Submitting Short Fiction
Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Genre Edition
If you want to make a successful career as an author of genre fiction, one of the best places to start is the short story. As Neil Gaiman says, “Short stories are wonderful places because you can go out and around the universe and still be back by teatime — at least by teatime on Friday.” Many bestselling authors got their start writing short fiction and publishing in magazines.
What follows is a step-by-step guide for writers of science fiction, fantasy, or other non-realism genres of short fiction. This is part of a series of articles for new writers who’ve never sent their work out before. While everyone’s process is different, I hope these tips and tricks can be a starting point for you to figure out your submissions process and start getting your work into the world.
1. Finish the Story
I was writing fiction, but not finishing fiction.
— Elizabeth Moon
Okay, I know it sounds pretty simple. But the truth is many writers fail in their submissions because they didn’t complete the story. A piece of short fiction needs a lot of bones to hold it up — it needs a satisfying ending, a compelling voice, and a structure that’s unique. But the biggest…
