Recently i've been looking into the short story market and i was wondering if anyone has any knowlegde of pitching short fiction to agents/publishers.

For the past few months i have been writing a series of 'flash fiction' (around 450-550 words) based around popular nursery rhymes, but i'm starting to think i may be wasting my time.

Although the stories seem to be received well on the WW site, but i think i would have to become the worlds best writer before a publisher would ever touch them. If getting a novel published is like winning the lottery, then getting a short story anthology pulished must be like wining it five times in a row.

Being new to this whole game, i was hoping that someone out there might know of information, a website or even a good book on sell short stories. From what i've read so far it appears that you have to have quite a long c.v to stand a chance, unfortunately i have the feeling that an idea similar to mine may crop up at any moment if the current trends continue.

So what do you think, am i one of many people fighting for a lost cause?

I get the impression it’s an uphill struggle, Louise. There just doesn’t seem to be a market for short stories, except in magazines. The problem is, it’s about as easy to get a story published in a mainstream magazine as it is to find rocking horse shit.

I don’t know the answer to this. There is a movement somewhere to resurrect interest in short stories but, at this time on a Sunday night, I don’t know where to find the link.. sorry. Maybe someone else will know. It’s noggling away at the edge of my brain… if it comes back to me I’ll be sure to let you know.

Good luck

Dee.


<Added>

Noggling? Noggling! yeah... I like that...

Meant niggling of course... but don't tell anyone...

x

I think i know i site you mean Dee. I stubbled across it a week or 2 ago, although i have no idea when or where.

I'm hoping that the 'End of Story' comp will raise the short story profile. Perhaps life will be a bit easier by the end of the summer.

Louise

PS. Noggling is a very good word, we'll have to invent a meaning for it.

I have to agree with everything written here. I used to edit a magazine called FEAR that published five or six pieces of fiction from new writers and well knowns every month. But the days of FEAR and Twilight Zone (for instance) are long gone. Pity really, as the short story form is not only difficult to pull off but also contributes some heavy hitting fiction to the market. Take Clive Barker, for instance. I enjoy his novels but his short fiction - published as Books of Blood - were the making of him. He was lucky that a publisher believed enough to publish six volumes. I doubt whether that would happen now which is a shame as I feel I have been wasting my time writing short fiction. What is the point when so much of it just sits in the drawer and rots until you are famous enough as a novelist to publish you laundry list.

John

The Books of Blood were stunning, especially that one called 'Dread' when that guy gets chained to a moving metal disk in a stone funnel...creepy.

Third Alternative magazine accepts short stories, and never be afraid to give America a go to widen your prospects.

Oh and another thing. On another sitein the US similiar to this one called Zoetrope, the site actually publishes a monthly magazine as well.

They say they'll publish a story if it gets really good reviews and plenty of them. I like the idea, and whilst moonlighting there, I felt it was good of them to support their writers in this way. I mean, heck, if they publish you from their site, they'll even pay you!

It's not as user friendly as this site, and WW is my home. However, what do people think of this idea? If we truly wish to revive the short story market, why not have a WW mag?

James x

James, I think that's great idea. I bet it would bring lots of new talent to the site too. Personally i wouldn't care if i wasn't paid, although i wouldn't say no either. I wonder if it would be possible...

Of course it would depend on how many people are interested in the short story revival.

Great idea though, i'm sure a WW magazine would sell well.

Found a couple of links on Google that might be interesting.

http://www.fictionette.com/articles.php?publication_id=5

http://www.saveourshortstory.org.uk/

Dee.

I had been considering a FEAR short story collection with some not so well known authors in it. Put it out once a year softback and sell it through Amazon/Barnes & Noble. Why not a WW collection? If it took off a publisher like Orion in the UK might pick it up.

John

I'm going to start a new thread to widen this proposition to the other WW members. Let's see what they think!

James x

<Added>

Interesting sites, by the way :)

Hey,

How did this thread every die out?

Well done for resurrecting it, Ani. There seem to be more and more websites that publish short stories - okay, they don't all pay but it's a way of getting noticed.
Elspeth

Quite, Ani and Elspeth. The fact is that publishers are driven by money these days and the prevailing view (my wife, I think) is that short stories don't sell.
But energy will always beat received opinion. If anyone else wants to put together a short story anthology, I'm up for it. My mum will buy a copy, (actually she won't. She'll think I'm wasting my time and should be a barrister, as always.), or my cousin might.

Two copies sold already. I think we can now lean back and congratulate ourselves.

Best
Sion

Don't forget me! Make that three!

Yes, I think after we get this flash anthology together, we need to put together a short story anthology.

BTW, I recall Becca pointing out that the market for short stories is much stronger in the North America. I have been doing oodles of research lately, and I have to say, it certainly looks more promising over there!

Which leads me to another question, which perhaps should form another thread: the writer's CV.

What exactly is the role of the writer's CV? And the on-line and/or nonpaid zines/magazines must be good for building up a CV (referring back to Elspeth's point about getting your work seen).

Comments, ideas, etc?

Ani

Ani, you're right. In North America and Canada the short story is considered a valued form of fiction.
England has always been in the novel tradition, although Ireland understands and loves the short story, and,.. I don't know about Wales and Scotland. Dee found the 'save our short story campaign.' But they publish well known writers as far as I can see and when I questioned them about that there was no answer that made me think much of them. However the mere fact it exist, (arts council grant money, I think), is a good thing.
So Haunted, if shorts is your thing keep going and think about publishing outside the UK. But watch out for PODs which will take your work in a minute, but could land you in a mess.
Becca.