Complete information on all this, along with links to where people can nominate stories, is available on the award website. I will also be regularly publishing comments and information on my blog and website as the award process as it unfolds.
]]>For six years now I've been editing storySouth, a literary journal focusing on Southern writers. I initially edited the fiction and nonfiction while my co-editor Jake Adam York edited the poetry. Whatever we were doing must have worked because storySouth grew to the point where we needed other editors to assist us. Now Scott Yarbrough edits storySouth's fiction, Dan Albergotti the poetry, while Jake and I continue on as overall editors and I still edit the nonfiction. If you read our guidelines or masthead, these facts are laid out for the world to see.
The problem is that far too many writers are not reading our guidelines, let alone our magazine. I know this because in the last week I've received nine fiction submissions snail mailed to my house. Our guidelines specifically state to e-mail submissions to the editors. Anyone who reads our ONLINE journal couldn't fail to note that gee, storySouth is an ONLINE journal! Perhaps they accept electronic submissions. Let me look at the guidelines. The answer: YES! And who edits the fiction? Why its a nice chap named Scott Yarbrough.
Obviously the writers who mailed these fiction submissions to me never even read our guidelines, let alone storySouth. They pulled up our listing in some print or online submission database and let loose their submissions. Several of them didn't even include SASEs for a response. Two asked that their stories be considered for storySouth's Million Writers Award, which is for PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED fiction (another fact these writers could have learned by doing even the most basic of homework).
Now comes the clincher. After looking through all these short stories mailed to the wrong editor without looking at our journal or guidelines, some without a SASE, all without a clue, one pattern becomes clear--they all stink. Not one of them is readable past the first paragraph. And that brings us to this simple truth about publishing: Good writers do their homework. Bad writers do not. If a writer can't be bothered to do even a bit of reading about the magazine or journal they are submitting to, know that the editor will see this. And editors know that the truth behind a lack of preparation on the part of a writer is that their story is likely bad, bad, bad.
]]>* * *
Scott Boyan at Thinksimian has completed a wonderful meta-analysis of storySouth's Million Writers Award to determine the best online literary journals and magazines. Basically, Scott crunched the numbers from the first four years of the award to see which online magazines placed the most stories in the notable and top ten listings. You can access Scott's complete analysis as a Google spreadsheet, but here are his top ranking online journals and magazines:
Pindeldyboz
Thanks to Scott for doing this analysis. And as a reminder, the 2008 Million Writers Award will start accepting nominations in about a month.
]]>* * *
The 2008 Novel and Short Story Writer's Market (N&SSW) is now out from Writers Digest Books. While I'm of a mixed mind about the book's usefulness in actually submitting to fiction markets, I've decided to recommend it once again for both new and experienced writers.
First, the back story on my mixed recommendation. When I reviewed last year's edition, I mentioned that one problem overtaking the venerable market compilation is that online resources like Duotrope's Digest and Ralan's listing (which is specifically for speculative fiction writers) have overtaken N&SSW by offering free submission information that's more up-to-date than anything a printed book can offer. I especially like Duotrope Digest, which offers an easy-to-use online market and submission database. When I asked N&SSW editor Lauren Mosko if Writer's Digest Books was considering making all of N&SSW's listings available online, she said that "Free market resource sites like Duotrope's Digest are certainly on our radar, but we feel confident Writer's Market will remain the brand writers can trust." Lauren added that they were preparing for the upcoming redesign and relaunch of WritersMarket.com.
So it's now a year later. One very good change is that N&SSW began offering a nice blog, which contains market and other useful writing information. I highly recommend writers check out the blog on a regular basis. In addition, the updated Writersmarket.com has been launched. However, Writersmarket.com remains a subscriber based system which, in my opinion, doesn't offer enough extra information and ability above Duotrope Digest to justify the subscription cost of $29.99 for one year. In addition, purchasing N&SSW doesn't give you access to Writersmarket.com. So when you buy the book you're locked into an already out of date data set, at least with regards to market information.
However, I'm still recommending the market guide because editors Lauren Mosko and Michael Schweer have compiled an amazing collection of articles to aid both beginning or experienced writers. N&SSW once again features in-depth information on writing and submitting in genres such as literary fiction, mysteries, romance, and more; of particular interest to SF/F writers is an informative interview with author Kelly Link and John Joseph Adams' "Speculative Fiction: The Next Generation." For me, the authors interviews are the best part of N&SSW, especially since they give valuable insight into the business side of writing and help writers benefit from the mistakes and successes of others.
So if you're looking for a book which helps you write and submit a compelling story, along with giving useful advice from top authors in all fictional genres, this is a great book to own. But if you're purchasing N&SSW merely for the market listings, I suggest you give N&SSW a pass and move over to Duotrope.
]]>• the poem "Dragging Canoe Vanishes from the Bear Pit into the Endless Clucking of the Gods" by Brian Barker (published in the fall 2007 issue of storySouth);
• the poem "Fish Catcher" by Melanie Carter (published in the winter 2007 issue of storySouth);
• the short story "Johnny Cash, Beset by Darkness," by John Marshall Daniel (published in the fall 2007 issue of storySouth)
• the short story "Professing Caliban" by Richard Plant (published in the winter 2007 issue of storySouth);
• the nonfiction story "Welcome to Richmond, Miss Welty" by Tyler Scott published in the spring/summer 2007 issue of storySouth);
• the nonfiction story "The House In Simi Valley" by Darlin' Neal (published in the spring/summer 2007 issue of storySouth).
Congrats and thanks to all these authors.
]]>However, the good news is that Executive Editor Whitney Pastorek tells me the web edition of Pindeldyboz will continue. Over the last seven years, the online Pindeldyboz has published over 1000 stories by more than 600 authors and was named the Best Online Publication of 2003 in the storySouth Million Writers Award. If you're interested in submitting your works for the online edition, they will reopen for subs on January 1.
]]>"After six years of publication, articles in major newspapers and magazines (NYT, New Yorker, Poets & Writers, Utne, Time Out NY, just to name a few) and solicitations from top agents and publishers, which have helped our writers score agents and book deals, I'm sad to announce that SSN will cease publication on 12.31.07. This was a very difficult decision for me to make, however, it was one that I felt was best for the journal. We will continue to publish reviews, interviews & features until the end of the year, and the site will remain online indefinitely. We will publish a final print issue in 2009. Subscriptions will be fulfilled.I want to thank you all for your unwavering, wonderful support and for reading! I’d also like to extend a special thanks to my wonderful staff. SSN wouldn’t be where it is today without my incredible and devoted team of editors, reviewers, feature writers and readers. My humble thanks.
Small Spiral Notebook has long been on of the brightest stars in the online literary universe and I both congratulate Felicia for the work she's done and wish her the best in the future. I should also note that SSN just scored several notable mentions in this year's Best American Short Stories and Best American Non Required Reading. Felicia says people can keep track of her in the future through her website.
]]>Note the sparse power of the opening:
There's the name of Sigmund Kozma's buddy.WILBUR NORTH.
It's chiseled into the stone of the pillar next to the post office.
Wilbur was Sig's best friend. They grew up tramping the fields, hitting the swimming hole and chasing girls. Sig was sweet on Wilbur's sister.
Eighty-one other names are engraved in stone as well, men Kozma knew from the company town of the Sunday Creek Coal Co.
After that powerful introduction, Ludlow resists the urge to veer off into political or historical asides and simply provides the barest of needed background in two descriptive sentences. In the first, he states that "Kozma is the only miner still alive among the 138 who walked out of that hellish hole on Nov. 5, 1930." In the second, he writes that "It was spitting snow the day of Ohio's worst mine disaster." That second sentence is an absolute gem, with "spitting" providing a perfect counterpoint to snow, turning what would normally be a beautiful image into an apt illustration of the horror that unfolded 77 years ago. The story then provides more of Sigmund Kozma's memories of the disaster before closing where it began, with Kozma remembering all the friends he lost so long ago.
This is an absolute masterpiece of local journalism. I'd highly recommend the story not only to any budding journalists, but also to anyone who cares at all about story craft.
Read the entire story:
"Ex-miner mourns pals 77 years after blast" by Randy Ludlow, The Columbus Dispatch.
]]>First, in an article entitled "The Wide World of Online Literary Journals", Julie Dolan of Utne Magazine notes that:
A good place to get acquainted with the e-literary world is the Million Writers Award, an online fiction contest started by an editor of the online publication storySouth in which readers vote for their favorite stories. Simon Owens at Bloggasm reports that the Million Writers Award was started after a print editor asserted that storySouth wasn't a "real" publication. Now, the awards are gaining notoriety and acclaim. Last year's winner of the best short story, Catherynne M. Valente, says "Most of those people would never have seen it otherwise, and that's a fantastic result."
The Utne Magazine article mentions an interview I did a while back with Simon Owens of Bloggasm. The interview focuses on storySouth's annual Million Writers Award. Thanks to Simon for doing that.
storySouth was also mentioned in the fascinating article "Here's To the Death of the 'Death of' Article: The future of the short story in a digital age" b J.M. Tyree, published in The Smart Set from Drexel University. Even though I'm naturally biased in favor of this article since it mentions us, the article is worth reading on its own for the insight given into where short fiction is going these days. Long and short answer is that short stories will still be around even after most journals and magazines transition to an online format.
]]>The first journal I recommend is Our Stories: A Unique Literary Journal. The journal features extremely strong fiction and wonderful interviews with writers such as Matthew Sharpe. and George Saunders. Another strong point are the essays by editor in chief Alexis E. Santi, such as his recent "Life is Not Told In Revision." I should add that Santi is a fellow returned Peace Corps Volunteer--he served in Romania, while I did my tour in Thailand. While this isn't the reason I'm recommending his journal, I wonder if his PCV experiences help explain why his journal focuses so much on creating a strong community between the journal's authors, editors, and readers.
Another online magazine I highly recommend
is Subterranean Press Magazine. Focusing on speculative fiction, Subterranean is a professional-level online magazine which started out in print. While I'm not privy to the details of their conversion from print to online (although I do know they published in print for two years, and I wouldn't be surprised if simple economics dictated the change over earlier this year), the simple fact is that Subterranean is perfectly suited to an online venue and probably has a bigger readership online than they ever did in print. Each quarterly issue features top-notch fiction, essays, and art by the biggest names in speculative fiction. If you are at all interested in spec fic, started digging into Subterranean.
Another thing I want to share with you is Josie's life work, or one aspect of her life's work. Her book Japanese and Chinese Immigrant Activists: Organizing in American and International Communist Movements, 1919-1933 was recently published by Rutgers University Press and I recommend it to everyone with an interest in community and activist organizing. While the book is a heavily researched academic examination, it is also a fascinating read. I remember all the work Josie put into researching this subject in her final years and I'm glad her work is now being shared with others. I'm also glad that Josie learned shortly before her death that the book had been accepted for publication.
]]>