Understanding Short Story Guidelines

Posted February 2, 2004
By Stephanee Killen

Pre-submission | Choosing a Publisher | Sub. Guidelines | Response Time | Final Tips

hen faced with the daunting task of submitting your short stories for publication, it may be difficult to sort through the extensive lists of publishers, magazine markets, and online journals to decide where your work will have the best chance of being accepted. Aside from making sure that the story you want to submit has interesting characters or themes and is well written, you will want to have your work edited, protected by copyright, and formatted to fit the requirements of individual publications. The following information outlines a few of the basic steps involved in the submission process.

I. Pre-submission

Editing. Prior to submitting work to any publisher, authors should make sure that their story has been edited. Although most publications will have an editor on staff, those evaluating your work for possible publication will often reject it if it has been poorly written or contains too many spelling, punctuation, and usage errors. Even if your story is interesting, you may still be rejected, as publishers often receive hundreds of submissions per publication period. They will focus their attention on the ones that read well and require the least work to prepare for publication.

Copyright. In most cases, the work that you submit for consideration to a publisher should be protected by copyright. Although copyright exists from the moment the work is created, it is necessary to have your work registered if you wish to have your copyright on public record. Some publishers may request that you not include a copyright symbol on your work if you plan to submit for publication, but your work should still be protected by copyright. For information on how to copyright your work, visit the United States Copyright Office.

Accessible Format. The format for your submission will depend on the guidelines of the publisher. You may be asked to submit your story as an electronic file in Rich Text Format (.rtf), Microsoft Word (.doc), or plain text (.txt). You may also be asked to submit a hardcopy of your work. If you plan to submit to a number of places, you must be prepared to accommodate each format request. It is best to have your work in an accessible format, or one that can be easily shifted from one file type to another. Word processing programs such as Open Office, Microsoft Word, and Corel WordPerfect can all easily save as rich text or plain text.

If you do not have easy access to a computer, and you still use a typewriter or handwrite your stories, please be aware that few (if any) publishers will accept handwritten work. Typed documents will be limited to postal/hardcopy submissions only and may reduce your publishing potential. If you must submit a typed document, make sure that each page is clean and neat, on quality paper, and contains no extraneous markings, overtypes, or white-out. Prior to submitting, be sure to review the formatting guidelines of the publication, as you may need to retype your story in order to meet their specifications.

II. Choosing a Publisher

One of the most important things to consider prior to submitting your work to any publication is whether your style and story's subject matter will suit the needs of the publisher. Many publications accept and publish in a specific genre or request specific categories of work. This means that you will need to classify your own work. The most common classifications include fiction, non-fiction, flash-fiction, literary fiction, and genre fiction (includes categories such as science fiction and fantasy, horror, mystery, and thrillers). Most publications will note the type of work they are accepting, but authors should also review the publication itself. Many magazines or journals will offer review copies for a small fee. Authors may also simply purchase a subscription. Carefully review the previously published work in each publication on your list and decide whether your work would be appropriate. Submitting hard science fiction to a literary magazine will almost surely get your work rejected.

Paying v. Non-paying. While most authors will naturally lean toward a paying publication, keep in mind that non-paying markets can be a wonderful first step in gaining exposure and publication credit. In addition, some non-paying publications may accept a greater number of submitted works. This does not necessarily mean that they accept work of lesser quality, but it may mean that you have a greater chance of being published.

Many non-paying publications, such as 3AM Magazine, East of the Web, and Small Spiral Notebook, will also offer free content to readers. This can mean a wider audience, as subscriptions to read stories are not necessary. A wider audience means more exposure.

When considering paying markets, it is important to realize that the rates may vary widely. Some publications will offer a flat rate—usually ranging from $5.00 - $50.00 (although some publications may offer substantially higher pay)—while others may offer a word rate. Word rates tend to range from $.01 - $.10 per word. However, many of the publications that offer word rates also list a maximum word count per story.

Paying markets are also more likely to require publication rights, as the amount paid to authors is often for the exclusive right to publish your work for a specified length of time.

III. Submission Guidelines

When submitting your entire story or manuscript for consideration, it is crucial that you read the submission guidelines posted, as each publication will most likely request something at least slightly different. When reviewing the guidelines, you may encounter some of the following terms: "Publication Needs," "Story Length," "First Rights," "Query," "Simultaneous Submissions," "Previously Published Works," and "Solicited or Unsolicited" work. These terms are reviewed below.

Publication Needs. Each publication or publisher will typically list what work they accept. Publication types can include, but are not limited to, biographies and memoirs; children's books; health, mind, and body; historical or historical fiction; horror; literary fiction; mystery and thrillers; non-fiction; religious; romance; science fiction and fantasy; spiritual; juvenile fiction; travel; and women's fiction.

Story Length. Many submission guidelines will list a specific maximum and/or minimum word count for submitted material. Featured fiction tends to range from 1,000 - 3,000 words, although some publications will accept works up to 25,000 words. Flash fiction or short-shorts typically range in the 500 - 1,000 word range but can be listed as even less. When considering stories of more than 8,000 words, some guidelines may suggest serializing the work (or publishing it in a series). They may also require you to query them before submitting a lengthy piece. Authors should keep in mind that acceptable story lengths can vary widely between publications, so you should not automatically assume that stories over 8,000 words would be too large to submit. Novel excerpts may also be accepted; however, authors may be required to make sure that the excerpt will stand on its own as a story.

For short story collections, few publishers seem to list their requirements for length. In this case, you may want to look at some of the works that they publish and examine the number of stories per collection. Children's collections tend to be smaller, with the number of stories averaging around 40. For adult short story collections, you may see a range of between 20 and 50 stories, depending on their length. You may want to keep your overall page count at a minimum of 80 - 100 pages. Many genre collections with longer works tend to be about 300 - 400 pages in length (in published form).

Solicited v. Unsolicited Work. Solicited work means that a publisher or publication has requested to see your story or manuscript. This request can come through an agent or through a response to a query you sent to a specific publication. If a publication notes that they do not accept unsolicited work, this means that they will not accept your submission without first receiving a query. (They may also state that they do not accept unagented submissions.)

Submission Queries. Querying a publication should also follow the guidelines listed. In some cases, editors may require specific information, such as length, subject, or theme. They may also request a summary of the work, a word count, and a brief biography. Essentially, the query process aids editors in determining whether they would be interested in a further review of your work, so the query itself must be well presented. When submitting a query using e-mail, make sure that you consider the following:

When submitting a query using postal mail, be sure to:

In addition, some query guidelines may request a list of previous publications. Having previously published work can build your writing resume. (Again, non-paying markets pay in exposure and publishing credit, which can advance your writing career.)

When submitting a summary of your work, keep in mind that this must be the portion that grabs the editor’s attention. You must present your work in a way that will sound interesting and exciting. Keep your query brief—you should be able to present all of this information in four to five paragraphs—and be sure to include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) for a reply.

For more information on writing queries, consider subscribing to Writer's Digest Magazine, which often has informative tips on submitting your work; subscribe to Writer's Market.com; or try finding a publication such as How to Write Irresistible Query Letters by Lisa Collier Cool and published by F+W Publications.

Simultaneous Submissions. A simultaneous submission refers to a story or manuscript that has been sent to more than one publication or publisher at a time (in other words, simultaneously). Some publishers may not accept simultaneous submissions, requiring authors to submit a story to one publication and then wait, perhaps for weeks or months, until they hear back from the editors regarding the status of their work. This can be extremely frustrating. At this time, more online publications seem to accept simultaneous submissions; however, it is always a good idea to note in your initial contact or submission if a work has been submitted to more than one publication for consideration. If your work is accepted elsewhere, you should notify all other publications immediately.

Previously Published Work. Few publications will accept previously published work, as many will request to purchase First Rights. (See information on "rights" listed below.) Previously published work means just that—that the specific story or manuscript that you are submitting has been published before. If a publication does accept previously published work, they may list specific guidelines regarding what they will consider. In most cases, authors should make sure they understand the publishing rights they sell, as some contracts may stipulate a specific length of time that must pass before the work can be published elsewhere.

Reading Periods. A reading period may indicate that submissions will be accepted only during specific dates. These periods should be clearly listed in the guidelines and may span a period of months or specific seasons. Typically, work submitted outside of a reading period will be rejected.

Formatting. Once you are ready to submit, you will need to make sure that your submission has been formatted according to the publication's guidelines. Formatting rules may vary. In electronic submissions, publishers may ask for a file attachment, plain text pasted into the body of an e-mail message, or text pasted into a form that authors will submit through a web page. In addition, you may review guidelines requesting:

For hardcopy submissions, most publishers will request single-side pages with page numbers. You may also be asked to place your name at the top corner of each page and to refrain from binding or stapling your manuscript. Again, be sure that you read the guidelines carefully. Often, work that has been submitted in a format other than that specified will be rejected immediately.

Understanding Rights. For paying as well as non-paying markets, authors may be asked to sign a contract handing over the rights to the submitted work. If this is the case, the rights requested should be clearly listed in the guidelines. Most magazines and journals will request First North American Serial Rights. This means that they will have the right to publish your work in the specified medium for the period they state in the contract (usually for the length of time your work is to be published). For a quarterly publication, this could mean that the publisher has the rights to your work until the next publication date, the following quarter, when the rights will revert back to you, the author. The terms of these rights may vary but will typically state that your work cannot be sold to any other publication or published elsewhere during the contracted period.

Some contracts may also include the following terms:

You may also find publications that will publish your work without requiring exclusive rights. This means that you maintain all the rights to your work; however, such publications must be notified should you decide to sell your work at a later date to avoid being in violation of future agreements.

Understanding the rights required by your publisher is crucial. If a publication purchases All Rights to your work, then you will no longer own the rights. (This may be more common with traditional book publishers.) Review all contracts carefully and decide what you would like to do with your work prior to signing. If you do sell all the rights to your work, make sure that you are satisfied with the terms or have a lawyer (preferably one familiar with publishing contracts) review the agreement.

IV. Response Time

Once you have submitted your manuscript, the hard part begins—the waiting. Response times may range from one week to several months. In most cases, it is better to wait it out than to keep contacting the publisher to find out the status of your submission. Some publishers will tell you to contact them if you do not hear from them within a specified period of time, but most will do their best to get back to you—at some point.

V. Final Tips

The submission process can be frustrating, confusing, and exciting all at the same time, but there are a number of good resources on the market to help you through the process. The 2004 Novel & Short Story Writer's Market will offer a number of good tips and listings, but you should also consider subscribing to the online edition of Writer's Market, as the search process can be customized to fit your specific needs.

Consider using this basic checklist as a guide before you submit:

1. Edit your story or manuscript.

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