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Market Watch

Nancy B. Leake

Market Watch is not another stock quote line, but a listing of what is best and what is not, in markets for writers. I will be asking for your experiences with printed and web markets. Each issue will cover where to send your submissions and suggest ones you should avoid. Enclosed in this column will be a spot for Best Web Markets, Best Print Markets, Late, or Poor Payers (for those markets you have had problems with), and Don’t Bother (for markets that consistently provide a bad experience for the writer.

When you send your suggestions to me enclose: The name and type of the market, What type of writing they publish and the word count, The guidelines for submission or how to get the guidelines, How to contact the company, and who to contact, What they pay, and If they accept submission from new writers, if noted.

I would also like to hear about your experience with these companies. Why you liked the company or why you had a poor experience with them. This week I will start you off with a few markets that I have submitted to or researched. I will not be rating the markets today, since ratings will be based upon your opinions. Instead, the market will be listed by type, not quality.

Remember when you submit your writing to always enclose a query letter that looks professional and enclose a self addressed stamped envelope (SASE), if you want a response or want your manuscript returned.

When you submit your work, remember that to be published, some heartache may occur; expect rejection. Sometimes the market may not be suitable for your work. A rejection does not mean it is poor work; just that it did not meet the requirements of the market you chose. Do not give up. Pick another company. Try making a deal with yourself: send work out regularly on a specific day of the month or week. Persistence pays off. Do not procrastinate.

I look forward to viewing your Best and Worst choices for Writing Markets. Email your markets to me at nancyleake@wvu.org.

Print Markets:

Brutarian Quarterly is a magazine whose goal is to entertain, inform, and strive "never to care what you (the writer) thinks." They accept fiction, poetry, or reviews of books eldritch or unusual subject matter, and feature pieces. Limitations: for fiction is one story of less than 10,000 words; Poetry up to five pieces of one page each. Fiction and poetry pay $.05-.07 per word, or $.10 if they are impressed. Review limits are 50-300 words at $.05/word. Feature articles can be any length and pay $100-300. Mail to: Dominick J. Salemi, Editor/Publisher, Brutarian Quarterly, PO Box 25222, Arlington, VA 22202-9222. A sample magazine can be purchased for $6.

Breathe is a UK poetry magazine that accepts any style poetry, 3-6 poems. More guidelines can be obtained here . Submissions should be sent to Sharon Sweet, the editor at breathemag@email.com with your name, location, email, and a brief biography. Payment is a copy of the magazine. Copyrights remain with the poet. Response is almost overnight. A magazine may be purchased for 2.00 pounds UK, 2.60 Europe, 3.00 international or $3 U.S. dollars by contacting the editor. They accept new writers.

55 Fiction is Steve Moss’s site for short fiction, fifty-five words or less. In-depth guidelines for story suggestions and how to figure word count can be found here. Submissions should be sent to Fifty-Five Fiction, Dept. 55, 197 Santa Rosa St., San Luis Obispo, CA 93405 for the November contest and consideration in the sequel to The World’s Shortest Stories. Postcard acknowledgment of receipt is sent in about 4 weeks. No exact date of contest or payment is listed.

Web Markets:

Strange Horizons is a new online magazine searching for fiction, dark fiction, or magic realism. Short stories, poetry, or articles written about human and non-human experiences, about dreams and reality, about the past and the future, about the here-and-now, and the otherwhere-and-elsewhen, in less than 5000 words, (will consider longer pieces). Guidelines can be obtained here. Submissions should be sent e-mail to fiction@strangehorizons.com. in plain text with double spacing to indicate paragraph breaks. Type "FICTION SUB: Your story title" in the subject line; or contact Mary Anne Mohanraj, Editor-in-Chief at editor@strangehorizons.com They pay $.03/word and purchase first-printing world exclusive rights for two months. They respond by email in about four weeks.

Nancy B. Leake, ARNP, CS-FNP, MSN is a Fort Lauderdale-based freelance business writer who has been published in The Nurse Practitioner August 1996, and contributed to the Management Guidelines for Adult Nurse Practitioners 1999, by Lynne M. Hektor, and will be published in the magazine Breathe in the December/January issue.