I'd like some advice please.

I've got one short story that I've finished and I'm quite happy with and another few that are almost there. But I'm a little confused as to what comes next. I can hardly go and approach an agent on the basis of having one finished short story can I? Is it better to send short stories to publishers of short story analogies or magazines? Or should I just send my work to competitions?

My aim is to get my work read by as many people as possible but I'd also like to make some money. Ideally I'd like to get to the stage where writing is my career but I'm under no illusions.

I'm familiar with the 'Writers and Artists Year Book,' but there is almost too much info in it and I can't see the wood for the trees. It all seems a bit daunting. Can somebody give me some advice on the first small steps I should take? I would be very grateful.

All the best,

Pete

Peter, the usual advice is to research the market first and then write a short story to suit your target. But you can just as easily do the opposite.

It’s virtually impossible to find a mainstream agent or publisher who will handle short stories, no matter how many you have written.
I would suggest you start off by trying to place your finished one with a magazine. Is it one of the pieces you have uploaded here? perhaps we could have another look at it with a view to suggesting possible markets.

You’ll find oodles of short story competitions on the internet – http://jbwb.co.uk lists dozens. Not all of them pay much and, obviously, the higher payers attract a higher standard to compete with.

http://www.cherrybite.co.uk run a quarterly comp where the editor selects the best (in her opinion) three entrants and publishes them anonymously in their quarterly magazine. The winner is then chosen by the readers. The comps seem to be her source of material for the magazine so, even if your story isn’t shortlisted, it still stands a chance of being published. She only pays a nominal fee but you get lots of valuable feedback from the regular subscribers.

Hope this helps.

Dee.


<Added>

entrants? I think I mean entries...

Thanks for replying Dee,

I appreciate the advice. I definitely do work the wrong way around. I want to write whatever comes into my head and then find a market for it if I can. I guess you're right, it means doing some research.

The story I was think of is 'Penance', an early version of which is uploaded. Somehow I don't think it's 'Peoples Friend' material but if you could give me some suggestions I'd be most grateful.

What would be handy is a database of markets like an access database because most of the books (The W&A Yearbook) are written from the point of view of writers who tailor their work to a particular market.

Thanks also for the competition website link.

All the best,

Peter

Peter, keep checking our Jobs and Opps and Directory- that's what it's there for! You also need to have a think about what end of the market your work fits- highbrow lit fiction or something more commercial. Do you read short stories? are there writers whose work you could, even vaguely, compare yourself to, at least in terms of style? You will need to build up a respectable collection of stories that get published in magazines/anthologies before you can go to an agent or attempt your own collection, but you don't necessarily have to just think in a market-driven way- editors are looking for original new voices, over all. Have a look at sites like McSweeneys - run by Dave Eggers, award winning novelist, to cut out the middleman and also to run some really good short stories he likes. Remember, with the short story competitions, there are no shortage of them, but some charge hefty entry fees. Good luck.

Thanks for the Advice Anna,

I can see that I'm going to have to conduct a lot more market research and do it in a more systematic way than I first imagined.

I'll check out the McSweeneys website later.

Thanks again,

Peter