Today’s blog post is brought to you by TC Michael. Thank you for being part of my blog!

So, you’re a freelance writer with some niche articles in mind? You write short stories, but aren’t brave enough to submit them? Haven’t had any luck with being accepted? Here’s 15 great tips to get your short literature published.

1. You are a business

Shift the way you think about your writing. You create a product, produce the product, pitch the product, sale the product, and gain from the product. You are the business and your writing is your product – fiction or nonfiction.

Writing something that is important or fun to you is great, but it also has to be wanted, requested or needed. You can’t always write 100% of what you want and be successful. Allow yourself to write slightly more for things that publishers, the media, or the masses want. Think more 50/50 or even 70/30.

2. Build relationships online

Use all of your social media platforms to build healthy online relationships. Learn which publishers you are most interested in, what they have previously published, what they currently want and who their current editors are. Read some of their published work and search for the writers of the pieces you most enjoy. Follow them and through interaction, maybe you can learn tips and tricks on how their piece got published. (Use LinkedIn and blogs too.)

3. Build relationships offline

This includes those involved directly in the industry and your ideal publishers, but also those who are contributors or people, places and things that provide information for writing. Example: You want to write for an outdoor magazine, but specifically in the hiking segment inside the magazine. Try out some equipment, gear or apparel from a company you like or admire – get the first-hand user experience. If you can interview the product designer and build that relationship, then you can translate it into your work. Tip: small companies are a great opportunity for this.

4. No agent

A literary agent for a short story is a waste of your time and theirs. If you already have one, you will only need them for their industry connections. They will make a miniscule amount of money off the sale of your short stories and they’re a middle man for you to deal with in submitting a short piece of work.

5. Two musts to watch for

Simultaneous submissions and multiple submissions. Nearly every publisher in the industry will list whether they accept either of these. To break in quicker, these can be your friends. You can submit more stories to one publisher at a time and you can submit the same story to more than one publisher at the same time. Saves you time and energy, so submit to publisher accepting these first.

6. Create a cycle

Don’t stop writing after one article or story. Write another one while you shop your first, and while you’re writing that one, plan another. Build a good submission foundation and practice your writing. You want a “cycle” of stories in different stages.

7. Be a good writer

Obvious? Yes, but it begs repeating. Edit 3 – 5 times before asking anyone to proof your work. Then, edit once more before submitting.

8. Submitting: Top Down or Stagger

Two beneficial submission strategies:

Top Down: Submit to top-tier publishers first. Start with pro-paying, then semi-pro, then token. Pro is usually 6¢ a word and up, semi-pro can range from 3¢ to 5¢ and token is usually under 3¢. Don’t publish for free unless the publisher has a history of providing help to a writer’s career and don’t pay someone to publish your story.

Stagger: You have a few stories or articles ready to submit. Send one to a pro-paying publisher, one to semi-pro, one to token, etc. Always have at least one in the pro market with another elsewhere.

9. Contests

Don’t avoid writing contests and competitions, even if there is a small fee. Most of those with a cash prize have built in publicity and an opportunity to get your name out there. Many publishers host writing contests on top of their publications.

10. Knowing the audience

Figure out how niche or broad the publishers audience is, then dial in your topic accordingly (Ex: specific type of gardening, safest dog grooming methods, etc.).

11. Cover letter and queries

Don’t ever leave out a cover letter and only query the publisher if they request it first. Seems obvious. Also, if you pitch your article, keep it short and to the point. For good cover letter formatting, check out shun.net. William Shunn also provides short story format recommendations.

12. Editors

Pitch and query the correct editor. Some publishers have multiple editors based on the topic, genre or subject. The publishers website should list them in the masthead or about section.

13. Never perfect

This slightly contradicts #7, but stop being a perfectionist. It takes too much time away from your life and other writing. Also, most articles and stories you read are not perfect. No need to edit 25 times (but still 3-5 times!)

14. Read them

Become a regular or semi-regular reader of two or three of the publication you most respect. This teaches you the publishers style and what they want, as well as their preferred format. And, you can follow some new writers you enjoy (connections!).

15. If accepted

If your article or story is accepted for publication, do the following:

• Thank the editor and/or publication on social media.
• Update your bio with the credential
• Keep an eye on feedback that comes from your piece (comments section, direct messages about the publication, hashtags, etc.
• Share the heck out of your published piece.

Remember, build connections. That means free promotion to the publication for paying you for your work.

About TC Michael

TC Michael was born and raised in small town USA where he grew up with a large family. He’s always been an epic daydreamer with a wild imagination. He currently lives in northern Utah where he’s working on his next great novel and enjoying life. When he’s not writing, he’s in the gym, reading, or enjoying the outdoors. TC has wanted to be an author his whole life, but never thought it would happen. Now, he is working hard on making his dream come true.

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About Short Literature Pro Market 2019

*The true no-bull guide to selling and publishing short stories and freelance articles.*