I have repeatedly been told, by people I respect that there is no ladder. A new writer doesn't have to start down at the bottom of the pay heap and move upward. A story will go as far as it can, regardless of the author's previous credits. It's why $10 and $25 and even penny-a-word markets drive Brian (and Jack Haringa) insane.
I believe them. So while I reject the ladder, I resolved to metaphor a different tool; the ratchet. I resolved not to sell any story for less than I had sold a previous story. And it worked. I've sold stories for increasing amounts of money, and now I've actually sold something for "pro," five cents a word.
This leaves me with a small problem. Weird Tales only pays three cents a word, and I'd like to get in those pages. So, do I give up my dream of appearing in Weird Tales, or do I go against my self-imposed ratchet?
I'm currently dodging this decision by writing a novel. I hope I'll have an answer in four months.
Hey John,
ReplyDeleteI'm now with you about the small paying markets (getting my knowledge from the same people) and I'm only up to 2 cents per word myself. Not that I'm an expert, but I think to adhere too strictly to this can be constricting. I take other things into consideration such as exposure, etc. I blogged about it recently. I mentioned Weird Tales also.
http://michaelsavastano.com/2009/01/05/submitting-short-stories-to-hsff-markets/