How to Write a Story & Get Paid
For those writers who are content to write as a hobby, getting paid is not a priority. For writers who want to make fiction writing a career, getting paid is essential to be able to work as a writer full time. It is possible to write a story and get paid. It's possible to do it on a regular basis, but it takes more than just the talent to write a good story. If you want to write stories and get paid regularly, you have to learn to read the markets, submit your stories to paying markets regularly, and continue to do so even in the face of rejection.
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Instructions
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Purchase a copy of Writer's Market or subscribe to the Writer's Market database online. You can also use Ralan's and Duotropes, both free market guidelines for writers. The submission guidelines tell writers where to submit, what to submit, who to address the submission to, and how much you will be paid.
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Study your guidelines and pick out a couple of suitable markets for the story you want to sell.
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Be sure your story has the correct word count and that you have formatted the manuscript properly, right down to the margins, font and line spacing indicated in the guidelines.
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Submit your story to the market that looks most promising. Enclose a brief cover letter introducing yourself and stating that you are submitting (title of your story) for consideration. Thank the editor for considering your work, then close by stating that you look forward to hearing from him regarding your submission.
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Wait the specified time period before you follow up on your submission. Most markets indicate how long their response time is. If there is no response time indicated, wait about two months before sending a follow-up e-mail or letter.
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Follow this pattern regularly. You may be rejected, but being persistent can pay off. The more submissions you have, the better the odds are you will eventually be accepted. Don't wait for an acceptance or rejection to move on to the next story.
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