Never Quit
Allow me to take off my speculative fictioneer hat for just a moment.
"Blessed Be the Patient," my Write1Sub1 from Week#51 last year, has been published by the fine folks at Every Day Fiction. Believe it or not, there are NO speculative elements to be found in this one. I don't know if it's "literary" or not, but it's something different for me, and any ratings or comments posted @ EDF would be greatly appreciated.
So where do my short story stats stand? Here's the current breakdown:
29 written/subbed from 2009-2010: 24 sold
52 written/subbed from 2011: 26 sold
8 written/subbed in 2012: 4 sold
That's a 61% success rate so far. Not too shabby, considering how long it takes to get things published the old fashioned way. Most of my submissions aren't picked up immediately; just last week, I sold a story from 2010 that survived 16 rejections. If I'd given up after the 5th or 10th rejection, that tale would never have seen the light of day.
But I never give up on my work, you see. I keep submitting. I keep revising. And eventually, every single one of my stories will find a good home. Yours will, too. I guarantee it.
Lately, after the rights revert to me, I've been selling my previously published work in Kindle-sized packages—and let me tell you, it's been a heap of fun. My stories are now in the hands of thousands of Kindlers; thanks to Amazon's free promotions, I'm getting my work out to a whole 'nother audience.