Playing the Short Game

Take your first step to selling more stories and building a career as a short fiction writer—buy this book!

In an engaging and conversational style, award-winning author Douglas Smith teaches how to market and sell short fiction—and much, much more.

Even experienced writers will find value in these pages as Smith takes us on a journey that begins with making your first sale and ends with learning to use short stories to build a foundation for a career in fiction.

The book covers the following:

The Fundamentals: The different types of writers. The benefits of short fiction. Rights and licensing for short fiction.

Selling Your Stories: Knowing when it's ready. Choosing the right market. Submitting stories. Mistakes to avoid. How editors select stories (and why). Dealing with rejections. When to give up on a story.

After a Sale: Short fiction contracts. Working with an editor. What your first sale means. Dealing with reviews.

A Writer's Magic Bakery: Selling reprints. Selling in foreign languages. Selling audio rights. Selling a collection. The indie option.

As You Become Established: How to leverage your short fiction. Discoverability tools and promotion. Career progression in short fiction.

With an introduction by the multi-award winning author and editor, Kristine Kathryn Rusch:

"We short story writers have needed a book like this for decades. I’m glad Doug decided to write it. Read and reread this volume. Because you’ll learn something each time you do. And take Doug’s advice. It’s spectacular.

Don’t take my word for it. Turn the page and dive in. By the time you’re done, I’ll wager you’ll be recommending this book to your writer friends—just like I have." —Kristine Kathryn Rusch