Online Submission Guidelines

There are a few things we'll be looking for, they include:
--Whether the mag is hardcopy or online
--What word count they are looking for
--What they pay
--What response time they have
--If they take e-subs, snail mail, or both
--What stories they're looking for

In a random selection of 5 magazines, the first one up is Agony In Black (straight to the guidelines page). And the answers to the above questions are:
--Hardcopy mag
--Word Count = 500-7500
--Unknown payment
--Unknown response time
--Take e-subs and snail mail
--Looking for: " Work that is the equivalent of a kick in the crotch, work that strikes a chord or a nerve. No poetry, science fiction masked as horror, fantasy, or humor."

Next up is AlienQ:
--Ezine
--Word Count = @2000-10,000
--Pays $50
--Unknown response time
--Takes e-subs and snail mail
--Looking for Science Fiction

Next up is Carpe Noctem :
--Hardcopy mag
--Word Count = <3000
--Pays 3 cents per word
--6 week response time
--Takes e-subs and snail mail
--Looking for: " Dark Alternative / Darkly Romantic subject matter."

Our fourth random victim is Twilight Showcase :
--Ezine
--Word Count = 200-2500
--Pays 1/2 cent per word
--20-30 day response time
--E-subs
--Looking for: "Something in the realm of horror, be it traditional or non-traditional."

And the last one we'll look at today is Dream People:
--Ezine
--Word Count = <2400
--No pay
--Unknown response time
--E-subs and snail mail
--Looking for: "Artistic, experimental, and bizarre speculative fiction"

Okay, now we know that a lot of important information can be found online at the magazines' own websites. As individual writers, we decide (and it can fluctuate over time) what criteria are the most important to us. Some writers won't submit to mags unless they'll take e-subs. Some only submit if the mag pays pro rates (3 cents per word and over). Some won't submit unless the mag is hardcopy. Some won't submit if the response time is more than two months. The more you submit to different mags, the more you will hone your criteria. For example, lately I've become very disillusioned with getting a reject after 3 or 4 months. I guess I don't mind a long wait if it turns into an acceptance, but to find out someone had your story for almost half a year and then aren't going to use it anyway.... well, that's my latest pet peeve. So I'm looking for mags with shorter response times. I also know someone without a printer; she only submits to places that take e-subs.

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