All the Submissions Resources
Welcome to my compendium of submission resources! Here are the steps I take before, during, and after submitting creative work, helpful links to resources, and a template cover letter for you to use.
If you’d like more structure in the form of writing deadlines, feedback, and answers to your more specific submission questions, join us in Writing Behind the Scenes for closer writing accountability.
Read on and happy submitting!
Steps to Submit
Figure out your 'why' - why do you want to share your work?
To have a beautiful home for your writing, in print or online
To connect with others who have a shared experience
To invite others into a unique experience
To be a part of a literary community
To amplify your own faith in your work
Finalize your piece(s)
imagine reading them out loud/read them out loud
print them out/change the font
have trusted (and honest) readers do a final check
Decide on where to submit
Start a running list of mags you admire
cool website
beautiful print issue
recommendations from friends
your favorite writers were published there
Check on upcoming deadlines or themed issues
Submittable discover page
twitter/instagram for themed issues
Actually read the mags - sometimes they turn out to be not as aligned with your vision even if they're prestigious, sometimes they are doing super interesting experimental stuff
Do they pay?
Do they nominate for awards such as the Pushcart, Nebula, Best of the Net, Best American?
Decide on how many submissions to send out
Simultaneous submissions (yes!) - you send the same piece(s) to multiple lit mags. Whenever your piece is accepted, be sure to alert the other mags you submitted to so they can remove it from consideration.
make sure that you would be truly happy if your piece ended up at any of these places, because an unexpected mag might be the first one to respond and snap up your piece. If you prefer one mag over the other, then do tiered submissions
Tiered submissions (yes!) - you submit to your favorite mags first, then only after they have all rejected the piece, you send it out to another round of mags that are your second choice (but still good!)
Multiple submissions (no!) - sending different pieces to the same literary magazine before you have heard back from them or within the same submissiosn period
Submit!
read the submission guidelines
is there a submission fee?
money always flows to the writer
is there payment if accepted?
simultaneous submissions allowed?
if not - is their response time very quick?
filetype for submission? (doc, pdf, copy paste?)
do you include your name on the doc or remove it?
do you need a bio?
how many poems can you submit at one time?
what is the word count minimum and maximum?
average response time/when to query about a piece (default is three months)
Keep record
what pieces you submitted
where
when (so you know when to query)
Wait - Write - Read
if it's been three months, or longer than the mag's stated response time, email the editors a polite query asking about the status of the piece, and let them know when you sent it
Receive a response
rejection
it's not personal
have other things out on sub - this wasn't your only shot
you already have a baseline belief in your work, nothing can send you below that, you can only go up
personalized rejection - submit again!
acceptance!
notify any other mags who are considering that piece
CELEBRATE!
Promote your work!
tell your friends and family
post on social media
add this new publication to your bio
make a website with links to everything
Keep going
drop singles before the album: poems -> chapbook, short stories -> a collection
you may get solicited for work from mags, so make sure you have some sort of contact form or way to reach you
let past pubs know about your new successes — they love celebrating and promoting you!
Resources:
Submittable Discover - to find upcoming deadlines and opportunities
Submission Grinder - free market database/submission tracker
Duotrope (paid subscription) - a behind-the-scenes look at lit mag stats, and a way to track your own submissions
SFWA Qualifying Markets for Speculative Fiction - a list of publications that pay at or above qualifying rate ($.08 per word)
Rejectionwiki - to see if the response you received from a lit mag was a personalized rejection or a general one
Writer Beware - to double check if a magazine or publisher is legitimate
Literary Magazine Rankings - an interesting list, updated each year, taking into account which lit mags nominate for awards and other criteria
Some excellent newsletters from folks who regularly put together new submissions calls:
Cover Letters:
this submission(title, genre, wordcount)
your mag (I liked x, or hope it’s a good fit)
me (any relevant writing creds/story related experience)
Example Cover Letter:
Dear [Editor Name/Editors],
I hope that “[story name],” complete at [wordcount] words, is a good fit for your magazine.(I recently enjoyed [storyname] from your latest issue) I write [genres] and I have recently completed [writing class]. (I have been a [story-relevant profession] for [x] years, which inspired this story).( If accepted, this would be my first publication.) This is a simultaneous submission, and I will be sure to let you know if it is accepted elsewhere.
(content notes for this story: violence, abuse...)
Thank you for your time and consideration,
[name]
(pronouns)
(3rd person bio under 50 words)
And that’s all you need! Get submitting!
Join us in Writing Behind the Scenes for video lectures, workbooks, and more in-depth advice on submitting and evaluating your work.
