Looking for publishing suggestions...

[Malcontent]

I have written an alt history novelet (about 12,000 words) and I am looking for publishing suggestions. I am currently torn between looking for a traditional market and self publishing through iStore and Amazon as an inexpensive download for Kindle, etc. I am hoping to generate a few things with this post:

1) Has anybody had any experience with electronic self publishing like this? If so, what are your impressions, thoughts, etc.

2) Can anyone suggest any paying markets for my story? I've done some preliminary research, but so far the length is proving to be a problem. (Alas, I don't see anything that can be removed to shorten the story enough to make it palatable to the kind of pubs that look for 8K maximums -- not because my words are so precious, but because the prose is already pretty spare and removing anything removes important plot points)

Thanks for any advice or suggestions.

Alex

[admin]

The trouble with self-publishing is getting a fan base. In my own case, I publish a magazine, write a column, publish stories in F&SF and Analog, and I still don't do nearly enough. Unless you've got a lot of friends on facebook, you're going to have trouble attracting attention. The competition is fierce.

I think your best bet is to go to http://www.duotrope.com/.

A quick search for professional markets for 12,000 word alternate history only shows Grantsville Gazette, with Asimov's, F&SF, Tor.com, and Writers of the Future as secondary markets. If you don't have professional sales to your credit, Writers of the Future is your best bet.

If you don't care about being paid, there are a lot of markets. The problem is that you probably won't get more than a few dozen readers.

[Malcontent]

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions. This is really helpful. I totally get what you are saying about marketing. Putting it out there and letting it fend for itself will not accomplish anything. I pay the mortgage by writing corporate propaganda freelance so I get "buzz." Hard to generate with only one story though.