end up sending work to places that would never consider the type of story submitted.

Do your homework! Check the writer's directories or google the kind of publications that your story fits. Whittle the list down to a select few. Check to see if each publication accepts simultaneous submissions or if they want an exclusive submission. If your top choice does not accept simulaneous submissions, fine, but prepare to play the waiting game. Beginning writers get antsy waiting. Experienced writers know it's part of the game. 

While googling and driectories are good tools for searching markets, another one is to network with other writers. If you belong to a critique group, ask those who critique your work for suggestions. Some of them may have had success with one magazine or newspaper or ezine that would be a fit for your story. 

If I have a religious-based story for children, I am not going to send it to a secular publication. I'll look for a Christian or Jewish or Muslim market, depending on the religion the story is geared to. If I have a story that centers around a woman in love, I am not going to send it to Men's Health or Modern Mechanics. As obvious as that may seem, too many writers send work to places they should have passed by. 

Step one is to sift and sort the markets. Make a list of those that would be a fit and concentrate on them.