NYC Midnight : Creative Writing & Screenwriting Homepage
Forum Home Forum Home > GENERAL DISCUSSION > Everything Else
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - HOT TIP:  SciFi Shorts
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

HOT TIP: SciFi Shorts

 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
Message
Gnerphk View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Newbie
NYC Midnight Newbie
Avatar

Joined: 08 Jun 2023
Location: Germantown, MD
Status: Offline
Points: 55
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (4) Thanks(4)   Quote Gnerphk Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: HOT TIP: SciFi Shorts
    Posted: 08 Jun 2023 at 11:26am
Back in February, I started submitting at every sci-fi publication I could find.  My goal was to break in, sell something, and get published by a major outlet.  That way, I could boast of a decent following by the time my book is ready to shop around at publishers.

Unfortunately, this coincided with the OpenAI release that advertised storytelling.  Naturally enough, my submissions have been swamped.  Clarkesworld got so overwhelmed they had to shut down for a month in order to catch up — and so on.  I'm sure you're all familiar with the problem.

Then I somehow stumbled across SciFi Shorts .

I've since accumulated probably 150-odd rejections from other publications, but at SciFi Shorts I've managed to sell more than a dozen pieces in the past three months.  They're very particular about the Submissions Guidelines and the form takes some getting used to, but overall it's an excellent and (at least for now) highly accessible venue.

An aside:  They're still new and payment is on a shares basis, so it's not much per word even for Flash.  On the other hand, subscriptions are cheap (and, as I understand it, tax-deductible), so I figure that's guaranteed to change and soon.
Story: FF Group 62
Read my SciFi Shorts stories!
The Steward Mess
Back to Top
jennifer.quail View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt


Joined: 07 Feb 2018
Status: Offline
Points: 7931
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jennifer.quail Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Jun 2023 at 8:05pm
So how much have you actually gotten paid?

I cannot imagine how they'd qualify as a tax deduction. You are not donating to a charity (and when you DO donate to a charity you cannot deduct the value of any gifts or products so that includes 'access to paid content.') 
Back to Top
Gnerphk View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Newbie
NYC Midnight Newbie
Avatar

Joined: 08 Jun 2023
Location: Germantown, MD
Status: Offline
Points: 55
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gnerphk Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Jun 2023 at 10:09pm
Yet?  Not one thin dime.  Payment is quarterly, you see.  I'm assured by the other writers, though, that even though subscriptions are on the rise, and that pay is on a strict division basis, it's far below SFFW rates.

WRT deductible:  I'm not a tax expert and can't advise, but there's nothing to say I can't repeat what I've been instructed.  Subscriptions to magazines I submit to, my new antique medical book on poisons, and the next convention are all, I've been informed, deductible expenses the way I file.  I'm US-based and writing is a business for me, not a hobby.  Your own mileage may, as they say, vary.

I will say, I very much prefer this method of filing to that of my old "hobby business", where nothing is deductible and everything is income.  Hardly worth the effort doing it that way.
Story: FF Group 62
Read my SciFi Shorts stories!
The Steward Mess
Back to Top
A. H. Davison View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Regular
NYC Midnight Regular
Avatar

Joined: 26 Jul 2023
Location: North Vancouver
Status: Offline
Points: 449
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote A. H. Davison Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Jul 2023 at 11:26pm
Very cool!  Thanks for sharing! :)

Have you seen an increase in your following/mailing list?  How are you measuring your growth from submitting to Sci-Fi Shorts?
Back to Top
syd_mid View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Regular
NYC Midnight Regular


Joined: 28 Nov 2022
Status: Offline
Points: 291
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote syd_mid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Aug 2023 at 3:45am
oooh nice! a great place to read and get inspired. a possible creative outlet too!!! thank you for sharing!
Back to Top
Gnerphk View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Newbie
NYC Midnight Newbie
Avatar

Joined: 08 Jun 2023
Location: Germantown, MD
Status: Offline
Points: 55
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gnerphk Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Aug 2023 at 8:33am
I know of half a dozen new follows that are other writers from the site.  Otherwise, it's difficult for me to determine which is organic versus synergistic.  I do get a fair number of cross-clicks, though.
Story: FF Group 62
Read my SciFi Shorts stories!
The Steward Mess
Back to Top
A. H. Davison View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Regular
NYC Midnight Regular
Avatar

Joined: 26 Jul 2023
Location: North Vancouver
Status: Offline
Points: 449
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote A. H. Davison Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Aug 2023 at 10:38am
Originally posted by Gnerphk Gnerphk wrote:

I know of half a dozen new follows that are other writers from the site.  Otherwise, it's difficult for me to determine which is organic versus synergistic.  I do get a fair number of cross-clicks, though.

Awesome! Thanks for the info ❤️
Back to Top
Nimhathuna View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt
Avatar

Joined: 15 Jul 2020
Location: Ireland
Status: Offline
Points: 5072
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Nimhathuna Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Aug 2023 at 8:00pm
Originally posted by syd_mid syd_mid wrote:

oooh nice! A great place to read and get inspired. a possible creative outlet too!!! thank you for sharing!

A few of us submit here, myself included—a great diversity of writers and stories. If you've any Sci-Fi narratives nestling in your creative store, there's no harm in submitting them to the magazine. I'm in awe of the images they use to accompany the published stories. Smile
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 12.05
Copyright ©2001-2022 Web Wiz Ltd.

This page was generated in 0.203 seconds.