What about short stories...

[dustinzgirl]

I've found that my short stories were becoming so similar they needed to be made into one novel. If you find you are using the same theme, langauge flow, people (even if they have different names. If the main character in your shorts all have blue eyes and a scar on thier neck, its the same character). For beginning writers, it is kind of hard to writae an anthology, and even for novelists. If you don't find that the short stories have a similar theme, try submitting all your shorts to the short fiction market, after all, that is where some of the greatest got their start: Stephen King, Aasismov, ect.

There are a lot of short fiction markets.

www.storypilot.com is a great place to search for short markets.

PS: About the being stubborn part, no one is sayig you are wrong or silly for trying, but very--and I mean VERY few authors can write stand alone short story anthologies. Try it, but it is not what traditional publishers look for. We are just telling you that it is probably a harder road than you think. I mean, its hard as HECK getting published anywhere, I know, I've tried for a very long time. Im about to give in and hit good old agents up.

[John Jarrold]

Amen...

[Marky Lazer]

Hmmm... I guess the question wasn't too clear, now I look back.

I didn't mean to ask if there was a market for short stories; I meant to ask, if I would be submitting a bunch of short stories for a collection, how would I do that?

If you're submitting a novel, you would send a synopsis and, say, the first three chapters. But this wouldn't for short stories. It's crazy to send the first three paragraphs of every story, right? So, that's the question. More the how to instead of the real chance of getting there.

[John Jarrold]

You need to ask each specific publisher if they are interested in short story collections, and if so, what would they like to see.

Cheers!

[John Jarrold]

Originally Posted by Marky Lazer

If you're submitting a novel, you would send a synopsis and, say, the first three chapters.

No one should assume this. Anyone submitting to a publisher should get in touch by phone, letter or e-mail first and ask the publisher or editor what they want to see. It will vary, and as a new author you should always give the publisher what they ask for - three chapters, six chapters, the entire novel. And, of course, be prepared for the fact that some don't accept unsolicited or unagented scripts at all.

[dustinzgirl]

Originally Posted by John Jarrold

No one should assume this. Anyone submitting to a publisher should get in touch by phone, letter or e-mail first and ask the publisher or editor what they want to see. It will vary, and as a new author you should always give the publisher what they ask for - three chapters, six chapters, the entire novel. And, of course, be prepared for the fact that some don't accept unsolicited or unagented scripts at all.

And some publishers don't even want a synopsis or first chapter...one publisher i contacted only wanted a three paragraph blurb and the first line of my story. I thought that was wierd, actually.

[John Jarrold]

Me too...

[Marky Lazer]

Originally Posted by John Jarrold

No one should assume this. Anyone submitting to a publisher should get in touch by phone, letter or e-mail first and ask the publisher or editor what they want to see. It will vary, and as a new author you should always give the publisher what they ask for - three chapters, six chapters, the entire novel. And, of course, be prepared for the fact that some don't accept unsolicited or unagented scripts at all.

You're right, John. I just meant it as a clarification for the question. But I guess it never hurts to say it again.

[John Jarrold]

One of the great things about this forum is that it gives me the chance to reiterate basic submission points that we think everyone knows - but which are broken every day by keen new writers, submitting to publishers and agents. So thanks to you all for that!

[LauraJUnderwood]

I started out as a short story writer myself. My earliest efforts were in anthologies like SWORD AND SORCERESS and magazines like Marion Zimmer Bradley's FANTASY Magazine, Adventures in Sword & Sorcery, and other places. (The latest short stories are in magazines like FARthing and Aoife's Kiss).

By the time I sold my first novel, I had pretty well established myself as a short story writer, so when I sold the first novel, I had no difficulty selling a collection of my short fiction to another publisher, and then another publisher (in whose magazine I had stories from time to time) approached me about publishing a collection of my work.

That being said, it is not easy to get a collection of short fiction sold unless you already have a track record as a short fiction writer. Or a track record as novelist who just happens to have some short fiction.

Novellas--there are a very limited number of markets for those. Carnifex press is publishing a novella of mine ("The King's Wind") but they are currently not reading. Some small press publishers will do novellas as chapbooks. But keep in mind that other than specialty stores and online stores, it is rare for those to find a marketplace.

Yeah, I know, it sounds impossible.

Just remember Galaxy Quest.

Never give up, never surrender.

You just have to find the niche'

Which reminds me, if you are looking for markets for short stories and/or novellas, have you tried ralan.com?

Laura J. Underwood
Author of DRAGON'S TONGUE