Three Tips for Making Your First Short Fiction Sale

The life a short fiction author is rarely an easy one. Even the best authors occasionally have their stories rejected, and most authors who are just starting out will receive so many rejection letters that it will begin to seem as if there is a conspiracy against their work ever seeing the light of day. In fact, some sources suggest that even a dedicated, regularly published author can expect to submit a manuscript to as many as ten different markets before it will be accepted.

It doesn't have to be like this, however. There are some simple things you can do to help ensure that your work finds a home quickly and relatively painlessly. Here are three tips that can help your manuscript get published without the rejection letter count rivaling the page count.

Present a Clean Manuscript

It should go without saying, but it is your job as a short fiction writer to make your manuscript as free of errors as you possibly can. Your word processor's spelling and grammar checks are a good first line of defense, but they are no substitute for a human reader. When you are done with your manuscript, put it away for a couple of days, or even a couple of weeks. Then pick it up and read over the whole thing again. You might discover a plot inconsistency that didn't occur to you as you were writing and rewriting. You will probably uncover a clumsy sentence or two and probably more than a few misspelled or misused words. Cleaning up these kinds of errors will make your manuscript look much more polished and professional.

Some will argue that it is the editor's job to fix these kinds of mistakes, and that is true to an extent. A few small problems are bound to crop up in any manuscript, and it is the editor's job to catch and correct these. But most editors have a limited amount of time and strict deadlines to meet. They will not have the time or the inclination to perform massive editing for an author who could not be bothered to correct his most glaring mistakes on his own.

Know the Market

Many authors take a shotgun approach to getting their short fiction manuscript published. That is, they submit their work to virtually any market they come across until they find an editor who will publish it. This approach can be effective over time, but it has drawbacks. First of all, it involves a lot of work on the author's part for a relatively small chance of success. Also, it means accepting the fact that you will get huge numbers of rejection letters for your work, and you will never be sure if those rejections are due to the quality of your work or simply the fact that it was a bad fit for the market. Finally, editors consider this to be extremely rude behavior and when they notice a pattern of it, they may start rejecting your work without even bothering to read it.

Take the time to find a publication that prints the kind of stories you write. Today, there are many online publications that are free to read. If you are more interested in printed publications, send the editor a letter asking about sample issues. Many editors will be more than happy to send you a back issue at a substantial discount, or even for free.

Follow the Guidelines

Most markets have specific guidelines about how to submit stories. If the publication has a website, you will likely find submission guidelines there. If there is no website, look in the front pages or back pages of the magazine for guidelines. At the very least, you should find an address where submissions can be sent and you can send a letter requesting their submission guidelines.

After you have the guidelines, make sure you follow them. Some markets are almost militant about their guidelines and will reject a submission for even a minor violation. Even those that are more lax, however, will appreciate an author who has taken the time to learn their guidelines and adhere to them. That small bit of gratitude could be the thing that puts your submission over the top.

Rejection letters are something that every short fiction author must get used to, but if you keep these three tips in mind and stick to them, you will likely see fewer of them and probably get a few more of those coveted acceptance letters.