where can i get money for publishing my stories?

Question

I have some really good stories and poems that I want to publish and make money out of. I really need the money, I am broke right now. So please Can someone tell me where I can get paid for my stories and poems?i don't want to publish my stories for free.

Answer 1

I don't think you can publish your books for free. Ever. You shouldn't be asked for money upfront or else it's a scam. When the royalties come in--assuming your books sell--the publishers take out the money from there until they're paid for getting your book out there. Every thing from there on is split up and you might get ten percent of the royalties your book recieves.

Answer 2

If you need the money, this isn't a very good way to earn it, even if you're terribly talented.

It often takes a lot of submissions to paying markets before you make a sale. The money in the markets people with no publishing credits can crack ranges from none (i.e., two free copies) to maybe $125 if you break into a medium market, which isn't unheard of if the work is first-rate. Most common is something under $40.

It's common, too, for payment to be made not on acceptance but on publication. So if they buy your story today for the April issue, that's a long wait.

Yes, there are some high-paying markets, and some legitimate contests, but the competition is fierce. Can you compete against the authors on your own bookshelves?

Poetry pays even worse. Speaking frankly, almost the only people who buy poetry magazines are poets.

There's nothing wrong with trying your best for paid publication, but if your goal is money, there are much easier, and far more certain, ways to get it.

Answer 3

What you're saying is, "I need to be a hit author so I can guarantee an income." Let me tell you something, it even took people like Stephen King and John Grisham ten years to make a buck off of their writing.

Once you START getting published you can expect to make a few hundred dollars a year. Even then, people will likely be willing to publish you but not pay you (remember, literary magazines usually don't profit enough to pay their writers much at all).

You can't skip a step and become well known enough to charge a premium for your work. Once your name is recognizable and you have a track record of published works, THEN and only then will you be able to command a living from writing.

Answer 4

There are basically 4 ways to sell short stories. To magazines, to e books, to anthologies and in contests.

In the first three ways you will find that pay for a story ranges from 5 bucks to about 25 bucks or between 1 and 5 cents a word. The reason for doing anthologies isn't to get rich, it is to get your name out there. Some pay nothing more than a copule copies of the book you're in.

Of course magazines like Playboy, Sports Illustrated, Esquire, GQ etc. pay a great deal more. However, they primarily deal with major authors and they hire them to write specific stories. Very rarely do major magazines accept a pitch from an unknown and tell them to go ahead with it.

As for contests, there are a few legit ones. Check with Absolute Write Water Cooler Bewares and Background Checks and Preditors and Editors. There are contests that pay 1,000 like Glimmer Train but they are very very hard to win. They are almost impossible to even sell a story to. Glimmer Train also charges a 35 dollar fee every time you enter a story.

Sorry but you will not be making thousands or even hundreds selling your stories. PJ M - a regular contributor here is a fairly well known anthology contributor. I have known him for several years now. I don't think he has ever gotten more than 50 bucks and a couple copies for a story. But it does get his name out there for the benefit of his longer works.

Hope that helps. Pax - C

Answer 5

oh boy. you have a lot to learn about publishing... if you got a deal today, you might have a book in stores in a year, maybe more.

Answer 6

www.lulu.com