Playing the Short Game: How to Market & Sell Short Fiction

by Douglas Smith

Take your first step to becoming a professional short fiction writer—Buy this book! In an engaging and conversational style, award-winning author Douglas Smith teaches you how to market and sell short stories—and much, much more. Even experienced writers will find value here as Smith takes you from your first sale to using your stories to build a writing career. "We short story writers have needed a book like this for decades. ... It’s spectacular." —Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Award-winning Author & Editor CONTENTS The The different types of writers. The benefits of short fiction. Rights and licensing. Selling Your Knowing when it's ready. Choosing markets. Submitting stories. Avoiding mistakes. How editors select stories. Dealing with rejections. When to give up on a story. After a Contracts. Working with editors. What your first sale means. Dealing with reviews. A Writer's Magic Selling reprints. Foreign markets. Audio markets. Selling a collection. The indie option. Becoming Leveraging your stories. Discoverability and promotion. Career progression in short fiction. With an introduction by multi-award winning writer and editor, Kristine Kathryn Rusch. "Douglas Smith is, quite simply, the finest short-story writer Canada has ever produced in the science fiction and fantasy genres." —Robert J. Sawyer, Award-winning author

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference, Business, Short Stories

230 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2014

About the author

Douglas Smith is a multi-award-winning author described by Library Journal as “one of Canada's most original writers of speculative fiction.”

His latest work is the multi-award-winning YA urban fantasy trilogy, The Dream Rider Saga (The Hollow Boys, The Crystal Key, and The Lost Expedition). Other books include the urban fantasy novel, The Wolf at the End of the World; the collections, Chimerascope, Impossibilia, and La Danse des Esprits (translated); and the writer's guide Playing the Short Game: How to Market & Sell Short Fiction.

His short fiction has appeared in the top markets in the field, including The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Amazing Stories, InterZone, Weird Tales, Baen’s Universe, Escape Pod, On Spec, and Cicada.

Published in 27 languages, Doug is a 4-time winner of Canada's Aurora Award, most recently in 2023 for The Hollow Boys, as well as the juried IAP Award for the same book. He's been a finalist for the Astounding Award, CBC's Bookies Award, Canada's juried Sunburst Award, the juried Alberta Magazine Award for Fiction, and France's juried Prix Masterton and Prix Bob Morane.


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Reviews

[Kalin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following the author's advice, I won't write a review: there're stories to be written (and translated)! ;)

I'll just jot down the new points (or reminders) I found particularly useful:

- moral rights: you'd better not give them away ;)

- cover letters: find out the editors' names and actually use them ("Dear first_name last_name" is a good format)

- the "Read Like an Editor" exercise: during a writing workshop, ask everyone where they stopped reading a piece (and why) + Kristine Kathryn Rusch's "three strikes and out" rule (similar to Jefferson Smith's "Immerse or Die")

- getting positive feedback from an editor: send 'em another story right away (or when their next submission window opens; or after the "hold your horses" period they've asked for ;))

- World Rights and language: if a market requests World Rights without stating a language, always add a clause that makes it explicit: "World Rights in English"

- legal liability: add a clause about costs and expenses that are sustained in a court of law

- why you should NOT self-publish your short fiction:

Most importantly, if you publish your short stories yourself, you will have no measure for knowing whether your fiction is any good or whether your writing is improving. If editors of magazines and anthologies keep rejecting your stories, then your writing isn't good enough yet.

Don't think of those editors as gatekeepers, blocking you from reaching readers. Think of them as your coaches, advisors, and protectors. They are helping you become a better writer and protecting you from exposing your work before it has reached a professional level.

So please, don't damage your career by trying short cuts. If you want to be a professional writer, you must become one by learning your craft and your profession. Selling to professional short fiction markets is the surest way of knowing when your writing has reached that level.

All in all, a very useful book, even for someone like me who has sent 500+ submissions and has sold a dozen+ stories.

[Maaja Wentz · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book on how to make a short fiction career for yourself. Clear, intelligent, and thorough; this guide is perfect for those who write excellent fiction and are looking to market the first and reprint rights to paying markets.

[Natalie K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great advice for fiction writers who are just starting out! I got this as part of a StoryBundle and it was worth every Penny!

[Eric Fomley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. The very best short fiction career book out there.

[Cadejo Negro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very occasionally you find the perfect book at the perfect moment in your life. I discovered Douglas Smith’s Playing The Short Game not long after I had decided I wanted to start writing and that I wanted to start writing with short stories. I felt energized after reading the book. The book cleared up what had previously been an unfathomable world. It told me how to find places to submit my works, how to keep track of submissions and why it was important. I discovered that it is possible to sell and then resell stories around the world and in multiple languages. It is filled with helpful recommendations on what to do, and what mistakes to avoid, particularly in terms of rights. I have read dozens of books on writing since but with its practical and useful advice as well as its friendly tone, Playing The Short Game is still my favorite.

[Matty Dalrymple · Rating 5 out of 5]

Douglas Smith's "Playing the Short Game" is an invaluable resource, whether you're focused specifically on short fiction or using short fiction to advance a career as a novelist. Smith lays out the driving principles behind "playing the short game" successfully and also covers complexities of the process, clearly and entertainingly describing the steps the short story writer needs to take to navigate those complexities. Highly recommended!

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Master Class

The information in this book is invaluable. I wish someone had handed it to me when I first started writing short stories.

[Sara Crocoll Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Invaluable!

[Suneé le Roux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource.

[Tabitha Ormiston-Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most valuable books on the craft that I've found. Highly recommended.

[Alexandria Blaelock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a practical step-by-step how-to for selling short fiction - where to start, what to look out for, and how to keep going.

Most encouraging, the life of two stories:
* 64 rejections over 17 years
* 65 rejections over 15 years
before publication.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had read this book a little sooner

It’s filled with practical advice I have not seen anywhere else. I highly recommend it for anyone writing short stories.

[Stephanie Bibb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book with The Write Stuff story bundle. It's a handy read, geared toward writers who are interested in selling short fiction. The book does focus primarily on trade publishing, and explains the various rights and terms a writer might expect to see when selling short stories to magazines and anthologies.

If you plan to take the trade route to publication and you want to write short stories, I recommend this. Even if you don't plan to write short stories, (or you don't plan to take the trade route) it's not a bad read. It familiarizes you with certain publishing concepts. Or if you tried submitting short stories a while back, and want to re-familiarize yourself with the market, this is the book to go to.

A lot of great info, and while I don't necessarily agree with everything said, it seems like pretty sound advice. Kind of makes me want to try my hand at writing short fiction to try selling to a trade market. Anyway, happy reading, and good luck writing your own short fiction. :-)

[Adam Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic book about breaking into the top-paying short fiction markets and turning short story selling into a career entirely to itself. With reprint and anthology sales plus foreign publication and translation rights sales any given short story can be a source of income for a long time. His advice is frank, to the point, and generally extremely helpful, and all from a man considered to be one of Canada's top genre short fiction writers, Douglas Smith. (And as an example of how readers discover writers, I had never heard of this award-winning author, but now I'm going to track down his fiction too.) He covers everything from picking markets to submit to, all the way to the kinds of contracts and the common terms you need to know and the rights you need to protect. Very well done, and I plan on consulting the book often as I start moving into short fiction writing.

[Michael Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Repeats a lot of advice others give (only sub to pro markets, keep on subbing, etc.), but with a mix of some fresh perspective and a real kick in the pants attitude, a solid motivational book for short story writers, especially in SF/F/H genres (Smith doesn't exclude others, but he has an obvious preference/history). Five stars for the kick, I needed that.

[K.L. Neidecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the most quality advice I've ever read in a craft book, and usable for fiction writers of all forms even as it focuses on short fiction.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super-useful, full of concrete, actionable information. Now I'm actually excited about getting my short story ready to sell, maybe even writing more!

[Isaac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite possibly the best book on short story marketing and selling available.

[Amy Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly detailed and helpful. Well-organized and easy to read. I will be returning to this one over and over as I delve into the short fiction marketplace.

[L.K. Latham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent for the whys and hows of publishing short fiction. I recommend it for all my Indi Author friends.

[Cybersekkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good and inspiring book.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Playing the Short Game: How to Market & Sell Short Fiction (2nd Ed.) by Douglas Smith

The lighter tone used by Douglas Smith made for an enjoyable read of technical material. The book is a wonderful resource, packed with tips, tricks, and pitfalls. I appreciated how much Smith shared of his personal systems and strategies. The second edition was completely updated for current markets and publishing considerations. Smith's approach is clearly aimed at helping writers be successful in their writing careers. This is a detailed guide that is worth reading now and for future reference.

Disclaimer note: I provided feedback to the author as a volunteer beta reader. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[Sirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking to sell your short stories to magazines and anthologies? This step-by-step guide offers recommendations and warnings to help any beginning writer succeed.

My only real complaint about this book is that it's very repetitive. If you use it more as a handbook rather than reading it cover to cover like I did, I doubt this would bother you very much.

[Rachel Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and well worth the read (and re-read)!

[Gevera Piedmont · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some bad advice in here.

[Lance Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had short stories published in various magazines, and so I was half expecting that this book would not have much to tell me that I didn't already know. But I learned a lot. This is such a useful resource.

[Altivo Overo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good advice and well presented. Basic information on finding markets for short stories, preparing and submitting them, and so forth. Strongly recommended for beginners in the field, though I didn't find much that was new here. The presentation is clear, well-organized, and to the point.

The assumption that every writer wants to make a living by writing is a bit off the mark in my opinion, but otherwise Smith has good information and the book is filled with excellent advice. Just remember that sometimes it is OK to break a rule. Doing everything recommended here will not guarantee that your work gets published or that you will be well paid. You still need to practice and produce material of interest and solid quality, and this book does not teach those skills.

[Costi Gurgu · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re a fiction writer this is a must-read. Most of the fiction writers first break into the short fiction market, make a name for themselves, hone their skills and only after that, attack the novel market with a bigger chance of success.
“Playing the Short Game” is choke-full of facts, real-life experience and advices, technical details and rules that will increase your chances to at least get read and taken into consideration by all magazine and anthology editors. Doug has been there and left his mark successfully on the short story market.
Especially if you’re a writer in a different language than English and hope to break through into the English market, this is invaluable. This is the holly book you needed and waited for. This is your chance to present and market your short stories professionally and finally get past the format and professionalism watch-dogs waiting at the gates of each and every English language professional market.