Finding a publisher for your mystery story can be as hard as writing your mystery story. There are plenty of markets for literary tales, science fiction, fantasy, and horror, but mystery publishers seem to be few and far between. Or are they?

A great resource for the mystery writer is Writer's Digest Novel and Short Story Market Book. This book is filled with agent, magazine, book publisher, and contest information. The write-ups are easy to understand and find, and the information comes straight from the publishers themselves. It is an excellent starting point for finding publishing information. You can find a copy of this reference book at bookstores or online book seller.

Another source are writing trade magazines. There are many of them to choose from, but the three I like the best are Writer’s Digest, The Writer Magazine, and Poets and Writers These magazines often list active markets, giving guideline and contact information.

While researching this question, I found two web sites that have a page, or pages, dedicated to mystery story and novel publication. They have a lot of helpful publishing information, both on the short story and novel level.

http://www.cluelass.com/MystHome/Mags.html

http://www.mysteryreaders.org/period.html

Both of these sites list magazine markets, online newsletters and paper newsletters. Both sites have either a snail mail address or a web site link, or both, depending on what the magazine has to offer.

I spent a little time browsing through the different magazine web sites. Some I had come across before, while others were brand new. Some pay, others do not. There is not enough space to lay out each markets benefits or drawbacks here. That is something you will have to discover for yourself.

A word of warning before submitting your work to a magazine or publisher: always be sure to check out the magazine carefully. Read their 'about us' section. Check out what kinds of stories they've published in the past. If the magazine is online, you will find their back issues in their archives.

If the magazine is only in paper form, you will have to order an issue to find out what types of stories they publish. And always, ALWAYS read their writer's guidelines carefully. Many wonderful stories has been rejected because the writer did not follow the editor's submission directions.

Getting your mystery story published is not impossible, it just takes a little research and determination. And sending it out to the right markets. Remember, you cannot be published if you do not submit. So start submitting your work.

About the Author

Dawn Arkin is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Writers. Her portfolio can be found at http://darkin.Writing.Com/ so stop by and read for a while.