Fiction - Now What?

Whether you’ve written the next vampire-human love story (or a twisted BDSM fanfiction inspired by said love story), or an epic quest that makes Ulysses seem like a walk in the park, you have the choice of either letting it join the rest of your masterpieces in a coffee stained notebook that you’ll eventually forget on the bus, or doing something with it.

But what?

You could post it online, sure. There’s lots of sites out there where you can post your writing just for the hell of it - Writing, WritersCafe, and Booksie to name a few - but where does that get you? Other than the personal satisfaction of finally having your writing ‘out there’ for the entire world (re: maybe a couple of people unless you’ve established a devout fanbase) to read, you haven’t really gotten anywhere. And you definitely haven’t been compensated for all the sweat, tears, and bloody fingers.

If you’re looking for more bang for your buck (or just a buck), try gussying up your piece and submitting it to a literary magazine. The majority of periodicals will compensate you for your published piece - you won’t be rolling in the millions anytime soon, but it will certainly get your name out there.

 But with thousands of magazines floating around, it can be difficult to pinpoint one that’s perfect for your writing. Before submitting, you should try to read a submission or two, as well as the periodical’s mantra and submission guidelines. Keep an eye out for Canadian based magazines in particular - many try to keep it local, like CAROUSEL and Brick. There’s plenty of lists out there, from CanLit’s to wikipedia.

CAROUSEL is a Canadian literary magazine chock-full of local writing and creepy art. [credit]

Another way you’ll get monetary compensation for your work is by entering contests. Again, with periodicals, keep it local! The Canadian Authors Association has a great page for finding legitimate contests for your writing.

Of course, if it’s a novel that you’ve poured dozens of late nights and cups of coffee into, it’s unlikely a magazine or contest will publish this in a whole. Sites like Lulu, ArtBookBindery, and CompletelyNovel will help it get printed and essentially self published, but unless you plan on giving it to your close friends, it likely won't go further than your mother bragging to all her friends about how her baby has written a book. Getting that manuscript out there can be difficult, but lots of sites like Writer's Union or The Star offer tips in turning that pile of papers into a hardcovered best seller. Again - try to keep it local and narrow your search for Canadian based organizations.

Sometimes, it pays to be a Canuck.