Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly. Translation loading for the live-composer-page-builder domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home1/c375526/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home1/c375526/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php:6114) in /home1/c375526/public_html/wp-includes/feed-rss2.php on line 8
submissions – J.E.S. Hays http://www.jeshays.com Author, Worldbuilder, Wordsmith Tue, 07 Sep 2021 01:48:14 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 http://www.jeshays.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/cropped-sitelogo-32x32.gif submissions – J.E.S. Hays http://www.jeshays.com 32 32 What I’m Reading: Slushpile Memories http://www.jeshays.com/?p=2899 Tue, 07 Sep 2021 01:48:13 +0000 http://www.jeshays.com/?p=2899

I’m reading an interesting little booklet by Kevin J. Anderson, entitled Slushpile Memories: How NOT to Get Rejected. I’m hoping it will give me some solid suggestions to improve my short story sales record.

I’ve just started, but I’ve read Anderson’s work before and he’s a good writer, so I’m sure it’s going to be a good read. It’s got some sensible chapters on following directions and submitting again if you get rejected. I’m also hoping for some tips & tricks to polish and sharpen my own stories.

If you’re a writer who’s trying to break into the magazine and anthology market, you should pick up a copy of this book and read it.

]]> 10 Ways NOT to Get Published http://www.jeshays.com/?p=510 Fri, 20 Jun 2014 11:43:47 +0000 http://www.jeshays.com/?p=510

Over the years, I’ve attended a lot of writing conferences, and one of my favorite types of sessions is the “How Not To Get Published” panel. This is where you put a bunch of published authors, editors, and agents at the table and ask them for their worst experiences. Not only do you have an hour of belly laughs, but you come away thinking that you can’t be all that bad compared to what you’ve just heard.

Here are 10 of my favorite manuscript submission stories … that actually happened.

WP_Blue_Pages_Right

Top 10 ways NOT to get your manuscript read:

10. Enclose a chocolate bar for the editor … to a publishing house based in Atlanta, GA … in July

9.  Fill the box containing your horror manuscript with tiny plastic spiders

8. Douse your romance manuscript in perfume

7. Address the package to “To Whom It May Concern”

6. Fill the box containing your manuscript with glitter and confetti

5. Enclose a bribe

4. Misspell the editor’s name

3. Print the entire manuscript in Lucida Handwriting

2. Cut the pages into a cute bunny shape

and the Number 1 way NOT to get your manuscript read …

 

…leave it in your desk drawer!

]]> 5 Tips for Anthologies http://www.jeshays.com/?p=417 Sat, 15 Feb 2014 13:44:26 +0000 http://www.jeshays.com/?p=417

Got word of a new anthology coming out in the Wolf Creek series – they’ve thrown open the submissions to anyone within the Western Fictioneers, so I’m going to see if I can get my foot in the door with a short story. I like the books, and it would be nice to create a character and do some collaborative writing with these folks.

Here are some tips for submitting a story for an anthology:

  • Do your homework – see what’s already on the market from that publisher, see what other stories have made their anthologies, see what sort of thing they’re looking for before you start your own story.
  • Know the world – if you’re submitting for a shared-world anthology, do your homework there as well, and find out about their world. Read some of the other stories set there and some of the books already published. Show them that you understand the world they’ve created.
  • Do your best – a short story is harder for some people than writing a novel, so be sure you craft your best. Have a tight, logical plot with believable, sympathetic characters. Keep the action moving and don’t skimp on the emotion. Make sure the story flows, and that the ending is satisfying.
  • Do your editing – fine-tune your story until it purrs, then edit one more time for spelling and grammar. If your work has easily-spotted errors, it’s going straight into the circular file.
  • Follow submission guidelines – this should go without saying, but so often new writers will submit something totally unacceptable, or something the editors or publishers are just not interested in. Read the guidelines and follow them to the letter.

Have you had stories published in anthologies? What tips would you add to the list?

]]>