Everyone does this differently, and I am in no way trying to tell other writers what to do. I will, however, show you a step-by-step version of how I submit a story because there may be something I do that will spark a new idea for your own submission process.
Today we're going to do PART ONE of the submission process.
The first step...
Select a story: obviously pick one that you feel is in a final version form. At this stage there should be no typos, spelling errors, or loose ends in the writing. Now get the following demographics regarding your story (jot down somewhere):
word count: most editors say you can round off, but in this age of computers I see no reason for that
genre: I don't categorize my stories, per se, but I'll keep in mind what my story feels like while I'm looking for a market
rights offered: meaning there are some mags that take reprints and some that only want previously unpublished work
Then you have to consider how much money you expect for this story, and whether you want to see it in hardcopy format or online, and whether you only want to submit to editors who will take your story through email or if you'll be willing to print and mail off a hardcopy, and how much you care about prestige.
These things will help you narrow your selection of places to submit.
Second step...
Look at some markets
On my main page here, there are several good market lists mentioned, both online and off. You may need to look at my entire list of URLs to find one you like.
Third step...
Peruse the markets : weed out ones that are obviously not going to work (more on that in Part Two).
Forth step...
Select at least 10 markets : that your story may be a good fit for.
Fifth step...
GO TO EACH MAGAZINE'S GUIDELINES: meaning go directly to the magazine's own website to double-check the submission guidelines; do NOT rely on marketlist info. If a magazine doesn't have a website, request the guidelines via post.
That's it for now. In the next installment of these articles, we'll do a walk-through with one of my stories and how, exactly, I selected markets for it.
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