Way back in December 2006, I posted on Liberty Hall the question “How do you research markets?” The insights were very helpful, and I summarized what was said by many people far more experienced and smarter than me. Any mistakes are my own and your mileage may vary. –Guerry

Marketing Rules of Thumb

1. Decide what is important to you. Some prefer higher payrate, some faster responses, some just want publication, some the prestige of the publication, and others are looking for the best home for the story.
2. Research and prioritize markets by story fit, pay, and response time using resources such as Duotrope (http://www.duotrope.com/index.aspx), Blackhole (http://brain-of-pooh.tech-soft.com/critters/blackholes/), and Ralan's (http://www.ralan.com/).
3. Getting the right fit
   1. Read at least one story per market you plan to sub to. This clarifies in your mind if 1) your story fits that market's focus, and 2) if you want your story along side the types of stories they publish (perhaps they typically do explicit stuff and you don't want your stuff there).
   2. If you cannot get access to stories directly, or just don't have the time, read reviews of stories from that magazine at places like The Fix (http://thefix-online.com/), Tangent (http://www.tangentonline.com/), IROSF (http://www.irosf.com/), and others.
   3. Research the editors of the market. See if they have blogs. If so, you may gain some insights into what they like, need or prefer.
   4. Read reviews of the magazines, as that also will give you insights into fit.
   5. In an absence of any available stories or reviews, look over the magazines website and get a feel for their focus and quality.
4. Don't wait for that moment when the story is perfect. Do the best you can with it, and then send it out. Let the editor's decide if they want it or not.
5. Get the story out and keep it moving in the markets.
6. I found the following “About Revising” thread particularly helpful for the pre-submission and post-submission blues: http://www.libertyhallwriters.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=416&t=476
7. Knowing the markets generally and watching for announcements and solicitations, you may write the story for a specific market. Announcements and solicitations, for example, can be found on Liberty Hall here: http://www.libertyhallwriters.org/phpbb/viewforum.php?f=150

go Home