Sunday, June 2, 2013

Mini-Mystery Sold to Woman's World

A few days ago, one of my oldest trunk stories was rejected by a non-paying market. I really like the story, but I can't find an editor who agrees. So I had a moment where I thought to myself: "I can't even give my stories away!" Luckily, the feeling soon passed.

The next day, I received a letter from Johnene Granger, Fiction Editor of Woman's World. She offered to purchase a mini-mystery I wrote for her consideration. "Coin Return" is slated to appear in the July 25th issues of Woman's World. The story is 700 words. Purchase amount: $500. I carefully read the contract and signed it with a big grin.

The biggest difference between the stories? I wrote Coin Return in 2013. I wrote the story rejected by the non-paying market back in 2010, and revised it in 2011. I learn something new about writing every week. I like to think each new story is a little better than the last. Perhaps this recent achievement is proof that my writing is improving.

I am pleased to note that Woman's World's circulation is listed at 1.6 million. I missed with them three times. The fourth story sold. I have already written three more mini-mysteries for their consideration. I plan on writing one new submission every month. You can bet I'll let you know if I sell another one.

In other news, two other stories I've written have been short-listed by markets that I love. One is a highly-regarded horror magazine, the other is the newest anthology from my favorite small press. Sending positive thoughts for both stories, but in the meantime, I've completed three new stories in the last six weeks (a torrid pace for me) and have roughly outlined two more.

Onward!

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