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How to Annoy a Short Fiction Editor in One Easy Lesson
You have your amazing short fiction piece written. It’s absolutely guaranteed to sell and maybe even win an award!
So, now you need to know how to make all those editors mad with you. Because, after all, keeping them happy is easy! Here are some tips to ensure that you will get the cold shoulder at the next convention.
Submission Guidelines are Optional
You know that page of guidelines? Editors write that for the fun of it. You absolutely don’t have to submit in the requested format; after all, you’re a creative genius who knows the best fonts to use.
And so what if your story isn’t quite the right genre? They’ll love it when they see it. Bonus points if you just sent a zombie story to an editor who said absolutely no zombie stories of any kind.
Send it to Everyone — At Once!
Sure, half of them say “no simultaneous submissions,” but you don’t have time to wait months while they make decisions in sequence. So, just send your story to everyone on your list at the same time.
It’s not like they’ll ever know. Editors never, ever talk to each other. And you can just withdraw it when it’s accepted, right?