Sue Moorcroft has a huge wealth of knowledge of the short story market having published more than 130 stories in different media.  The main crux of her talk was that the secret of success is to ensure that you target your work as closely as possible to the exact requirements of the market.

First, know why you’re writing.  It may be for the thrill of publication or for money, to enhance your CV or to promote your name.  Alternatively you may be targeting a competition.

Think laterally about markets.  As well as the obvious women’s magazines, it is also worth considering small press magazines, radio, internet radio and the web. Remember too that it may be possible to sell the same story (or a slightly amended version) overseas.

Websites to look at include www.duotrope.com or www.womagwriter.com both of which offer good market information.

For magazines, ensure that you have established the age of their target reader and read at least four copies to get a feel for the fiction they publish, checking for language complexity, sentence structure and subject matter.  Always ask for guidelines where available and make sure you know the length required.

Make sure that you are as professional about your work.  Ensure that your ms is presented in a clear font, with a concise covering letter, mentioning any previous success and where you have previously been published.  Your story must have a front sheet with your address clearly shown.  This is important – many publishers use that sheet to arrange payment!

Keep a record of all submissions and make sure you keep up to date with industry trends and information.  Network whenever possible.

Always ensure that any work you put out is as good as it can be:  Polish – Edit – Rewrite.

Sue’s attentive audience went away well-equipped to submit their work and encouraged by a positive and professional speaker.

Written by Lyn McCulloch