How to Sell a Short Story to a Science Fiction Magazine

Sci-Fi is notoriously difficult to write but if you have a flair for the genre, you can learn how to sell a short story to a science fiction magazine. It is far easier to sell short story sci-fi pieces than full-length novels and the pay is decent. It is simply imperative, however, that you study each of the science fiction magazines you will target to get a feel for the short stories they have accepted in the past.

Break the Mold

Much of what science fiction magazines receive in the way of submissions are trite stories filled with the same plot lines of intergalactic warfare and alien abductions that can be found all over the history of the genre. As we move into a technological age that resembles the early science fiction stories, it's time to get a little more creative. If you want to be the next Heinlein or Asimov, you're going to have to break the mold. Selling a short story to a science fiction magazine takes an extra dose of daring.

Query Before You Submit

For some reason, science fiction magazines are particularly stringent about their submission guidelines, which almost always include the requirement of Query First. Because there are so many aspiring science fiction writers out there, they would rather read one-page query letters to weed out the stories they definitely don't want to see than try to wade through hundreds of 10,000-word short stories. Make sure you write a clear, interesting query that describes your plot and characters intimately.

Don't Submit Artwork

While a science fiction magazine might be willing to look at your artwork after accepting your story, you aren't going to sell your science fiction story by including your own artwork. For one thing, this is a sign of a true amateur, which isn't going to win you any points with curmudgeonly editors; for another, you want your story to stand on its own. After you've been offered a contract, you can present the idea of including your own illustrations. Your editor will be very clear about whether or not he thinks it's a good idea.

Always Follow Up

I've always thought that editors' desks were were lack holes than shiny surfaces, so don't be surprised if your science fiction story gets lost in the shuffle. If you haven't heard back in six weeks, send the editor a follow-up postcard requesting the status of your short story submission. Be sure to include your full name, the title of the story, the date on which it was submitted and a one-sentence synopsis. If you don't hear back after that, consider it a dead end. Sometimes editors aren't polite enough to respond even with a, "Thanks, but no thanks."

Keep Writing Stories

Science fiction is one of those genres where it pays to be prolific. As soon as you finish one story, send it off to a science fiction magazine and start your next story. If you get a rejection, send it to the next market on your list and send off your second story to yet another publication. You can keep track of where you've submitted each story on your computer or in a log book.