There are far too many desperate authors inundating the relatively few places that take unsolicited submissions. The folks with actual budgets have to throw up draconian requirements just to keep things down to a dull roar, and they still get enough submissions that they don’t have to pay squat. It’s very much a buyer’s market out there when it comes to short fiction.
Guess I can always throw ‘Audition’ on Kindle Vella. It won’t make any money there, either, but maybe it’ll help my Amazon algorithm.
Moe Lane
PS: It will not get better. In fact, thanks to people spamming slush piles using AI, it will somehow manage to make things even worse. I should just be grateful I have fans.
Think pop music circa 1955 …
A few influencers (disc jockeys) share what they like with their friends (listeners) who then bought records and attended concerts.
(There’s even a GamerGate analog in Payola)
The incredible increase in free time means more and more writers but Public Schools mean fewer and fewer readers.. so yeah, it’s a mess.
Mew
p.s. Moe “Big Bopper” Lane ?
There are some small presses that are good, but AFAIK, they mostly entail writing to spec.
They also use AI to streamline the creation of cover art, which keeps costs down and turnaround quick, but I know you have issues with that.