So you’ve written a science fiction short story. Where are you going to send it?
The good news is a lot of markets exist for your story – far more than if you’d written a western or a mystery tale. The bad news is that you probably won’t get paid much (if at all) for your story. In addition, science fiction magazines go in and out of print faster than Jupiter rotates on its axis, so sometimes a story gets sent back marked “We’re no longer taking submissions” or “Out of business.”
Whenever submitting to a magazine, there are some general rules to follow:
n Know your magazine - Reading a few copies of the magazine so you’re familiar with the editor’s tastes always is a sound strategy. After all, you don’t want to send a hard SF magazine a character-oriented story. You also don’t want to send an editor a story similar to one he’s just published.
n Follow manuscript form - One of the quickest routes to the rejection pile is sending a manuscript that makes an editor’s eyes go buggy: handwritten, type too small (or large), typed on both sides of the paper, lacking pages numbers … the list goes on and one. Here’s how your submitted manuscript should look.
n Send the whole manuscript - Editors actually do decide if your story is worth publishing by reading it in its entirety. Inundated with manuscripts, editors don’t have time to contact you to say, “I loved the first three pages - Send me the rest of your story.” (Or even “I loved the first three pages – please finish your story!”)
n Stick to the word count - There’s almost always a maximum word count and usually a lower boundary as well. As magazines only have so much paper (or bytes) available, they limit each story’s length as part of a formula to maximize the number of stories they print against their readers’ attention spans.
n Send it via postal mail unless noted - Some editors want a hardcopy of your story, others only want an electronic version. Each editor has his reasons. Don’t expect him to make exceptions.
n Include a SASE - If sending by postal mail, you may want your hardcopy sent back. If you do, include a large enough envelope and enough postage to cover the cost. At the very least, include a business envelope with a stamp affixed to it if you wish to be informed that your story has been rejected. If submitting the story to a magazine in another country, include an international reply coupon on envelope.
n Don’t send out simultaneous submissions - This means sending to more than one magazine at a time. It’s considered bad form, sort of like asking two girls out to the same dance.
n Send only one submission at a time - Editors aren’t likely to purchase multiple stories from you at a single time. With only a few spots available in their magazine, they’ll want to print a diverse range of authors to appeal to as many readers as possible.
n Don’t send outside of reading periods - Most magazines accept submissions 24/7, but a few limit to a few months the window you have to send your short story. This is because those editors are on vacation or working on other projects outside of the reading period.
n Don’t attempt to sell a reprint -A reprint is when your story has been published elsewhere and you’re seeking a second magazine to publish it again. Most magazines want new material, not...
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You’re at a coffee shop or a party or a writer’s workshop, and someone asks you what you are writing - a short story or a novel? You pause for a moment, wondering if what you’re really writing is a novella. So what is it?
There’s no hard or fast rule about what is a short story, what is a novella and what is a novel. It’s largely a subjective matter for which editors and publishers assign arbitrary numbers based on their needs and available space. To avoid confusion, this site follows the word counts used in the Hugo and Nebula contests:
n Short story - 7,500 words or less
n Novelette - 7,501-17,500 words (many editors simply lump this category into either the short story or the novella groupings)
n Novella - 17,501-40,000 words
n Novel - 40,001 or more words
Some stories are better told in one category rather than another. So when deciding how long your story will be, think about the advantages and disadvantages of each category and which one best serves your tale.
Short stories and novelettes
Advantages:
n Easier for author to maintain consistency of purpose as there are fewer characters and settings, so better dramatic and thematic unity
n Practical for authors; you can complete it more quickly, often in days or weeks
n Good place for new writers to start to build their reputation and garner a novel deal
Disadvantages:
n Limited platform as short stories may offer too narrow of a framework for the author to tell his sweeping story
n Don’t make much money
Novels and novellas
As you probably can guess, the advantages and disadvantages of the novel are virtually opposite of those for the short story.
Advantages:
n Larger scale for developing ideas and characters
n Can introduce characters and settings at a more leisurely rate than a short story
n Plots can be far more intricate than short stories
n Make more money and build broader reputation
Disadvantages: n Can be too large of a platform for new writers to handle
n Too broad of a framework for the author to tell a more narrow in scope story
Clearly, there’s far more to consider than word count when selecting which story format you’ll use. As science fiction author and editor Jack Williamson once said, “Jim Gunn said a long time ago that the novelette is the best length for science fiction because it has space to develop the characters and the idea and pose the question but doesn’t have to answer the question. A novel should.”
In short, you must let the story dictate its length.
You Do It
Develop a list of at least 10 story ideas. Mark if the idea would work best as a short story/novelette or as a novel/novella.
Visit my Web site about writing science fiction, Inventing Reality.
(c) 2008 Rob Bignell
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getting started, novelettes, novellas, novels, short stories, word count
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