There are a number of books and websites that give pointers and advice for aspiring SF/Fantasy authors in the UK.

First and foremost is The Writers and Artists Yearbook, which contains much valuable information for new writers in all genres about submitting work to publishers or to literary agencies for consideration for publication. You should be able to find this book (or others like it) in Waterstone's, Borders or your local public library. WH Smith also stock a number of 'how-to' magazines.

From a particularly SF point of view you could also do worse than pick up a copy of Lance Olsen's Rebel Yell (Cambrian, 1998), which describes itself as follows:

Lance Olsen's cutting-edge, heading for the millennium guide to the craft of fiction writing. Covers compositional basics right through to navigating the murky waters of the publishing industry, with innovative writing exercises and supplementary reading lists to push the power of your pen to the next level, while more than 40 interviews with contemporary authors, editors, and publishers provide valuable market insights.

... but I'll be up-front and say that I'm also the book's UK distributor (£14.95 postage paid in the UK from BBR).

If you haven't already considered it then you could join a writer's group to get feedback and support. Local groups can usually be found at your local library. Alternatively, there are postal groups such as that run by the British Science Fiction Association. You can also go to the national science fiction convention held over Easter weekend each year in different venues around the country where you can meet up with fellow enthusiasts and listen to professional authors talk about their craft. Details of this and other conventions throughout the year are advertised in Ansible, a monthly newsletter edited by David Langford about the events and personalities in the science fiction field.

There are countless potential markets out there, but you need to do some research to find out to which ones your stories might be best suited. The accepted procedure is to consult a publisher's current guidelines for submissions. You can write for these by e-mail, but if you enquire by post then be sure to enclose an SAE with adequate return postage. If the publisher has a website, then you can generally find their latest guidelines there.

Alternatively there are directories which will provide you with the latest guidelines, changes in requirements, etc, as well as giving you a feel for the market in general. Although The Writers and Artists Yearbook covers the professional markets, there are also plenty of small presses around – look out for the Small Press Guide or The International Directory of Little Magazines and Small Presses.

In addition, Light's List contains the names, addresses, price, frequency and a brief note of interests of over 1400 UK, US, Canadian, Australasian, European, African and Asian small press magazines publishing creative writing and artwork in English.

A number of websites also list current requirements and submissions guidelines, and are usually more up-to-date than yearbooks – a good place to start is www.ralan.com, which also has a "Writing Help" section full of excellent 'how-to' articles.

Good luck!

Chris Reed, BBR, 3 February 2008