It's the first day of February, the second month of the year. I think of February as the month of hearts and flowers, love and candy. Isn't this a perfect lead-in to Romance Fiction.?
There are lots of places where you can sell short romance stories. I'd give you a list, but I'd never be able to cover all of them, so I'll suggest that you use a search engine with keywords like 'short story romance submissions' or 'where to sell short romance stories.' If you don't have good results with your first search, change your keywords and try again.
One of the magazines I submitted to some years ago was Woman's World. At the time, they ran a short romance of 1000 words in every issue with a $1000 payment. I got as far as rejection with a personal note from the editor. Foolishly, I didn't revise and resubmit, primarily because I couldn't think of a way to fix the story the way he wanted.
Now, a Woman's World romance story must be a mere 800 words with an $800 payment. A dollar per word is good in anyone's book. The hard part, and it is difficult, is to write a full story for adults in 800 words. After your first draft, you'd have to go on a cutting spree. We know that by cutting the fluff, you're going to have a stronger story, so give it a try.
Other magazines and ezines will have fewer or more words allowed. It could be easier to find a place you would like to submit to, then write the story with their guidelines in mind rather than story first, and search for a market last.
A lot of those 800-word romances tend to be about first meetings with a longer relationship promised. I found an interesting article written by a woman who has sold numerous romances to Woman's World. Read what she has to say here.
When writing a short romance, remember to not be too flowery or gushy. Overly sweet won't make a sale. Romantic but realistic is the way to go. Stories that make it might have the couple working in an unusual job or meeting in a spot far away from the USA. The background or place can have a lot to do with the romance part of the story.
As in all submissions, read and study the guidelines, then follow them carefully. When a story is finished, go back and check to make sure it fits the guidelines. There are publications that accept erotic romance and many that do not. Ones that take teen romances and a lot that don't. Don't submit a fantasy or sci-fi romance to an everyday woman's magazine. In other words, do your homework before submitting.
How explicit should your short romance story be? That depends on the publication you're aiming for. How long or how short? Again, it depends on where you're submitting.
If you've read short romance stories at any time, and you're a writer, you can probably write one. Your first efforts might not be stupendous, but keep at it, and you'll come up with one that you feel good about and can submit.
Give short romance a try during this short month of February.
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