Q&A: I've written a short story. Now what?

QUESTION: I wrote a short story of about 30 pages. Now, I have no idea what to do with it.

ANSWER: It all depends on your ambitions. I will assume you're not trying to make a ton of money with this story, but you'd like as many people to read it as possible.

So get your story out there. Get an account on MySpace and post it on your blog.

You could also try for publication in a magazine. Your local library probably has a copy of Novel & Short Story Writers Market by Writers Digest Books. It lists most of the places you can submit your story -- more than 1,000 book publishers, magazines, literary agents and writing contests.

Another option is to join a network where you could upload your story and ask for comments and criticism -- if you want to try to revise or strengthen the story. One I can recommend is EditRed, where basic memberships are free.

Another network you may want to take a look at is Gather.com, which sponsors many writing groups and contests.

If you want to sell your story as an e-book, an easy place to get started is Lulu. You'll simply upload your word processing file and set a price for your story.
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Steve Weber is author of Plug Your Book! Online Book Marketing for Authors