I'm thinking about getting back in the writing game and am looking for any information/help for getting my works published. The last time I actively looked into the publishing market was in '06/'07, then fell out of the loop when I began college in 2008. I pretty much stopped writing all together because I just had too much stuff going on. Now that I'm done with college, I'm thinking about doing some writing and am looking for up to date information on entering the market. Any help is welcome.

What are you planning to write?

I'm probably going to start off with something in the science fiction or espionage genres, but I know I'm definitely going to start off small with short stories and build up to a novel.

I've been out of the genre game for awhile, but I think you just gotta hit the virtual pavement on this one. Read some magazines that match what you want to write, and hit their websites for submission guidelines. Having spent some time reading slush for a genre mag, I can assure you that knowing the publication to which you're submitting your work is critical.

There's no shortcuts. You gotta do your writing (preferably something that other people will be willing to pay to read), do your research, and then do your submitting.

Theres a member on here his wife published a novel and is turning into a movie starring Chloe Mortez (Hit Girl from Kick Ass) He'd probably have a lot of info on getting your book published. Cant remember his name though.

Sounds like not much has changed in 4 years. What you talk about in your post is what I was finding on writing websites in 2006. Since then, has the internet become a more viable market for publishing rather than the print market?

Something else I would like to ask is, would having a blog help me? I've been thinking about starting a blog for a couple months now, but always weigh against it since it seems like every narcissistic college kid has one and I don't want to be lumped in with them.

I remember reading a thread in the movie forum he started about that movie. I can't remember his name either.

Having a blog isn't going to help you get published, but it might help (a little) in publicizing your work once you get published. But author blogs have become old hat, so I wouldn't expect much from it.

There isn't much of a market for short stories in print these days, so most of it is being done online. But that isn't going to advance your career very much.

It really just depends on what your goals are. If your goal is to be a novelist, you're better off writing a novel.

Yeah, blogging won't make you write better. There's one key "trick" in getting your work published. It's something a lot of would-be writers don't know, and it makes ALL the difference. Here's the trick: Write something good, something others will want to read.

If you do that, everything else is a whole lot easier.