Ithaca, NY
courtesy of the talented Paul Jordon

Strictly Genre: Ithaca Fiction Critique Group

Tips for getting published in genre fiction

The golden rule for getting published is know your markets. Identifying appropriate markets for your work requires self-education and research which can be time-consuming, expensive, and often frustrating. There aren't really any shortcuts.

The basic steps are:

1. identify publishers (or agents)

2. find their submission guidelines (if they have them, not all do)

3. find and read examples of their publications

4. evaluate whether what you write is right for them or decide whether you can write something that meets their guidelines

5. submit something or move on to the next publisher (or agent)

Novel & Short Story Writers Market, usually referred to by writers as Writers Market, (published by Writers Digest) comes out once a year and is a good place to start. Although it is out of date before it hits the shelves, it contains useful information on the standard, traditional print markets. Libraries generally have the most recent year in Reference and older editions on the shelf available for borrowing. Copies can also be bought cheap through online or local used bookstores. Writers Market will give you a good basic working knowledge of the standard markets.

Two good free resources that cover every kind of genre fiction and some literary fiction:

http://www.fundsforwriters.com/ (offers two free weekly email newsletters as well as one for paid subscription) and http://www.writemarket.com.

Some market services require subscriptions like Writer's Market online and the highly respected Queen Gila http://gilaqueen.us/, but exhaust the free options first.

One of the chief benefits of spending the money on membership to national writing organizations or joining free online writing groups is networking and information about markets.

Mystery-- Submitting a novel to a major publisher requires an agent; novels to small presses and short stories do not require agents. See http://www.writemarket.com/. For short stories, consider joining for free the Short Mystery Fiction Society which maintains a nice basic market page: http://www.shortmystery.net/markets.html

Romance--Romance Writers of America (RWA); also try http://www.writemarket.com/. Consider subscribing to Cyndi Sterling's excellent free weekly newsletter--http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CynthiaSterling/
For short fiction, there is the high-paying: Womans' World Guidelines

Horror--Horror Writers of America (HWA); also see http://www.writemarket.com/

Science Fiction & Fantasy-- Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA): see also the SFWA market resources: http://www.sfwa.org/links/market.htm

YA and Children's--Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)

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Updated June 12, 2011