Is it just me or are the markets for short stories in a holding pattern?
The flash zine Literary Bitch published its first issue in January and is now on hiatus.
Necrography just published its first issue and has switched from quarterly to bi-annual but they are open to subs. Urls to the left. Necrography also has a blog with updated info http://blog.necrography.com/
And can anyone tell me what's going on with Bad Things? I've had several people ask me about this market. The second issue was to go live on April 1. I've written to editor, Chris Pimental, asking for an update on the zine but haven't heard back.
It's time to vote in the Story South Million Writers poll. http://www.storysouth.com/millionwriters/2009vote.html
There's an excellent essay over at the Kill Zone blog today. "Start at the End" by Joe Moore expands on Kurt Vonnegut's rule #5 http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2009/05/start-at-end.html
Over at Book Spot Central they're diving into the archives and posted this link to a piece by Brian Lindermuth entitled Black Crime Fiction: An Introduction. This is a very long and detailed history so you'll be back several times to read this through if your eyes give out as easily as mine, but it's well worth the time from what I've read so far. http://bscreview.com/2007/07/black-crime-fiction-an-introduction/
And if you're thinking of starting a zine you might want to check out the Electric Velocipede Blog and editor, John Klima's, series "So You Want to Start a Zine". The link will take you to the first post, you can find the rest of the links on the right at the blog. He has 10 posts so far and it looks like he's planning four more. From what I've skimmed through this is a very thorough look at every aspect of producing not just an online zine but a print mag as well. http://blog.electricvelocipede.com/2007/08/so-you-want-to-start-zine-pt-1.html
8 comments:
As always we are on the same wave length. Thanks for the info too.
I've been on the lookout for crime/mystery/horror market news but lately everything seems stagnant unless you're writing for the gay market. Over at Duotrope they've been posting one or more new markets for gay literature every week.
Speaking from experience it's difficult to run a zine especially if you want to keep the standard high. Fortunately, at BTAP I have two great ladies helping me keep it afloat. But for one person with a day job and no money coming in for their efforts it can be rough...
without a doubt it is a labor of love.
My problem would be turning writers down. That's what's kept me from it and why I like the challenges where everyone is in.
Patti, I never get use to rejecting a submission and it's even harder when its someone you have become friendly with on the blogosphere. Of course, everythings subjective and quite frequently I see the same story pop up on another zine where it is enthusiastically received.
Yeah, having to reject a friend's story is one of the hardest things to do, Patti. I remember at A Flasher's Dozen we had space for one story and three great ones to fill the spot and all from writers we knew. Gulp!
I think having a good support system in place is one of the keys to a successful zine, David.
Interesting, Sandra--I suspect the holding pattern is for several reasons. It's hard to create and then maintain anything new and it's especially hard in a recession. Seems like it would be simple to open a zine, but I'll bet it's amazingly hard.
Another problem, Conda, is the lack of quality submissions. If the editors don't get the word out or invite writers to submit, they have nothing to publish. Word of mouth or blog can make or break a zine.
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