| Re: Non-paying anthologies?
Troo raises some good points. My experience is that I align myself quite often with low-paying or non-paying markets. I'd rather see my fiction appear in neat places than receive a small amount of cash. A large amount of cash is a different matter, but that's not what we're talking about here.
Truth of the matter is you're unlikely to make any kind of a living writing short stories, even if you only sell to the top professional markets. And while pay rate might be seen as a general indication of a magazine's credibility - or at least it's professionalism - it can only be a very rough one. As Andrew has indicated, the independent press market in the UK is too small to support many professional-paying publications that are going to last. Many can only publish at all due to arts council funding and the like, but the fact that they can't pay doesn't mean that they aren't worth contributing to.
Exposure is a certain benefit. Getting yourself into the pages of cool publications will get your name around, get you noticed by Years Best editors, and perhaps give you opportunities to sell to better paid markets. As to what these cool publications are, my advice is to read a bunch and make up your own mind which ones you like.
If you were to ask me is it worth submitting something to Subtle Edens, even though there's no money involved, I'd say unreservedly yes. |