Nathan Bransford - The Forums

I have a sort of supernatural short story. Does anyone know of good writing contests or magazines I could submit to? The only one I really know is Writers of the Future, but I don't think mine fits the genre requirements.

Can't help you with suggestions but I will say that the whole contest thing is sort of a half scam/money-maker (there are some legit and credible ones though). A few years ago, I entered all kinds of essay contests for $25-$50 a pop or more and nothing came of it. It might be better to look for anthologies that you can submit to. It felt much better to have my essays included in a book than to be a finalist in the Writers Shmiters Submit Your Works for $100 Get Recognized! Be a Real Writer Contest.

I keep getting all kinds of mail for e-book contests and it's tempting to enter the mulitmedia version of my book but $75 to enter seems a little silly. Some of the contests give you a "Free" badge that you can use making it even more cheeeeeeeezy. Might as well just throw a scratch and sniff sticker on the book and call it good.

My 4.20 Cents.

Good luck!

Ryan

Thanks, Ryan. I actually don't consider any contest or publication that requires a fee. Even if it's 5-10$ I know that after a while that'll add up.

Moni12,

Have you tried searching at duotrope dot com? It's a database of periodicals, e-pub and print, including some anthologies, and you can search by types (short story, flash, novella) and genres. Super handy, and free (though you may donate to help with expenses). It's a great way to find a list of prospective publishers for short fiction, and a good way to discover new publications.