Amy Jones - Novel & Short Story Writers Market 40th Edition: The Most Trusted Guide to Getting Published

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Welcome to the 40 th Edition of Novel & Short Story Writers Market! The goal for this edition is much the same as in previous editions: fit as many up-to-date fiction listings as possible while also sharing some helpful craft and business articles.

The articles on craft cover topics ranging from using out-of-character behavior to make your characters more interesting to writing compelling endings, plus learning to look at your work through the eyes of an editor when revising, as well as choosing the best title for your work. The business articles will help you work better with your editor, keep track of your submissions, and consider diversity in your writing. Plus youll find a new collection of inspiring interviews with these incredible authors: romance superstar Beverly Jenkins, Little Fires Everywhere best-selling author Celeste Ng, Puliter Prizewinner Viet Thanh Nguyen, and New York Times best-selling author of Midwives, The Flight Attendant, and Hour of the Witch, Chris Bohjalian.

The heart of the book, the revised and updated listings sections, are filled to the brim with literary agents, book publishers, magazines, contests, conferences, and more.

May the resources in this book offer the information and advice you need to find success in your writing journey.

Yours in writing,

Amy Jones

Editor in Chief, Writers Digest

http://twitter.com/AmyMJones_5

To make the most of Novel & Short Story Writers Market, you need to know how to use it. And with more than five hundred pages of fiction publishing markets and resources, a writer could easily get lost amid the information. This quick-start guide will help you navigate through the pages of Novel & Short Story Writers Marketas well as the fiction-publishing processand accomplish your dream of seeing your work in print.

1. READ, READ, READ. Read numerous magazines, fiction collections, and novels to determine if your fiction compares favorably with work currently being published. If your fiction is at least the same caliber as what youre reading, then move on to step two. If not, postpone submitting your work and spend your time polishing your fiction. Reading the work of others is one of the best ways to improve your craft.

   Youll find advice and inspiration from best-selling authors and seasoned writers in the articles found in the first few sections of this book (Craft & Technique, Interviews, and The Business of Fiction Writing). Novel & Short Story Writers Market also includes listings for Literary Agents who accept fiction submissions, Book Publishers and Magazines that publish fiction in a variety of genres, Contests & Awards to enter, and Conferences & Workshops where you can meet fellow writers and attend instructive sessions to hone your skills.

2. ANALYZE YOUR FICTION. Determine the type of fiction you write to target markets most suitable for your work. Do you write literary, genre, mainstream, or one of many other categories of fiction? For definitions and explanations of genres and subgenres, check out the Glossary and the Genre Glossary in the Resources section of the book. Many magazines and presses are currently seeking specialized work in each of these areas as well as numerous others.

   For editors and publishers with specialized interests, see the Category Index in the back of the book.

3. LEARN ABOUT THE MARKET. Read Writers Digest magazine; Publishers Weekly, the trade magazine of the publishing industry; and Independent Publisher, which contains information about small- to medium-size independent presses. And dont forget the Internet. The number of sites for writers seems to grow daily, and among them youll find WritersDigest.com.

4. FIND MARKETS FOR YOUR WORK. There are a variety of ways to locate markets for fiction. The periodical section in bookstores and libraries is a great place to discover new journals and magazines that might be open to your type of short stories. Read writing- related magazines and newsletters for information about new markets and publications seeking fiction submissions. Also, frequently browse bookstore shelves to see what novels and short story collections are being published and by whom. Check acknowledgment pages for names of editors and agents, too. Online journals often have links to the websites of other journals that may publish fiction. And last, but certainly not least, read the listings found here in Novel & Short Story Writers Market.

5. SEND FOR GUIDELINES. In the listings in this book, we try to include as much submission information as we can get from editors and publishers. Over the course of the year, however, editors expectations and needs may change. Therefore, it is best to obtain a copy of the submission guidelines. You can check each magazines and presss websitethey usually contain a page with guideline information. Or you can do it the old-fashioned way and send a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with a request for them.

6. BEGIN YOUR PUBLISHING EFFORTS WITH JOURNALS AND CONTESTS OPEN TO BEGINNERS. If this is your first attempt at publishing your work, your best bet is to begin with local publications or those you know are open to beginning writers. After you have built a publication history, you can try submitting to the more prestigious and nationally distributed magazines. For markets most open to beginners, look for the