STEFAN SIKONE
This article is summarized from many sources
Getting published is not as difficult as one may think. The first step is to write and write everyday even if it's just a short sentence in a journal. Doing this will allow you to become disciplined and also get you into the, what I call "creative flow".
Whether a poet, novelist, song writer or otherwise the fist step would be to buy a copy of Writer's Market, Poet's Market or Songwriter's Market through writer's digest books. They can be found in your local bookstores and on Amazon.com. These are the writers' bible. They not only list thousands of markets both paying and none paying but also have sections on contests, self publishing, an overview of how to go about presenting a piece of writing for publication etc... These books are a must have for writers of all types. Another point to remember is when you are starting out as a writer non paying markets can help build a bio and portfolio so do not rule them out. You will also receive many more rejection letters than you do acceptance letters. Be aware that many of these publications receive thousands of submissions per year and cannot accept all they receive. Editors all have different tastes so while one may not enjoy your work; there is someone out there who will. Accept rejection letters for what they are and look at them as a challenge.
Make sure when researching publications to read their guidelines and accept them as the law. Many publications will not even read submissions from writers who do not adhere to their guidelines. If a publication specifies they want a cover letter than by all means do so. If there is no specification, a short friendly note always helps.
Online publishing has become the way of the future. There are many online publications looking for good writers. My suggestion is submit to as many as you can. First, read there website to get a feel for what they publish. If you work is a nice fit, then go ahead and submit to them.
Self publishing is always an option. If you have a collection of poetry for example that you've written you can look into publishing a chapbook of your poetry either with your own desktop program or by looking into self publishers such as lulu.com or shadowpoetry.com A chapbook is an excellent way of getting your work out to not only friends and family but an inexpensive way of presenting your writing to reviewers. Once you've self published you can also begin marketing your book by way of the internet, readings and sales of your book to independent bookstores.
The most important thing here is to write from the heart, have passion for what you are writing and be imaginative as far as marketing and selling your work. Believe in your writing!
