New Writer’s Guide to Submissions

Welcome, fellow writers! We are relatively new writers ourselves, and we have recently had to discover where and how to submit our writing. We thought we could help you out by sharing what we have learned so far about submissions.

Building Up Confidence

Having confidence with anything in life, not just writing, is difficult to achieve. But when it comes to writing, it’s best to start small and set a goal for yourself, even if it’s simply “write a sentence a day”, because from there your ideas will sprout and your story will flow from your fingertips. When you’re first starting out you don’t have to share your writing with anyone, but if you do and you’re hesitant, start with friends or family. Those who love and support you but can also give you honest criticism. From there you can move on to submitting your stories. As with anything, building up confidence with writing takes time, and it comes from within. Be proud of yourself for even writing at all, and don’t ever give up. If you don’t ever submit your writing, nothing will ever happen with it!

Where to Submit

We suggest looking into small online literary journals for your first submissions. Not only is there less competition, but they tend to be very friendly and helpful in our experience. Clever’s first two short stories were published in such a journal, Write of Passion . We would suggest this journal as a great place to start for new writers! They have a new theme each quarter, with the next two themes being Mythology, and Villains and Anti-heroes! You can find the submission guidelines here. 

Through our research on where to submit our speculative fiction stories, we have found a few online publications that regularly accept submissions. If you are looking for paid opportunities, here are a few markets that pay for sci-fi/fantasy short fiction:

• Cast of Wonders: They are looking for YA sci-fi/fantasy stories up to 6,000 words that evoke a sense of wonder. They pay $0.08/word for original stories and are one of the few publications that will accept reprints (for those of you that post your stories on your blog) for a $100 flat rate. They have a rotating schedule of general and themed submissions; the next submission windows are March1-7 for Halloween and March 15-31 for Dinovember. Submission guidelines here.

• Strange Horizons: They are looking for any speculative fiction up to 10,000 words and pay $0.08/word. They are open to submissions between Monday 1600 UTC and Tuesday 1600 UTC every week of the year except during the month of December. Submission guidelines here.

• ClarkesWorld: They are open to science fiction and fantasy (no horror) between 1,000 and 22,000 words. They have open submissions and pay $0.10/word. Submission guidelines here.

• Leading Edge: They are always open to submissions for science fiction and fantasy stories between 1,000 and 15,000 words. They only pay $0.01/word, but at least two staff members will critique your submission. This is a great bonus for new writers, whether your story is accepted or not! Submission guidelines here.

• Fantasy & Science Fiction: They are always open to submissions for stories that appeal to fantasy and sci-fi fans. They are especially interested in science fiction and/or humor, so if this fits your story you should submit. They accept up to 25,000 words and pay $0.08-$0.12/word. Submission guidelines here.

• Beneath Ceaseless Skies: They publish “literary adventure fantasy”: stories with a secondary-world setting and some fantasy feel, but written with a literary approach (think LotR). They do not want urban fantasy or sci-fi. They prefer under 15,000 words and pay $0.08/word.The welcome submissions from new and unpublished writers, and all their rejection letters have personalized suggestions. Submission guidelines here.

• Flame Tree Press: They publish flash fiction (700-1000 words) in the genres of horror, crime/mystery, and sci-fi/fantasy. You must subscribe to their newsletter, where a new theme will be announced each month. They pay $0.08/word and you can find guidelines and the newsletter sign-up here.

• Daily Science Fiction: They accept speculative fiction stories from 100 to 1,500 words. They will accept dark fantasy, but not horror. They pay $0.08/word, but you can potentially earn more if they choose to publish your story in one of their anthologies. They will be open to submissions again on January 3rd, and you can find the guidelines here.

• Abyss & Apex: They publish speculative and imaginative fiction up to 10,000 words. They like powerful stories with emotions that resonate. They do not publish horror or graphic content. They will be open to submissions the first week of February, May, August, and November. They pay $0.06/word up to $75. You can find the guidelines here.

• PseudoPod: They are looking for short horror stories: anything from grim realism and crime drama, to magical-realism, to supernatural dark fantasy. They like anything dark and weird. They are another magazine that accepts reprints, at a flat rate of $100. Original stories pay $0.08/word, and they accept 1,500 to 6,000 words. They reopen to submissions on March 1st, and you can find the guidelines here.

• PodCastle: They are affiliated with PseudoPod. They have very similar guidelines, but publish all genres of fantasy. They are closed to submissions until the new year, but you can find the guidelines here.

• And we saved the best for last…

Clever&WTF’s New Writers Contest!

Win the title of “Clever&WTF’s Best New Writer of 2020”! The contest is open to all new writers, and preference will be given to previously unpublished authors (for purposes of this contest, posting to your own blog isn’t considered being published). We will publish the winner’s story on our blog along with a bio, including any links to your own blog, social media, or website. The deadline to submit is January 31st. We will notify the winner by February 17th and feature their story on February 23rd. To submit your short story, go to our contact page and paste your story in the body of the email. We can’t wait to read your stories!

Manuscript Format and Cover Letters

When you are submitting, you will likely see requests for manuscript format and cover letters. Typically, this is the manuscript format they are looking for: https://www.shunn.net/format/story.html. It might be helpful to prepare stories you want to submit in this format. Read the guidelines carefully though, some publications modify the requirements slightly. 

A cover letter may sound intimidating, especially if you’ve never been published before, but most publications just want something very basic. They are really looking for two things: prior publications (if any) and any experience you have that is related to the story. The latter can be something like writing about your own profession or your culture. Here is an example of a cover letter that Clever wrote:

Dear Editors,

Please consider the following story for Strange Horizons.

My fiction appears in the Write of Passion Literary Journal, the Fantasy Issue and Holiday Issue.

Thank you,

Ashley Kay Wong

Not Getting Discouraged

Let’s be real, there is no way you won’t feel a little disappointed if your story gets rejected. The key thing is to not give up. It’s best to take a moment to accept it, but don’t dwell on it. The best way to move on from it is to immediately take action. Edit your story, make another submission, or begin writing something new. If you let yourself get into a funk, it will be very hard to get out of it. Everyone will experience rejection at some point. That doesn’t necessarily mean your writing isn’t good; it may just not be the right fit for that publication. Always remember, Harry Potter was rejected by 12 publishers before finally being accepted! You cannot think you are a failure for being rejected, without saying J.K. Rowling is a failure too…and no one wants to do that!

What Do You Think?

Are there other places you would suggest for new writers to submit? Do you have any other questions or topics you would like us to cover? If you are looking for more posts on writing, you can check out our writer’s section.

If you found this post helpful, we would love for you to leave a comment, or even buy us a cup of coffee! We promise to share!

Thanks so much for reading!

Clever & WTF