# The Best Fantasy Websites/Magazine For a Beginner to Get Published?



## Xaysai (Dec 11, 2012)

Can anyone recommend a magazine or website I can research in preparation for a future attempt at having something published?

I'm still very much a beginner, but would like to scope out the level I need to be on to try to get something in print on the web or in a magazine.

Thanks,

Dan


----------



## Steerpike (Dec 11, 2012)

Dan:

There is a wide range of variability, depending on pay rate, and even within pay groups the desires of various editors will vary. My recommendation is to go to a market-listing site like Ralan's (Ralan.com - Home Page). Start with the "pro" listings and go through them until you find one that accepts works that match up with your style and kind of story and then read through a few.


----------



## Xaysai (Dec 11, 2012)

Steerpike said:


> Dan:
> 
> There is a wide range of variability, depending on pay rate, and even within pay groups the desires of various editors will vary. My recommendation is to go to a market-listing site like Ralan's (Ralan.com - Home Page). Start with the "pro" listings and go through them until you find one that accepts works that match up with your style and kind of story and then read through a few.



Amazing, thank you!


----------



## BWFoster78 (Dec 11, 2012)

If you're going for a magazine, that means you're probably trying to create short stories.  I did some research recently on this subject and posted what I found on my blog.  It helped me a lot.  Here's the link:

How to Make Your Short Story Short | brianwfoster.com


----------



## Zero Angel (Dec 11, 2012)

@Steerpike: How does Ralan match up with Duotrope? I've never heard of Ralan before your post here and curious if you've (or others have) compared the two?


----------



## Steerpike (Dec 11, 2012)

Zero Angel said:


> @Steerpike: How does Ralan match up with Duotrope? I've never heard of Ralan before your post here and curious if you've (or others have) compared the two?



Ralan is limited to speculative fiction. Duotrope is more in-depth, has useful statistics, and a submission tracker. Duotrope is also moving to a subscription model in January, so you'll have to pay to use the site. That's the primary reason I listed Ralan. I used them both, though I've used Duotrope more in the past. After January 1, I'll be using Ralan instead.


----------



## Zero Angel (Dec 11, 2012)

Steerpike said:


> Ralan is limited to speculative fiction. Duotrope is more in-depth, has useful statistics, and a submission tracker. Duotrope is also moving to a subscription model in January, so you'll have to pay to use the site. That's the primary reason I listed Ralan. I used them both, though I've used Duotrope more in the past. After January 1, I'll be using Ralan instead.



GAHHHH! I had no idea they were moving to a subscription model  ...although I've always felt guilty at not being able to contribute to Duotrope.

Thanks for the heads up!


----------



## Xaysai (Dec 11, 2012)

BWFoster78 said:


> If you're going for a magazine, that means you're probably trying to create short stories.  I did some research recently on this subject and posted what I found on my blog.  It helped me a lot.  Here's the link:
> 
> How to Make Your Short Story Short | brianwfoster.com



Brian,

Thanks, I will check it out right now!

As an aside, I've been working on setting up a wordpress blog today to publish my work to, would you mind if I included you in my Blogroll?

I don't think its going to net you much (read: any) traffic, but I think your site is great and would like for anyone who might happen across my blog to find their way to yours.


----------



## BWFoster78 (Dec 11, 2012)

Xaysai said:


> Brian,
> 
> Thanks, I will check it out right now!
> 
> ...



Xaysai,

I'd be honored to have you add me to your blogroll.  I'm glad that you found it useful!

Thanks.

Brian


----------



## adriandiglio (Jan 23, 2013)

Xaysai,

When I wanted to get a short story published, I wanted to do it to join SFWA (Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America). To join, you have to have proof that you've sold one of your works at a qualified publisher. So they made it easy by providing a list of fantasy/sci-fi magazines that they have dubbed as 'qualified', which you can find right here: SFWA Membership Requirements

-Adrian


----------



## ThinkerX (Jan 27, 2013)

> There are two kinds of writers in the world – those who struggle to extend their ideas into novels and those who struggle to condense their ideas into short stories.



Nah...there's a third kind - the ones like me who seem condemned to write novella's.


----------



## Zero Angel (Jan 28, 2013)

ThinkerX said:


> Nah...there's a third kind - the ones like me who seem condemned to write novella's.



How do you define a novella? I always go 2000-8000 is a short, 8K-12500 novellette, 12.5K - 50K novella, and 50K+ is a novel, but technically anything above 12.5K is a "novel" as defined by the US copyright people (50 pages @ the standard 250 words/page).

Edit: I had always heard the 50 pages requirement and read it in presumably valid sources (or at least those I had considered valid at the time), but I have been unable to find it anywhere presently. Still, few people argue that novel length is not subjective. I think of anything below 100K as a "short novel".

Wikipedia has this to say about the lengths.


----------



## ThinkerX (Jan 28, 2013)

> How do you define a novella? I always go 2000-8000 is a short, 8K-12500 novellette, 12.5K - 50K novella, and 50K+ is a novel, but technically anything above 12.5K is a "novel" as defined by the US copyright people (50 pages @ the standard 250 words/page)
> 
> Mostly from looking at the guidelines put out by the various magazines and publishing houses.
> 
> ...


----------



## Kevin O. McLaughlin (Feb 5, 2013)

Technically, the numbers are:

<7500 words - short story
7500-15,000 words - novelette
15,000-40,000 words - novella
40k+ words - novel

That's based on the numbers for several major awards which use all those categories. Most awards do NOT use all those categories, so definitions will vary a little.

One of the things I enjoy most about the new publishing paradigm is the idea that the story can be told at the length it ought to be, and is no longer limited to some sort of preset length. A number of folks out there making a decent living now selling novella ebooks for $2.99.


----------

