m. c. de marco: To invent new life and new civilizations...

I heard via a mailing list that Flash Fiction Online is now a SFWA qualifying market (that is, one of the professional short fiction publications a sufficient number of sales to which qualify one for membership in the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America organization). I like writing flash (very short stories), so this may be my ticket to full SFWA membership. A few other markets have gotten onto the list lately: Tor.com, Apex, and the Grantville Gazette. Announcements were made here.

I’m one of those writers who only submits to professional markets, although it’s more force of habit than strength of conviction now. I only dimly recall the reasons—something to do with not disqualifying myself from amateur contests like Writers of the Future without an equally notable publication to show for it. Perhaps I also had doubts about the quality of upstart webzines at the time, although there are many fine upstarts (e.g., Beneath Ceaseless Skies) I would consider submitting to today.

In related news, SFWA tweeted that Jim Baen’s Universe is shutting down in April.