In the past fifty years, the short story has certainly taken a backseat to other forms of fiction writing. It is said that every short story, on average, has to be submitted to 100 markets before it will get accepted. Yes, that sounds harsh and difficult--it is not an easy market to enter. However, a demand does still exist. These days, many short story publishers are also novel publishers, so you must look at both when seeking a short story publisher.
The short story industry will survive, and one of the new homes it has found is online publishing. Short stories are well-suited to the medium of e-books, websites, online journals, and hand-held reading devices. Short story publishing companies have done an excellent job at adapting to the changing marketplace and making the new electronic trend work for them. A great website that offers extensive short story publishing firm listings, resources, and other short story help is www.topicsites.com/publishers/short-story.htm.
You can also find some good directories of short story publishing houses at the bookstore, your local library, or Internet stores. Here are some of the best ones:
Novel & Short Story Writer's Market. This gives 2000 completely updated novel and short story listings, including magazines, literary publishers, literary agents, contests and literary journals. It also provides expert advice from a spectrum of professional writers, along with helpful resources listing short story conferences, workshops, and writing programs.
Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Editors, Publishers, and Literary Agents. This directory provides everything working writers need to find the most receptive story publishers, editors and agents for their work. Each entry presents an overview of the fiction publisher, including its history and current lines, followed by the names of specific editors, their areas of interest, and complete contact information.
Additionally, the Internet offers extensive directories of short story fiction publishers.
