Multiple Subs vs. Simultaneous Subs

What's the difference?

This was one of my first newbie questions, and for a while - even after I knew the answer - I was still confused. Call me slow, but the concept didn't really sink in until I started submitting manuscripts in earnest. So, in case you are also confused, here's the low-down:

Multiple submissions:
This means that you are submitting more than one story (poem, novel, whatever) to the same market at the same time. Or that you are submitting a work to a magazine (publishing company, agent) when you already have one waiting in their slush pile. So let's say, for example, that you've mailed your short story, The Flight of the Walrus, to the magazine The Walrus Review. If you turn around the next day and mail a second story to this same market, then you are submitting multiple stories.

Generally, most markets frown on multiple submissions (although poetry is sometimes an exception). Read the submission guidelines carefully before sending in your work. Some markets even have a policy that states an author should wait a certain length of time between submissions.

Simultaneous submissions:
This takes place when you send a single story (novel, poem, whatever) to more than one market. So, using the previous example, you send your short story, The Flight of the Walrus, not just to The Walrus Review but also to Walrus Weekly and Walrus World.

Most of the time it is okay to send your work out to more than one market. It certainly can save time! But it is considered proper etiquette to let the markets know that you are doing this. You needn't tell them precisely where you are sending your work, but at least mention it in your query letter (something along the lines of, "I'm considering other markets" or "I have submitted this piece to other magazines as well as yours").

A caveat, however...
If you are submitting to a short story market, it is usually best to simply submit to one magazine (e-zine, anthology) at a time. Yes, it does mean you will have to wait longer for a reply, but most of these markets won't waste their time with simultaneous subs (especially when a new author is involved). The website Writing World has an excellent discussion on this, if you're interested.

The best time to use simultaneous submissions is when submitting a novel to an agent. But, again, it is very important to let the agent know that you are doing this.

Fiction to Read on Your Coffee Break

Once upon a time, fiction that was published on the Internet was of pretty poor quality. Just like today, anyone with the right hardware and software could post her writing for any and all to see. I suppose there were good stories floating out there in cyber-space, but although I searched, I was never lucky enough to find any of it! Websites that offered fiction tended to be put up by people who had the best computer but not the best editing skills.

Years later, when ezines like Event Horizon came onto the scene, online fiction improved tremendously, but there was still a stigma attached to it (the idea being that real writers didn't 'publish' on the Internet).

Times have changed!

Now, eiNET offers a list of forty-two ezines that print fiction, and many ezines are now paying pro rates.

In any case, unlike twenty years ago, there is a lot of great fiction being published on the Internet. Here is just a taste of what I consider to be the best:

Aberrant Dreams, Afterburn SF, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Fantasy Magazine, Necrotic Tissue

The next time you want to take a break at work, grab a cup of coffee, a bagel, and treat yourself to some online fiction.

Free Fiction Market Listings

You've probably heard that old saying, "Why pay what you can get for free?"

Good question!

As a writer, one of the biggest challenges you'll probably face is knowing where to send your manuscripts. After all, that's the whole idea isn't? You want to get paid for your writing! When I first started as a writer (Yikes! Has is really been twenty years?), I would go the library, locate a copy (hopefully a current copy) of The Writer's Market, and try to find a market that accepted short stories. The process was time-consuming, frustrating, and irritating. Because of the transient nature of publishing, generally, the current Writer's Market was out of date before it even hit the bookstores! But now we have the Internet. The Writer's Market is still out there, but I have found much better places for market listings. The best part is, these websites offer FREE information! Here is a list of some of my very favorite sources for market listings:

• Ralan's Webstravaganza - this website offers markets for fantasy, horror, and science fiction writers. The markets are broken down by rates (semi-pro and pro rates paying at least $.03 per word and paying markets being anything less). There are also links to book publishers and anthology markets. This is one of the best sources on the web.
  
• The Write Market - aka the mother lode. Seriously, this site has it all - fiction and non-fiction markets, how-to information, even greeting card markets.
• Writers' Write - sometimes, genre markets get all the press, but at Writer's Write, there are listings for juvenile, literary, and young adult markets as well.