I wish I could be one of those writers who only submits to publications that always pay their writers. But I’m not. I understand that sometimes, just the credit is all I can ask for.
It may seem like I’m selling myself short, but in actuality It’s helped me work my way up. A lot of the writers I’ve talked with say, go for the big submissions first. The logic is sound, you try to get paid as much as possible with the most prestigious publications you can. I tried that. Found it very discouraging.
The odds of a young writer getting accepted by magazines that accept 1% of submissions aren’t very good. I’ve found that working my way up has given me the know-how to start really getting into the good stuff.
And it’s working. My first few credits were with lessor known non paying magazines. What I learned from the editors there helped me to get on with my current publisher. I used the knowledge from my previous experiences to offer a solid submission for a book. A series no less.
Books are what I’m all about right now. But I did still have some short story submissions waiting for responses up until last week. Two were picked up and both are paying gigs.
I believe being accepted by any working publication is progress, but to be compensated for your work is true victory. Perseverance does pay off. And by perseverance I don’t mean just keep going, I mean improve, take risks, don’t be afraid to talk to editors and make a few changes. (But never let anyone change the heart of your story)
Jessica Marie Baumgartner 
A slew of rejections is definitely discouraging, but I’m not too discouraged when it’s from big-time mags. I know how many hordes of people submit to them, so I don’t take it personally. If I submit to a prestigious publication, I do it on a “just in case” basis, knowing the chance is slim and thus not putting much stock into it. It’s a lot more discouraging when it’s a mag I really, really like, though, especially if I think my story’s got a good shot. Getting turned down then is pretty hard. But I like what you said about getting published in small places and learning from the editors and experiences to make your work better and thus more likely to get accepted by bigger places. That’s a really positive way to look at it. There’s nothing wrong with small presses – in fact, many of them are truly excellent publications, who are working up the same way that we as authors are working up!
P.S. Oh, and congratulations!! I got distracted by my rambling in my previous note. š I’m so happy to hear of your paid gigs, that’s awesome.
Thanks š