Short fiction and Poetry Markets in the UK, US and worldwide:
Duotrope is great – I’ve used it to find many of the magazines that my work has appeared in. It’s so easy to use… simply put all the information about your story or poem into their search: genre, theme, word count, the payscale you require and the medium you would prefer (print or ezine).
Personally, for a writer with no publishing history, I think starting with non-paying is perfectly fine. I’ve met other writers who said that if it’s a non-paying market, then it’s worthless on your CV. My opinion is that this is rubbish. Also, the thing to consider is that magazines which give you a contributor copy (a free copy of the magazine your work appears in) for your work doesn’t count as non-paying – this is token. You’re getting a free copy of the magazine – so whatever it’s worth, may it be £2.50, £6.00, whatever – it’s the same as getting that money in cash! And besides, some markets that don’t offer a writer a contributor copy, may still offer you a free PDF of the issue your work appears in. Print it out… it still counts on your overall publishing track record. Of course, if you can get paid money (through paypal) for your story, even better. £££ and a contributor copy is a well deserved reward for all the hard work you’ve put into writing and editing your story – don’t you think?
Information on writing/ general writing advice:
I really like the forums on Absolute Write. You can get all sorts of advice here – everything from how to start your novel to the copyright laws for a certain country. I found it an invaluable source of information when I started out on a self-publishing venture a few years ago. Also, if you sign up, they have a newbie forum where you can meet other people in the same boat. It felt good when I realised I wasn’t alone… as writing can often be such a lonely business!
UK Poetry Magazines:
I’ve used this list many times as a starting point to submit my poetry. All of the magazines on the list are stocked at the Southbank Poetry Library, so if you live in London, it’s easy to go there and have a browse through their archived issues to get a feel for what type of work they publish. Incidentally, I was quite pleased the first time I found some of my previous work among their shelves… Carillon issue 27 (my short story ‘The White Kaleidoscope’).
Another way to find out if a magazine is a good fit for your work is to buy a copy. Of course, not everyone has money to spare to keep buying copies of every new magazine they hear of, but checking out magazine websites can help too. Some websites put free copies or PDFs of previous issues online for you to read.
Happy hunting!
Leilanie Stewart 