Magazines

Magazines.  We all read them, and, if you’re a real writer, you submit to them.

I have three stories out right now, submitted to various publications, awaiting either acceptance or rejection.  They are Hot Child In The City, Gold, and Saturday In The Park.

Of the three stories, the one that I have the most trouble submitting is Saturday In The Park.  It’s a Justice Security short story, and the magazine market is limited for action/adventure/thriller short stories.  By all accounts of the support team I have behind the scenes, it’s a good story, but the market just can’t be found for this type of short story.

The other two, however, have markets galore.  One is a straight-up horror story, and the other is a dark fantasy.  There are endless markets available for both, so the submissions availabilites are extended.  My patience, however is not.

Response times for magazine submissions vary from a few days to a few months.  While that works for the publication, I have become spoiled by Amazon, and its ability to almost immediately publish a writer’s work.  Amazon is slowly making traditional publishers irrelevant, and is making a huge dent in magazines…at least, print magazines.  Most magazines now are published as ebooks, and available for Kindle, Nook, or whatever e-reader is your favorite.

I have fans that wait for each of my stories and novels.  As one Justice Security fan put it in a private message to me, “…I can’t wait to see what you’ve blown up now!”  LOL – that’s high praise to me!

So, while I will continue to submit short stories to magazines for consideration, I won’t wait for them forever.  Fans want my latest and greatest, and I just don’t have it in me to disappoint them.

The same goes for your work!  Once you have established a fan base, and are happy that people enjoy the stories you write, you’ll see what I mean.  Just keep writing!

And, keep reading!

Michael  (T. M.)