These instructions apply no matter which genre of fiction you wish to write. I'm basically a novelist, with a sprinkling of published short stories. I'm afraid I can't help you much with scriptwriting, so please don't be disappointed that that is not covered. As my own attempts at scriptwriting have never sold, I can't give you useful advice in that field.
If you write poetry, please click here for advice from poet Robert Allen.
However, here is a step-by-step method that will work for becoming a published author of fiction:
, write. It makes no difference whether writing
is pleasure or pain for you, as long as you are not capable of
resisting writing. If you love talking about writing, but
never actually get more than a few words down on paper, you are
not a writer. Be a reader. Every writer needs a minimum of 10,000
readers to survive.
, locate the fandom for the thing you want to
write (if it's Trek, send $1.00 plus a S.A.S.E. for The
Neofan's Guide to Fandom to Joan M. Verba, P. O. Box 1363,
Minnetonka, MN 55345). Don't expect to get published until
you have learned both the explicit and the tacit rules for your
genre. If there are the equivalent of fanzines (chapbooks,
"little" magazines, etc.) in your discipline, start submitting to
them while you polish your craft. And keep writing.
, find other writers on your wavelength. Attend
writing workshops. There is a free on-line writing workshop, the WorldCrafters Guild, at www.simegen.com. The April issue of Writer's
Digest each year lists all the workshops in the U.S. and
Canada for the next several months. Keep in touch by e-mail and
snailmail with the friends you make at the workshops. And keep
writing.
, join the writers' organizations for your
genre (SFWA, Romance Writers of America, Mystery Writers of
America, the Electronically Published Internet Connection (EPIC), etc.) as an associate. Be certain to join any listserv such an organization offers--it is your lifeline to the most up-to-date information, and a place you can ask your most crucial questions of people with first-hand experience. Learn how to handle the first
contract you get. You don't need an agent until you start
selling; the professionals in these organizations will clue you
in as to how not to appear to be unpublished. If science fiction
is your speciality, I recommend reading the Science Fiction
Writers of America Handbook, available from Pulphouse
Publishing, Box 1227, Eugene, OR 97440. And keep writing.
, use your library. It carries Writer's
Market, Publisher's Weekly, maybe Writer's
Digest. Learn the boring details of preparing
manuscripts, writing outlines, all the things that make your work
look professional when an editor takes it from the
envelope. And keep writing.
, when you have made half a dozen story sales or
a novel sale, get an agent. By that time your writer friends will
introduce you to theirs, and you can choose someone whose
personality goes well with yours. Unfortunately, if your first
novel is Star Trek or other media-related fiction, you won't get this help. You'll have to
shop Writer's Market for agents who handle sf, and
try to get one to represent you. If all refuse, go back to step
two. And keep writing! Good luck!
Here are some more useful resources: the writing magazines on the newsstands try to cover all areas of writing, and also have a lead time of several months. Often by the time the announcement of a new magazine or an open anthology reaches them, the news is old and hundreds of other authors have beaten you to the punch. Two sources that will give you up-to-date information specifically on science fiction markets are Science Fiction Chronicle, P. O. Box 2730, Brooklyn, NY 11202-0056, and Locus, Locus Publications, P. O. Box 13305, Oakland, CA 94661. Both of these magazines include book and magazine reviews, general news of the science fiction field, and market reports.
As a beginner, you will have better luck getting published in fanzines and semi-pro zines--and you will receive valuable comments from editors which you won't receive from the larger professional magazines. Here are two semi-pro sf magazines to try: Pandora, c/o Meg MacDonald, 2844 Grayson, Ferndale, MI 48220 (mark on envelope whether submission is fiction, art, or poetry); and The Leading Edge, Brigham Young University, 3163 JKHB, Provo, Utah 84602.
Finally, electronic publishing is where the action is these days. Here are some links to help you:
Crossroads Publications
Awe-Struck E-books
Boson Books
New Concepts Publishing
Dreams Unlimited
LTD Books
DiskUs Publishing
The Fiction Works
Mountain View Publishing
Zeus Publications
Arachnophilia.
