If you want to branch out in your writing career but you’re not sure where to start, a good idea is to check out various markets in the genres you are interested in. A simple way to do this is to purchase a copy of the annual Writer’s Market guide, which can help you find places to sell your writing all over the place. These books aren’t too expensive (you can always buy a previous year’s version to save money as well, though publishers are constantly changing), or you can check your local library for one.
Of course, there are plenty of places online where you can find various contests, publications accepting submissions, and other places to highlight your work. For example, I love the website Ranlan, which highlights speculative fiction websites that accept submissions. They even present them by which ones pay and which ones don’t, as well as which ones no longer accept submissions. This has been extremely helpful for me and I’ve had several stories and poems published just by using this site’s guidance. Of course, if you don’t write speculative fiction—which includes fantasy, sci-fi, steam punk, and so many other open genres—you may not like that particular site.
If you’re into writing erotica, you might want to check out (warning: this link has adult content) Changeling Press’s Spring Fling writing contest, which has a deadline of July 4. You can always, of course, simply search for writing contests online that you can always enter. Though some of them do cost entry fees, many are completely free.
Then, if you just want exposure and you don’t care about money, there are even more markets available for your work. For example, you can revive your old work at rIgor mort.US; you just submit work that’s already been published elsewhere for them to feature (though it will also be used in various other forms on the site as well). Just make sure your work was featured somewhere in print before submitting it, because that’s all they accept at that particular site.
Websites like FirstWriter offer even more services, such as agent listings, editing services, copyright laws, and more. These can be extremely helpful in times like these, where the writing world is constantly in flux. As eBooks become a more oft-used medium, authors have greater access to publishing—but they may also be easier to take advantage of. Websites like this one can help you keep that from happening.