Reading the markets

One of the undeniable acts of market research is to READ a few copies of the magazine you are planning to submit to. This is critically important as guidelines simply don't give you a feel for the style of a publication.

Recently, I wrote a story called "Jessie." It is a story that deals frankly and bluntly with sexual assault and murder for revenge. The crime is graphic, the language is graphic, and the story would definitely be rated "R".

This one was easier to find a home for. Most of the mystery magazines are not rated "R". This limited the available markets to a few online publications, which I read thoroughly. In the end, I went with A Cruel World. The intro to their web site says it all:

"If you like your characters nasty, dark and often on the wrong side of the law...." It is a publication that is not afraid of the graphic, the violence and the language, AS LONG AS IT SERVES THE STORY.

Another better example is the story "The Last Cowboy" which will be published in Shred of Evidence.

There are two on-page scenes of violence, though they aren't too graphic. The language pushes the barrier too. Maybe PG-13. So where to send it?

The two biggies, Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazines are cleaner, with less language and much of the violence taking place off story.

A Cruel World and Mysterical-E are a little different. I didn't feel this story was HARD ENOUGH for them. There's no detective in my story, so Thrilling Detective's out. There were similar concerns for other publications that have specialized needs.

So we come to Shred of Evidence. I read it religiously and knew that it pushed the boundaries farther than EQMM or AHMM, but not as far as A Cruel World. Like ACW, though, it is a quality online publication and would make a great addition to my resume.

Success!

But the simple fact is you cannot pick up on these subtle differences without reading the publications.

I realize in some cases this may be expensive, but no doubt, reading the publications leads to greater understanding of the markets -- and that leads to more sales.