Business suggestion...

[j_cheney]

OK, so I've fluffed up "The Dragon's Child" and it's ready to go out...only the market I want to send it to is still closed. Hmmph!

I think that Ralan should start a side business...where you can send him your story and he'll suggest 5 good market matches for it. All for the reasonable cost of...say $5. (Somehow, I think he's going to ignore this suggestion.)

It's very difficult to 'know' all the markets. I currently have subscriptions to: Shimmer, Black Gate, Baen's Universe, Asimov's, Fantasy (actually, I think this issue might be my last)and Speculations. In addition, I have recent copies of ROF, Weird Tales, Locus....And I still don't feel like I've seen a tenth of what's out there.

OK, so if anyone knows of a good market-niche-locater out there, (who's willing to work dirt cheap) let me know!

Comments

DC

[namelessarchon.livejournal.com]

This was a great story. Too bad Black Gate isn't open, it seems like it would be right along their lines. Or have you sent it to them already?

[kara-gnome.livejournal.com]

Oh, god, I love your idea of a market locator! It's freaking brilliant. I honestly think this whole market thing is the worst part of writing.

I think it's now clear why people write novels, and it has nothing to do with that whole "more room" myth. No! It's because they can legitimately send out one thing a year, and that is to someone who will do the market nasty for them. :)

[stinabat.livejournal.com]

speak on, my sister. i'm waiting on blackgate too. grrr.

[keesa-renee.livejournal.com]

:snickers: For the low, low price of ongoing subscriptions to every speculative fiction market out there, I will happily read over your stories and suggest, not merely five, but ten top possibilities, in descending order of appropriateness, with payscales. But maybe that's not quite as dirt-cheap as you were hoping for? ;-)

[david-de-beer.livejournal.com]

you never use Duotrope? I prefer them to Ralan, tbh.

Why are you cancelling Fantasy, out of curiousity?

[rcloenen-ruiz.livejournal.com]

I also like your idea of a market-niche-locater. I love the writing part, but the searching for a market part takes up a whole lot of time (which I don't have much of) and causes more headaches than writing does. I also wish there was some sort of machine where I could just feed the story into and it would be sent wherever...I suppose that's what agents are good for. But one can't get an agent for short stories (wah).