Question about the SASE?

[Slina]

Well, I finally got my story done (certainly took long enough...), outside of hopefully coming up with a new title in the next couple of days, so I'm just about ready to mail it off to its first magazine. I've already got it formatted, and I made sure it followed the submission guidelines and all that, but I was wondering about the SASE. When sending in short stories, is the SASE supposed to be a manilla envelope, or a regular letter-type envelope?

 

[rosemerry]

If your short story is more than 8 pages long your SASE should be a manila envelope. If your short story is less than 8 pages long your SASE should be a size #10 business envelope.

 

[Slina]

Grr, it's a bit late... It's 11 pages, but I was told that it didn't have to be a manila unless you really wanted the manuscript back, so I went ahead and enclosed a business envelope instead... So, um, is that a bad thing?

 

[rosemerry]

No, you'll just have a bulky envelope if they try and return the sase. I did the same thing once with an 18 page story. It was funny but disappointing when I got it back. Funny becuase it was so full I thought it was going to pop open and disappointing because it meant I didn't get published.

Where did you send your story? And are they paying you or are they just giving you contributor's copies? Good luck getting published

 

[Slina]

I didn't put enough stamps on for 11 pages, though... I hope that doesn't hurt anything. *makes mental note to use a manila next time*

Thanks! It's going to the Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine right now, and they pay.

 

[rosemerry]

OH hope they publish you. I sent them two stories and got rejected both times. I'm hoping this third story they will publish me.

I got one story published in a small magazine called Peeks & Valleys. I got $5.00 not much but it's a start.

My second short story I entered into a contest and still waiting on the results. I hope to hear from them in February or March. The prize is $3000.

Good luck with publication. Let me know if F&SF publishes you.