When submitting: start at the top or the bottom?

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  • #201631
    filwi
    Participant
      0 Pirate Gold Coins

      I’m at the point where I’ve got a list of markets that I think would fit a particular short story. I don’t know which of these markets are the most likely to publish it – to my eye it’s an equally decent fit for every one of them.

      Time is not an issue for me, I’ve got a steady day job and I can afford to let my stories linger in the slush piles. But the markets are different in terms of reach, pro/semi/token rates, renown etc. So my question is: should I start at the top (pro paying/renowned markets) or at the bottom (lesser known/low paying) markets? Is there any danger in starting at the top and working my way down?

      TIA

      #232262
      ErinMH
      Moderator
        0 Pirate Gold Coins

        Always start at the top, whether that’s prestige, pay, or some other measurement. It does no harm, and you’re never left wondering whether you could have sold the story at a better market.

        Good luck!

        #232263
        J.A. Marlow
        Moderator
          125 Pirate Gold Coins

          I agree with Erin. Always start at the top best markets and work your way down.

          J.A. Marlow
          The String Weavers, Salmon Run, Redpoint One series.

          Writer alter-ego of Dreamers Cove

          #232264
          KatsInCommand
          Participant
            0 Pirate Gold Coins

            SO much YES on the Top down approach. We are not editors – let the editors decide. Clearly if it clashes with their guidelines don’t submit, but you shouldn’t be the one deciding if it’s not a good fit for the magazine.

            And if you’re worried about hurt feelings, there’s nothing like a slew of rejections to toughen up. I go to about 50 rejections before my skin thickened. I’m around 300 something now and I just shrug and send it on.

            #232265
            zette
            Moderator
              126 Pirate Gold Coins

              Start at the top. Always start at the top. If you are accepted by a lesser publication first, how do you know if you could have made it into a better one instead?

              I remember a story about someone who’s dream was to write for a big name magazine. Atlantic Monthly? Something like that. His friends, however, told him he would never make his first sale there and he needed sales from other places first to put in his cover letter. So he spent a few years sending stories to various magazines and always being turned down. In a fit of desperation, he sent something to Atlantic Monthly.

              It was accepted.

              Why? Because he had always been writing for Atlantic Monthly. It was his market.

              Don’t be in such a hurry for a sale that you don’t at least try the higher markets before dropping downward on the list. But also remember that sometimes the lesser publications can be great niche markets and may be a better fit. Just don’t rush. Take the time to find out where you fit.

              #232266
              MarFisk
              Moderator
                0 Pirate Gold Coins

                Always start at the top. If you start at the bottom or middle and the story is good enough for the big time, you’ll never know.

                She remakes mechanical devices, and he dreams of becoming a steamship captain in The Steamship Chronicles. Book 1 is free in eBook.
                https://margaretmcgaffeyfisk.com/the-steamship-chronicles/

                #232276
                Michael E. Walston
                Participant
                  0 Pirate Gold Coins

                  Yes, indeed, start at the top. I sent my first story out to Omni in 1992 and got the nicest rejection from an editor (Robert KJ Kilheffer) I could have asked for; it has kept me going…

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