Now that I’m between drafts on my novel-in-progress, I’m working on some short fiction. Short fiction is fun. It lets you play around with different genres and styles, and it comes with the kind of instant gratification you just don’t get with novels. But ultimately, I hope it will pay off by leading to some publications—and to do that, I can’t just write. I have to submit, which is harder than it sounds.
Here are my tips for playing the submissions game—and, hopefully, grow your writing portfolio.
Produce new work.
The more pieces of fiction (or poetry, memoir, etc.) you have to submit, the better your chances of getting an acceptance letter in your inbox. Plus, the more you write, the better your writing will become and the more ideas will flow into your writerly brain. So, once a piece is finished, start submitting—and start writing the next one.
Shine up those old manuscripts.
Do you have short stories filed away from that college class you took? Did you get halfway through a great story, only to hit a wall a few months (or years) ago? Go back to that manuscript with fresh eyes.
I did this with three short stories over the last month. All three had started out as great ideas, but I’d gotten stuck halfway through the first draft. When I returned to them, I suddenly saw exactly what I needed to do to fix them—and within a month, I had all three finished, polished, and submitted. (Cue shoulder brush.) 
Keep a running list of markets.
There are thousands of literary journals, magazines, e-zines, and anthologies out there, with new ones popping up (and sadly, old ones shutting down) every day. You can’t remember them all. When you hear about a new literary journal, make note of it, even if you don’t have anything to submit to it yet. I keep an Excel spreadsheet with basic info on dozens of markets: their website, their genre and word count guidelines, whether they accept sim subs or charge a submission fee, how much they pay, etc. Then, when I finish a new story, I skim the list and pick out a few markets to research further.
Take advantage of sim subs.
Sim subs, or simultaneous submissions, mean you can submit the same story to several publications at once. Some markets allow them, and some flat-out don’t. I don’t really understand why some markets forbid sim subs, and I feel like they really should. If they’re going to make you wait weeks or months before sending you a response, the least they can do is let you cast a wide net during that time, right?
But that’s just the nature of the beast. If there’s a magazine you’re dying to get into or that’s a perfect fit for this story, go ahead and submit even if it doesn’t allow sim subs. But if you can, find several magazines you’re equally interested in that allow sim subs, and submit to all of them at once. That way, if the fifth market likes your work, you could get an acceptance letter right off the bat—rather than waiting to get rejected from the first four markets before submitting to number five.
Submit outside the box.
Try writing in new genres. If you usually write fiction, try your hand at poetry or personal essays. Borrow some children’s magazines from the library and see if they interest you. If you have expertise in a nonfiction subject, try writing for trade magazines. If you enjoy writing about writing, submit guest posts to writing blogs.
Now, I’m not suggesting you overextend yourself by trying to write for Glimmer Train, Ranger Rick, Woman’s Day, and Chicken Soup for the Rejected Writer’s Soul all at once. But spend some time exploring the vast assortment of markets out there; something might pique your interest that you wouldn’t expect. And writing in new genres or styles will only further develop your skills.
Actually read the magazine. Seriously.
I know it’s hard, and it eats into your writing time, but you really should try to familiarize yourself with a market before submitting. This will infinitely improve your chances of publication and save you a lot of time in the long run. Because, even if a market publishes your genre, they may be looking for something completely different than what you’ve written.
At the very least, read every word of the market’s submission guidelines and “about us” section. Some go into so much detail that you can tell right away whether your story is a good fit. If not, read a few pieces from their website or get a couple of back issues. Look for trends in the types of stories they publish. Is there usually a focus on character development? A lot of worldbuilding? Dark themes or happy endings? Dense or spare prose? A dash of humor? The more you read your markets, the easier it will be to analyze them and understand what they’re looking for.
Submit, submit, submit.
Make it a habit to resubmit your story elsewhere every time it gets rejected. Remember, there are literally thousands of markets out there—most likely there is someone, somewhere, for whom this piece is a perfect fit. Don’t give up after five or ten rejections. I once heard Eric James Stone (who’s published countless works of short fiction and won a Nebula Award) say that one of his stories got published on its 27th submission. It can happen. Don’t give up. 