Short Stories Are Not Novels!
There’s tons of information on-line about how to submit novels, but relatively little about submitting short stories. I think this has led to the misunderstanding that the novel-submitting process is identical to the short story submitting process. While there is overlap, this is actually not as true as you’d imagine.
For novels, the basic idea is to write a query letter and a summary of your book and to send it to your carefully-researched list of agents and/or editors. Sending a query or manuscript to multiple people is called “simultaneous submission” and is generally okay at that stage in the process. Many novel submitting guides offer techniques to catch an agent or editor’s interest and quickly build a rapport with them.
So that’s novels.
But short stories are different. Unless the guidelines specify otherwise, there’s no need to summarize your story, simultaneous submission is not okay, and you don’t have to work quite as hard to catch our eye with your cover letter. While every short story magazine has its idiosyncrasies, those are the general guidelines. They’re certainly true for Shimmer.
A summary of your story is unnecessary and generally not desired.
Why?
Novels are LONG (70,000 words and up), and the slush pile is deep. There isn’t time to read everything. Agents and editors aren’t only looking to find out if your book is good, they want to know if it’s the right kind of book for them. A summary tells them the arc of a long work before they read it. It lets them know which books to read, and which are simply not right for their line.
But in the short story world, we’ll find out about your story when we read it, and honestly we get a better read going in without any foreknowledge besides the title (just like a reader picking up the magazine.) Summaries are hard to write and often make your story look less cool than it actually is. Let us judge your story, not your summary-writing skill.
More importantly, submitting a correct cover letter gives the editor confidence that you understand common submission process.
But here’s a wrinkle specific to Shimmer.
Our guidelines state that we prefer works of 5000 words or less. Many markets have a firm maximum word-count and don’t want to see anything above it, but we say, “but [if] you believe we would love it, please send us a query briefly describing the story along with the first page…”
Huh, that’s kind of like the novel submission process, isn’t it?
Yep, that’s because we get a lot of manuscripts to read every month, A LOT, but also because it’s less likely that we’ll buy a story over 5000 words, we want a short summary to know if it’s a story we’re interested in before we put in the time to read it.
Sim Subs
Check the guidelines; most magazines don’t allow simultaneous submissions.
It usually takes Shimmer from one to four weeks to get back to writers about their submissions. This may seem like a long time, but it’s actually pretty fast for the industry. This can get complicated and messy when a story is at multiple markets, so we ask that you wait until we’ve given you an answer till you send it somewhere else.
Do you need to catch our eye with a flashy cover-letter?
Nah, a quick hello is often the best policy.
It can be hard to build rapport with people you don’t know, and it’s often better to just go for simple and professional. Tell us the name of your story, how long it is, and if you have previous sales, mention the best three. I have some example cover letters on my personal blog, and you can read Shimmer’s take on cover letters earlier in this series.
So that’s it!
Format your story correctly, put it in the e-mail with a short, polite cover-letter (the cover-letter should go in the body of the email) and hit send! We’ll do the rest. Get back to
writing!
Got any questions or war stories? Leave ‘em in the comments section below.
13 Lucky Questions with Mary Robinette Kowal
Mary Robinette Kowal. Photo © 2010 Annaliese Moyer
Mary Robinette Kowal, Art Director Emeritus for Shimmer, is never still for very long. She works as a professional puppeteer and voice actor, is the Vice President of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and now has her first novel gracing bookstore shelves everywhere. Mary took time out of her busy schedule to talk with Shimmer about that new novel, Shades of Milk and Honey (Tor, 2010), “the fantasy novel that Jane Austen might have written.”
1. Shades of Milk and Honey has been described as Pride and Prejudice with magic. What drew you to the Regency timeframe?
I love Jane Austen and at the time I was reading Persuasion. I wondered why no one was writing these intimate family dramas in fantasy.
2. Can you explain some about the process of selling your first book? Was this the first book you wrote and tried to sell?
This is the fourth book I’ve written and the second one I’ve tried to sell. Mostly it involves a lot of waiting. I got very lucky and have a wonderful agent who does all the hard work of actually sending it out. With the first novel, I was sending it to publishers on my own and that takes forever.
3. One of your short stories (“First Flight“) involves a time machine. If you could travel back in time to the Regency period, what would you do? Where would you go? Who would you seek out?
First of all, I’d disguise myself as a man. Ladies had better clothes but not enough freedom of movement for my taste. Since I’ll still sound like a modern American, I’ll study with an local acting teacher first to try to blend in. Once I feel comfortable there, I’ll do a tour of the continent. In particular, I’d like to see the shadow puppeteer Seraphin in Paris.
4. Did working with Shimmer and getting a behind the scenes look at how a magazine comes together impact your approach to your own fiction?
Absolutely. Reading slush helped me understand what editors mean when they say things like a story “doesn’t rise above.” There are a lot of stories that are unflawed but also not doing anything more than telling a competent story. It’s still an elusive idea, but time reading the slush pile definitely helped with that.
5. Puppetry, travel, vice president of the SFWA…how do you balance everything you do and still make time for writing?
Honestly? Structured procrastination. It’s much easier to justify putting something off if there’s another thing that is more pressing. If you manage them right, generally it’s possible to use the urge to flee to get everything done.
6. Finish the sentence: “I wish I could _____.”
I wish I could take a nap, now.
7. What is the best piece of writing advice you’ve been given? Alternatively, what’s the worst?
Kristine Kathryn Rusch said that the manuscript is the tool with which you are telling the story in your head. Sometimes, you’ve picked the wrong tool. The problem is with the manuscript and it is not a precious thing. The worst advice was to put all five senses on every single page. I wound up with a story that was incomprehensible and put my instructor, who’d told me to do that, to sleep.
8. What favorite book do you wish you could forget, so you could have the pleasure of reading it for the first time again?
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell.
9. What was the most frustrating thing about writing Shades of Milk and Honey?
When I realized that the plot had taken a wrong turn and that I’d need to throw out 20,000 words. Bear in mind that I’m an outliner, and yet still. I needed to toss those chapters and re-outline based on what I was discovering as I was writing.
10. What do you know now that you didn’t know before the writing and publication of Shades of Milk and Honey?
The word “check” only means “stop” in 1814. So it wouldn’t be used in the sense of “I shall check on the strawberries” since that would mean “I will stop the strawberries.”
Mary's Favorite Royal
11. Among your collection, which is your favorite typewriter? Or, is there one out there that you love but haven’t yet been able to acquire?
I have a Duotone Royal that has a sans serif font. It’s a beautiful maroon and black machine. The one that I’m still looking for is the typewriter I let get away. It was a Corona #3, folding typewriter, in Oxblood red.
12. Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility?
Sense and Sensibility.
13. When can readers expect the sequel, Glamour in Glass, to hit shelves? Any sneak peeks?
It comes out in early 2012. Here are the opening lines, “There are few things in this world which can simultaneously delight and dismay in the same manner as a formal dinner party. Finding oneself a guest of honour, only increases the presentiment of unease, should one be disposed to such feelings.”
Mary Robinette Kowal, Art Director Emeritus for Shimmer, is never still for very long.
She works as a professional puppeteer and voice actor, is the Vice President of Science
Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and now has her first novel gracing bookstore
shelves everywhere. Mary took time out of her busy schedule to talk with Shimmer about
that new novel, Shades of Milk and Honey.
If you would like to catch the author and her novel in person, look for her at:
KGB Bar Fantastic Fiction, 85 E. 4th Street, New York, NY, 10003: Wednesday
August 18th, 7-8pm. SF IN SF AT VARIETY THEATER 582 Market Street @
Montgomery (1st floor of The Hobart Bldg), San Francisco, CA 94104: Saturday August
21st, 6-7pm. Tsunami Books 2585 Willamette St. Eugene, OR 97405: Tuesday August
24th, 5-6pm.
13 Lucky Questions with Mary Robinette Kowal
by E. Catherine Tobler
1. Shades of Milk and Honey has been described as Pride and Prejudice with magic.
What drew you to the Regency timeframe?
I love Jane Austen and at the time I was reading Persuasion. I wondered why no one was
writing these intimate family dramas in fantasy.
2. Can you explain some about the process of selling your first book? Was this the
first book you wrote and tried to sell?
This is the fourth book I’ve written and the second one I’ve tried to sell. Mostly it
involves a lot of waiting. I got very lucky and have a wonderful agent who does all the
hard work of actually sending it out. With the first novel, I was sending it to publishers
on my own and that takes forever.
3. One of your short stories (“First Flight”) involves a time machine. If you could
travel back in time to the Regency period, what would you do? Where would you
go? Who would you seek out?
First of all, I’d disguise myself as a man. Ladies had better clothes but not enough
freedom of movement for my taste. Since I’ll still sound like a modern American, I’ll
study with an local acting teacher first to try to blend in. Once I feel comfortable there,
I’ll do a tour of the continent. In particular, I’d like to see the shadow puppeteer Seraphin
in Paris.
4. Did working with Shimmer and getting a behind the scenes look at how
a magazine comes together impact your approach to your own fiction?
Absolutely. Reading slush helped me understand what editors mean when they say things
like a story “doesn’t rise above.” There are a lot of stories that are unflawed but also not
doing anything more than telling a competent story. It’s still an elusive idea, but time
reading the slush pile definitely helped with that.
5. Puppetry, travel, vice president of the SFWA…how do you balance everything you
do and still make time for writing?
Honestly? Structured procrastination. It’s much easier to justify putting something off
if there’s another thing that is more pressing. If you manage them right, generally it’s
possible to use the urge to flee to get everything done.
6. Finish the sentence: “I wish I could _____.”
I wish I could take a nap, now.
7. What is the best piece of writing advice you’ve been given? Alternatively, what’s
the worst?
Kristine Kathryn Rusch said that the manuscript is the tool with which you are telling
the story in your head. Sometimes, you’ve picked the wrong tool. The problem is with
the manuscript and it is not a precious thing. The worst advice was to put all five senses
on every single page. I wound up with a story that was incomprehensible and put my
instructor, who’d told me to do that, to sleep.
8. What favorite book do you wish you could forget, so you could have the pleasure
of reading it for the first time again?
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell.
9. What was the most frustrating thing about writing Shades of Milk and Honey?
When I realized that the plot had taken a wrong turn and that I’d need to throw out 20,000
words. Bear in mind that I’m an outliner, and yet still. I needed to toss those chapters and
re-outline based on what I was discovering as I was writing.
10. What do you know now that you didn’t know before the writing and
publication of Shades of Milk and Honey?
The word “check” only means “stop” in 1814. So it wouldn’t be used in the sense of “I
shall check on the strawberries” since that would mean “I will stop the strawberries.”
11. Among your collection, which is your favorite typewriter? Or, is there one out
there that you love but haven’t yet been able to acquire?
I have a Duotone Royal that has a sans serif font. It’s a beautiful maroon and black
machine. The one that I’m still looking for is the typewriter I let get away. It was a
Corona #3, folding typewriter, in Oxblood red.
12. Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility?
Sense and Sensibility
13. When can readers expect Glamour in Glass to hit shelves? Any sneak peeks?
It comes out in early 2012. Here are the opening lines, “There are few things in this
world which can simultaneously delight and dismay in the same manner as a formal
dinner party. Finding oneself a guest of honour, only increases the presentiment of
unease, should one be disposed to such feelings.”
Mary Robinette Kowal, Art Director Emeritus for Shimmer, is never still for very long.
She works as a professional puppeteer and voice actor, is the Vice President of Science
Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and now has her first novel gracing bookstore
shelves everywhere. Mary took time out of her busy schedule to talk with Shimmer about
that new novel, Shades of Milk and Honey.
If you would like to catch the author and her novel in person, look for her at:
KGB Bar Fantastic Fiction, 85 E. 4th Street, New York, NY, 10003: Wednesday
August 18th, 7-8pm. SF IN SF AT VARIETY THEATER 582 Market Street @
Montgomery (1st floor of The Hobart Bldg), San Francisco, CA 94104: Saturday August
21st, 6-7pm. Tsunami Books 2585 Willamette St. Eugene, OR 97405: Tuesday August
24th, 5-6pm.
13 Lucky Questions with Mary Robinette Kowal
by E. Catherine Tobler
1. Shades of Milk and Honey has been described as Pride and Prejudice with magic.
What drew you to the Regency timeframe?
I love Jane Austen and at the time I was reading Persuasion. I wondered why no one was
writing these intimate family dramas in fantasy.
2. Can you explain some about the process of selling your first book? Was this the
first book you wrote and tried to sell?
This is the fourth book I’ve written and the second one I’ve tried to sell. Mostly it
involves a lot of waiting. I got very lucky and have a wonderful agent who does all the
hard work of actually sending it out. With the first novel, I was sending it to publishers
on my own and that takes forever.
3. One of your short stories (“First Flight”) involves a time machine. If you could
travel back in time to the Regency period, what would you do? Where would you
go? Who would you seek out?
First of all, I’d disguise myself as a man. Ladies had better clothes but not enough
freedom of movement for my taste. Since I’ll still sound like a modern American, I’ll
study with an local acting teacher first to try to blend in. Once I feel comfortable there,
I’ll do a tour of the continent. In particular, I’d like to see the shadow puppeteer Seraphin
in Paris.
4. Did working with Shimmer and getting a behind the scenes look at how
a magazine comes together impact your approach to your own fiction?
Absolutely. Reading slush helped me understand what editors mean when they say things
like a story “doesn’t rise above.” There are a lot of stories that are unflawed but also not
doing anything more than telling a competent story. It’s still an elusive idea, but time
reading the slush pile definitely helped with that.
5. Puppetry, travel, vice president of the SFWA…how do you balance everything you
do and still make time for writing?
Honestly? Structured procrastination. It’s much easier to justify putting something off
if there’s another thing that is more pressing. If you manage them right, generally it’s
possible to use the urge to flee to get everything done.
6. Finish the sentence: “I wish I could _____.”
I wish I could take a nap, now.
7. What is the best piece of writing advice you’ve been given? Alternatively, what’s
the worst?
Kristine Kathryn Rusch said that the manuscript is the tool with which you are telling
the story in your head. Sometimes, you’ve picked the wrong tool. The problem is with
the manuscript and it is not a precious thing. The worst advice was to put all five senses
on every single page. I wound up with a story that was incomprehensible and put my
instructor, who’d told me to do that, to sleep.
8. What favorite book do you wish you could forget, so you could have the pleasure
of reading it for the first time again?
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell.
9. What was the most frustrating thing about writing Shades of Milk and Honey?
When I realized that the plot had taken a wrong turn and that I’d need to throw out 20,000
words. Bear in mind that I’m an outliner, and yet still. I needed to toss those chapters and
re-outline based on what I was discovering as I was writing.
10. What do you know now that you didn’t know before the writing and
publication of Shades of Milk and Honey?
The word “check” only means “stop” in 1814. So it wouldn’t be used in the sense of “I
shall check on the strawberries” since that would mean “I will stop the strawberries.”
11. Among your collection, which is your favorite typewriter? Or, is there one out
there that you love but haven’t yet been able to acquire?
I have a Duotone Royal that has a sans serif font. It’s a beautiful maroon and black
machine. The one that I’m still looking for is the typewriter I let get away. It was a
Corona #3, folding typewriter, in Oxblood red.
12. Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility?
Sense and Sensibility
13. When can readers expect Glamour in Glass to hit shelves? Any sneak peeks?
It comes out in early 2012. Here are the opening lines, “There are few things in this
world which can simultaneously delight and dismay in the same manner as a formal
dinner party. Finding oneself a guest of honour, only increases the presentiment of
unease, should one be disposed to such feelings.”
Mary Robinette Kowal, Art Director Emeritus for Shimmer, is never still for very long.
She works as a professional puppeteer and voice actor, is the Vice President of Science
Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and now has her first novel gracing bookstore
shelves everywhere. Mary took time out of her busy schedule to talk with Shimmer about
that new novel, Shades of Milk and Honey.
If you would like to catch the author and her novel in person, look for her at:
KGB Bar Fantastic Fiction, 85 E. 4th Street, New York, NY, 10003: Wednesday
August 18th, 7-8pm. SF IN SF AT VARIETY THEATER 582 Market Street @
Montgomery (1st floor of The Hobart Bldg), San Francisco, CA 94104: Saturday August
21st, 6-7pm. Tsunami Books 2585 Willamette St. Eugene, OR 97405: Tuesday August
24th, 5-6pm.
13 Lucky Questions with Mary Robinette Kowal
by E. Catherine Tobler
1. Shades of Milk and Honey has been described as Pride and Prejudice with magic.
What drew you to the Regency timeframe?
I love Jane Austen and at the time I was reading Persuasion. I wondered why no one was
writing these intimate family dramas in fantasy.
2. Can you explain some about the process of selling your first book? Was this the
first book you wrote and tried to sell?
This is the fourth book I’ve written and the second one I’ve tried to sell. Mostly it
involves a lot of waiting. I got very lucky and have a wonderful agent who does all the
hard work of actually sending it out. With the first novel, I was sending it to publishers
on my own and that takes forever.
3. One of your short stories (“First Flight”) involves a time machine. If you could
travel back in time to the Regency period, what would you do? Where would you
go? Who would you seek out?
First of all, I’d disguise myself as a man. Ladies had better clothes but not enough
freedom of movement for my taste. Since I’ll still sound like a modern American, I’ll
study with an local acting teacher first to try to blend in. Once I feel comfortable there,
I’ll do a tour of the continent. In particular, I’d like to see the shadow puppeteer Seraphin
in Paris.
4. Did working with Shimmer and getting a behind the scenes look at how
a magazine comes together impact your approach to your own fiction?
Absolutely. Reading slush helped me understand what editors mean when they say things
like a story “doesn’t rise above.” There are a lot of stories that are unflawed but also not
doing anything more than telling a competent story. It’s still an elusive idea, but time
reading the slush pile definitely helped with that.
5. Puppetry, travel, vice president of the SFWA…how do you balance everything you
do and still make time for writing?
Honestly? Structured procrastination. It’s much easier to justify putting something off
if there’s another thing that is more pressing. If you manage them right, generally it’s
possible to use the urge to flee to get everything done.
6. Finish the sentence: “I wish I could _____.”
I wish I could take a nap, now.
7. What is the best piece of writing advice you’ve been given? Alternatively, what’s
the worst?
Kristine Kathryn Rusch said that the manuscript is the tool with which you are telling
the story in your head. Sometimes, you’ve picked the wrong tool. The problem is with
the manuscript and it is not a precious thing. The worst advice was to put all five senses
on every single page. I wound up with a story that was incomprehensible and put my
instructor, who’d told me to do that, to sleep.
8. What favorite book do you wish you could forget, so you could have the pleasure
of reading it for the first time again?
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell.
9. What was the most frustrating thing about writing Shades of Milk and Honey?
When I realized that the plot had taken a wrong turn and that I’d need to throw out 20,000
words. Bear in mind that I’m an outliner, and yet still. I needed to toss those chapters and
re-outline based on what I was discovering as I was writing.
10. What do you know now that you didn’t know before the writing and
publication of Shades of Milk and Honey?
The word “check” only means “stop” in 1814. So it wouldn’t be used in the sense of “I
shall check on the strawberries” since that would mean “I will stop the strawberries.”
11. Among your collection, which is your favorite typewriter? Or, is there one out
there that you love but haven’t yet been able to acquire?
I have a Duotone Royal that has a sans serif font. It’s a beautiful maroon and black
machine. The one that I’m still looking for is the typewriter I let get away. It was a
Corona #3, folding typewriter, in Oxblood red.
12. Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility?
Sense and Sensibility
13. When can readers expect Glamour in Glass to hit shelves? Any sneak peeks?
It comes out in early 2012. Here are the opening lines, “There are few things in this
world which can simultaneously delight and dismay in the same manner as a formal
dinner party. Finding oneself a guest of honour, only increases the presentiment of
unease, should one be disposed to such feelings.”Mary Robinette Kowal, Art Director Emeritus for Shimmer, is never still for very long.
She works as a professional puppeteer and voice actor, is the Vice President of Science
Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and now has her first novel gracing bookstore
shelves everywhere. Mary took time out of her busy schedule to talk with Shimmer about
that new novel, Shades of Milk and Honey.
If you would like to catch the author and her novel in person, look for her at:
KGB Bar Fantastic Fiction, 85 E. 4th Street, New York, NY, 10003: Wednesday
August 18th, 7-8pm. SF IN SF AT VARIETY THEATER 582 Market Street @
Montgomery (1st floor of The Hobart Bldg), San Francisco, CA 94104: Saturday August
21st, 6-7pm. Tsunami Books 2585 Willamette St. Eugene, OR 97405: Tuesday August
24th, 5-6pm.
13 Lucky Questions with Mary Robinette Kowal
by E. Catherine Tobler
1. Shades of Milk and Honey has been described as Pride and Prejudice with magic.
What drew you to the Regency timeframe?
I love Jane Austen and at the time I was reading Persuasion. I wondered why no one was
writing these intimate family dramas in fantasy.
2. Can you explain some about the process of selling your first book? Was this the
first book you wrote and tried to sell?
This is the fourth book I’ve written and the second one I’ve tried to sell. Mostly it
involves a lot of waiting. I got very lucky and have a wonderful agent who does all the
hard work of actually sending it out. With the first novel, I was sending it to publishers
on my own and that takes forever.
3. One of your short stories (“First Flight”) involves a time machine. If you could
travel back in time to the Regency period, what would you do? Where would you
go? Who would you seek out?
First of all, I’d disguise myself as a man. Ladies had better clothes but not enough
freedom of movement for my taste. Since I’ll still sound like a modern American, I’ll
study with an local acting teacher first to try to blend in. Once I feel comfortable there,
I’ll do a tour of the continent. In particular, I’d like to see the shadow puppeteer Seraphin
in Paris.
4. Did working with Shimmer and getting a behind the scenes look at how
a magazine comes together impact your approach to your own fiction?
Absolutely. Reading slush helped me understand what editors mean when they say things
like a story “doesn’t rise above.” There are a lot of stories that are unflawed but also not
doing anything more than telling a competent story. It’s still an elusive idea, but time
reading the slush pile definitely helped with that.
5. Puppetry, travel, vice president of the SFWA…how do you balance everything you
do and still make time for writing?
Honestly? Structured procrastination. It’s much easier to justify putting something off
if there’s another thing that is more pressing. If you manage them right, generally it’s
possible to use the urge to flee to get everything done.
6. Finish the sentence: “I wish I could _____.”
I wish I could take a nap, now.
7. What is the best piece of writing advice you’ve been given? Alternatively, what’s
the worst?
Kristine Kathryn Rusch said that the manuscript is the tool with which you are telling
the story in your head. Sometimes, you’ve picked the wrong tool. The problem is with
the manuscript and it is not a precious thing. The worst advice was to put all five senses
on every single page. I wound up with a story that was incomprehensible and put my
instructor, who’d told me to do that, to sleep.
8. What favorite book do you wish you could forget, so you could have the pleasure
of reading it for the first time again?
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell.
9. What was the most frustrating thing about writing Shades of Milk and Honey?
When I realized that the plot had taken a wrong turn and that I’d need to throw out 20,000
words. Bear in mind that I’m an outliner, and yet still. I needed to toss those chapters and
re-outline based on what I was discovering as I was writing.
10. What do you know now that you didn’t know before the writing and
publication of Shades of Milk and Honey?
The word “check” only means “stop” in 1814. So it wouldn’t be used in the sense of “I
shall check on the strawberries” since that would mean “I will stop the strawberries.”
11. Among your collection, which is your favorite typewriter? Or, is there one out
there that you love but haven’t yet been able to acquire?
I have a Duotone Royal that has a sans serif font. It’s a beautiful maroon and black
machine. The one that I’m still looking for is the typewriter I let get away. It was a
Corona #3, folding typewriter, in Oxblood red.
12. Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility?
Sense and Sensibility
13. When can readers expect Glamour in Glass to hit shelves? Any sneak peeks?
It comes out in early 2012. Here are the opening lines, “There are few things in this
world which can simultaneously delight and dismay in the same manner as a formal
dinner party. Finding oneself a guest of honour, only increases the presentiment of
unease, should one be disposed to such feelings.”
You Are Awesome
You are awesome. I mean that in a completely honest way. You, composer of sentences, sender of query letters, super-writer extraordinaire, are awesome.
Before I continue telling you how amazing you are, let me give you some background into why I’m saying this.
I’m very new at Shimmer, having started a mere two (or is it three?) months ago. First and foremost, I’m a writer. In fact, I think most of the staff at Shimmer are writers, which brings me to the first reason why you, personally, are awesome.
1. We think you are awesome because we love writers. We are writers, after all, and even though publishing can be an incredibly competitive atmosphere, at the end of the day, we are all on the same side. Especially writers, who commiserate through rejections, help one another with gnarly plot problems, offer a helping hand or a shoulder to cry on, and tell you when to gut your story (or blog post) of clichés.
The other thing you should know about me is that I work. In particular, I work part-time and attend university the rest of the time, so I’m basically reading slush whenever I can sneak it in. When I write, it’s either very late at night or very early in the morning. And this brings me to the second reason why you are awesome.
2. We think you are awesome because you are writing, editing, and submitting your stories when you probably have fifty billion other things you need to be doing at any given point in time. Let’s face it: life is not kind to artistic types, and time is in short supply. The fact that you’re making time for your art is truly awe-inspiring. After all, there are plenty of wishers and wannabe writers, but what separates them from you is that you are out there working towards your goals.
The last thing you should know about me is that I love slush. I love it tons. Every single letter is like opening a present. Of course, sometimes you get socks instead of the latest Nintendo game – but that’s not to say that I indiscriminately dislike socks. No, there are definitely some days when I’d love to get a present consisting of nice, thick, Dumbledorean socks. (The Christmas after I moved up to the wintry north comes to mind.) So even if, one day, a story filled with metaphorical socks doesn’t strike my fancy, a couple weeks down the road, I could find a sock-filled story and adore it.
And this brings me to my last reason why you are awesome.
3. We think you are awesome because you send the query letters. Being on submission is an incredibly nerve-wracking process. I know I’ve been there. Most of us have, as a matter of fact, been in the same shoes as you’re wearing right now. They’re tough shoes to wear. They pinch your toes. You take the risk and put yourselves out there, essentially letting a bunch of strangers pass judgment on a piece of art that’s intensely personal. That is an admirable thing you are doing, my friend. Keep up the good work.
You are awesome.
So, What’s A Slush Wrangler?
Hi, Shimmer reader and writers.
My name is Sean, and my job at Shimmer is SLUSH WRANGLER. When you submit a story to Shimmer, it comes into our gmail account with all the other slush. It’s my job to go through every submission and make sure of such things as: is there a story attached? Is the attachment in an acceptable format? Is the story under 5,000 words (as stated in the guidelines)?
If the stories are good to go, then I assign them to our associate editors. Another name for an associate editor is a slush reader, except at Shimmer, the associate editors have a voice in regards to buying or passing on a story.
Does every magazine work this way?
Nope. Every magazine is a special snowflake, and while some may have similar organizational structures to that of Shimmer, others are run in completely different ways. As such, you should do your research, and check out the submission guidelines before submitting to any magazine.
If you follow the submission guidelines, a slush wrangler gets his wings.
It’s easy when things work like they’re supposed to, and the writers submitting slush to Shimmer follow the guidelines.
So what happens to the stories that are incorrectly submitted? I’ll ask the author to try again.
Don’t feel bad; everyone makes mistakes. But if you continually abuse the guidelines, and make me intervene to remind you to check the guidelines, your name gets flagged, and I like you a lot less.
Does it actually impact your chances of getting your story read by an editor, if I need to constantly remind you to format your story correctly, or to query for stories over 5,000 words? Not really. I’ll still pass your story along when and if you submit it correctly.
But remember this: I’m married to the Editor in Chief. What do you think we talk about over dinner? 
I’m an author and I want to help you get your wings, WHAT DO I DO?
Send me a coupon for a free pizza. J/k. Bribes don’t really get you anywhere.
It’s true what beginning authors are told: the cream rises to the top… of the slush pile. A good story is all you need to break into a magazine. Easier said than done, I know from experience.
But here’s what you can do to help yourself.
First and foremost, read the guidelines. You’d be surprised how many people don’t bother with this step: enough that just the simple act of following the guidelines when you submit bumps your story into the top half of the slush pile. It’s so simple, yet is something I’ve seen many authors overlook.
Next, inform yourself. Become a part of the speculative fiction community, online and in person. Here are some things you can do:
- Go to conventions. There are hundreds. Check out this list for one in your neck of the woods. .
- Hang out at some of the internet speculative fiction sites, such as Orson Scott Card’s Hatrack writer message boards, Liberty Hall Writers, Critters Writers Workshop, Online Writing Workshop, Absolute Write, and dozens of others. Google around, try a few. Participate and learn and help others.
- Find or start a local writer’s group.
- Read author and magazine blogs, like this one.
- Read widely and often, especially the magazines you want to submit to. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the kinds of stories a particular magazine is looking for.
And finally? Why not start interacting now? Be part of the Shimmer community. Leave a comment here and tell me, are you a beginning writer? Was this post helpful? I hope that it was. When your little slush baby arrives in my pile, I’m the first person who sees it. I’m rooting for you: it’s so much fun to see a great story go from slush pile to publication.
Questions?
Leave ‘em in the comments section. I’d love to answer them.
Advice for Very New Writers: Mastering the Cover Letter
The time has come, the Walrus said.
You’ve finished your story, you’ve done your market research, and you’ve found a place you think the story will fit. Your chosen market is Shimmer–quite smart, indeed! You’re ready to properly format your document as per the guidelines (.doc or .rtf), and submit. But before you do, have you written your cover letter?
When a market accepts electronic submissions, you may not think a cover letter is essential to your submission. It’s just a casual email, right? Wrong.
A cover letter is helpful for many reasons. As an editor, I like to know whose story I’m reading. I like to get a feel for the person beyond the story. I don’t like having stories simply thrown at me, which is what it feels like when an author doesn’t include a cover letter.
Your cover letter, or lack thereof, is often the first impression an editor will have of you. You want to present yourself as professional–even if you don’t have any publishing credits. You want the editor to look at the submission and say “this is someone I could work with.” Your story will stand on its own, beyond your cover letter, and plenty of editors don’t read cover letters first, but you’re much better off with a few words there than a gaping, blank space.
So, what’s good in a cover letter and what’s not so good?
Good: Market research. If you’ve researched the market enough to believe your story is a good fit, you should also take the time to explore the staff page. Who edits this publication? To whom are you sending your story? You aren’t simply tossing it into an abyss from which a pale hand will emerge to catch your pages. A real person is on the receiving end of your submission. If a submission comes into Shimmer and it’s addressed “Dear Sir,” you probably haven’t looked at much of the website. “Dear Editors” is perfectly acceptable, as Shimmer has a variety of editors on staff. It’s also okay to address a specific editor, especially if they had your last submission.
Good: The essentials. “Please find my 2000-word story, ‘Mad Monkey Robots on Mars’ attached for your consideration. Signed, Me.” Even if that’s the whole of your cover letter, it’s delightful. Word count, title, your name.
Bad: Do not believe that you can sneak a longer story in by simply not including the word count in your cover letter. If you submit a 10,000 word story, when 5,000 is our upper limit, we’re still going to notice.
Good: Introducing yourself. Include a few credits if you have them. If you don’t, don’t stress. We all started with a blank slate. “My fiction has appeared or will soon appear in X, Y, and Z.” If you are part of writers organizations, you can certainly mention that, too; likewise if you have attended Clarion, Odyssey, or another writing workshop.
Bad: Jokes, summaries, or jokes about your summary.
Good: A closing. Thanking the editor for their time, and signing your name. Always include your name. If you write under a pseudonym, juggling names can be a feat, but there’s an easy way to handle it. Always sign your cover letter with the name you’d like to be called. (You can also make this clear on your manuscript–legal name in the upper left corner, pseudonym on the byline.)
Bad: attaching more than one file to your submission. At this point in the process, we don’t need an outline, a summary, an individual bio sheet, or anything beyond your cover letter (email) and your story.
Good: We look forward to reading your stories–and your cover letters!
Now it’s your turn…
How do you approach cover letters? Like them? Hate them? Have questions that weren’t covered here? Tell us what you think in the comments.