I often hear writers say that there is no longer a market for fiction. I can’t let statements like this go unchallenged, so I went into research mode. What did I find? Following are a sampling of the opportunities I located. And most of them are paying markets. You might be surprised at some of the magazines on this list. Their topics range from holistic health and antique collecting to motorcycle lifestyles and witchcraft; and from children’s fiction and sailing stories to hunting/fishing fiction and religious pieces.
I hope that, if you write fiction, you will pursue some of these leads. Why? If you are a freelance writer, publication in these magazines will give you added credibility and published clips. If you have a novel to promote, getting your fiction published in national or regional magazines can help you to create a following and sell more books.
I suggest that you visit websites for the magazines on this list that you wish to write for. Look at their Submission Guidelines (or Guidelines for Writers) and adhere to them.
Study an issue or two of the magazine to get a clear idea of what they publish. If you have a piece that isn’t quite right for a particular magazine, try tweaking it to fit. For example, your fantasy story involving twin teens might be transformed into the story of two elderly women who have just entered into something akin to the Twilight Zone. Your piece featuring a family adventure might work for an ethnic magazine if you just change the race of the family, for example.
You’ll hear writers say that it is extremely difficult to get published these days. And it is, especially for writers who refuse to conform to each publication’s guidelines. This isn’t the time to give up. It is the perfect time to regroup, enter into serious professional mode and submit, submit, submit. Start with some of the over 20 opportunities below.
Because of limited space, I am giving you the bare minimum information. Please use your research skills to locate submission guidelines. Join SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) for complete information related to these listings and countless others. (See below.)
Gray’s Sporting Journal pays $600 to $1,000 for fiction
http://www.grayssportingjournal.com.
Open Spaces pays in the .50 cents/word range.
http://www.open-spaces.com/submissions.php
Antiques and Collecting Magazine pays $50 to $250
http://www.acmagazine.com.
Lighthouse Digest pays $75 to $150 http://www.lighthousedigest.com.
Hemispheres pays .50 cents/word.
http://www.hemispheresmagazine.com .
Atlanta Magazine pays up to $2,000.
http://www.atlantamagazine.com.
Broken Pencil Magazine pays $100 to $400
http://www.brokenpencil.com.
Boston Review pays $25 to $300. The fiction editor is Junot Diaz, review@bostonreview.net.
New York Spirit pays $150. http://www.nyspirit.com.
Newwitch. http://www.newwitch.
Traders Magazine http://www.tradersmagazine.com.
Art Times pays under $100. http://www.arttimesjournal.com
Outlaw Biker is also a low paying market:
http://www.outlawbiker.com.
Pockets pays .14 cents/word. http://www.pockets.org.
Shine Brightly http://www.gemsgc.org.
Times of the Islands http://www.timespub.tc
Na’Amat Woman pays .10 to .20 cents/word. http://www.naamat.org.
Catholic Forester pays .50 cents word.
http://www.catholicforester.org.
Chrysalis Reader. http://www.swedenborg.com/chrysalis.
Tea A Magazine. http://www.teamag.com.
Poker and Pool Magazine pays up to $200.
http://www.pokerandpoolmagazine.com
Now, if you are a SPAWN member, you will have access to this information in much greater detail come April 1, 2010 and forever thereafter. For the SPAWN Market Update, posted in the member area of the SPAWN website, I also included in this great list, the type of articles the editors are seeking, editor’s names and email addresses, how many words each magazine requires, etc. And I provide these types of opportunities for freelance writers, authors and even photographers and artists monthly in the 11-page SPAWN Market Update.
Now, perhaps you can see some of the value in the $65/annual membership fee for joining SPAWN. Join here. And be sure to sign up for your FREE SPAWNews newsletter and download your FREE copy of “Promote Yourself! 25 Ways to Promote Your Work Whether You’re an Artists, Author of Small Publisher.” http://www.spawn.org
Catscapades Update
Check out my new blog entry at my Catscapades blog. I talk about cats and water and show a picture of Lily (kitty) getting showered while sipping out of the spigot. CUTE!
http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades