My Two Cents or For What It's Worth

Because I was tired and missing my daughter I googled my name. I know it's silly.

We only got to see Grace for 4 days before she had to leave for Yellowstone where she has a summer job. Here's a link to her blog:  called Canyonfirebugs. She is working at Canyon the highest lodge in the park where right now they still have too much snow. Of course Memorial Day weekend is a big one for tourists, but at this point the park service is struggling to keep the roads plowed--let alone get the campgrounds opened.

But while googling myself I discovered I have another story on-line. I'm not saying the journal stole it because 1) I submit my work and keep track of submission on a grid, but 2) I didn't have any correspondence or notes that "I'm Lying to You" was taken. So I was surprised, pleasantly.

So far this spring I have THREE stories coming out.

Let me go back to the pleasantly surprised part. I rechecked the journal to see if there might be any remuneration. You see these journals pretty much can take (not steal, okay) your piece and shove it on-line without you knowing because there really isn't any commerce going on.

Again this isn't a bad thing necessarily. I mean I love submitting my work, because submitting means hope, it's out there. I need for my stories to be in the public domain, being read, and between kindle this and Nook that and on-line and print--I REALLY don't care how people read my stuff.

It's just out of the 15 or so stories I've placed I've made only $65. Pathetic, I know. I could only go for the tier 1 magazines and journals. I've thought about that, but I'm too impatient. The process is already time-consuming--I'm not talking about the writing, but the getting published--that to say I'm only going for tier 1 is ridiculous. Many of those publications are massively hard to break into. They have their regulars. One way to become a regular is to win contests, but to win contests you must submit to them--usually along with a reading fee of anywhere between $15 and $30. Again this isn't a bad thing; this is how those journals break even or wow! make money. They also can pay a writer anywhere between $1,000 to $10,000 for winning, and that's no small change. But my two cents worth opinion is that I'd have to INVEST probably $500 inorder to break into the contests. While in the meanwhile my work is maybe not getting placed and I'm feeling defeated and depressed. It's not that I don't believe in my work (maybe I don't, is this a big deal?) I just don't have $500 or the rest of my life to see my name in print. So I submit to publications that offer little or no $$.

So far I've had 15 pieces taken, which equals $65. I'M NOT IN IT FOR THE MONEY. Because if I were, I'd be dead.

Here they are for this season:
I'm Lying to You=http://www.thegsj.com/stories_4_spring_2011.html
(it's totally weird)
Goldabelle=Six Minute Mag
(it's a pdf so if you don't see my story click on recent issue and the pdf will come up, scroll down)
I wrote this story last year when I was missing Grace sooo much. See I do do more than just google my name and search for her face on Facebook
and lastly, Google Earth=Fiction Fix
which may or may not be up yet, I'm waiting for their Spring 2011 issue to come on-line

Comments