I’ve noticed that the “My Fiction” page has gotten some attention lately, and I felt I ought to clarify how I handle sales announcements. Basically, I’ve decided that it’s most prudent not to announce a sale until I’ve signed a contract.

Most short fiction contracts are straight-forward, but there are occasionally things I would balk at: reserving the right to anthologize a story without additional payment, for example, or an excessively-long exclusivity period. The markets I submit to mostly don’t have these problems (or are willing to negotiate), but there’s always the chance that I’ll want to retract an accepted piece. Announcing the sale before I’ve seen the contract makes me nervous, then.

I do, however, update the “My Fiction” page (upper right) when I get an acceptance notification. The purpose of that page is to let people know what’s out and what’s coming out, and to give new visitors a sense of what I write. I fill in the publisher when I get the contract, and the rest of the details when it’s available.