OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn
Some of the greatest, most prolific authors of all time have found their start in one auspicious and often overlooked way – literary magazines. For those unfamiliar, a literary magazine is a collection of short stories, poetry, and editorials published to a subscriber base much like Sports Illustrated or Cosmopolitan.
Literary magazines are generally put out two to four times a year. There are hundreds of such magazines all around the world. When you hear about short stories winning awards, nine times out of ten they were published in a literary magazine. Despite, or perhaps in spite of, the indie revolution in publishing, literary magazines are still going strong. If you’ve been struggling to find an agent or publisher for your book or if you’re new to writing and you want to break into the publishing scene, then fiction magazines are one of the best ways to gain recognition and publishing credits in your bio. I'm here to teach you how to get started publishing in literary magazines.
How to get published in a literary magazine:
Step 1 – Find a target magazine
CLMP is the industry standard directory for literary magazines. If you’re committed to publishing your work in a literary magazine, you must pick up the latest edition of the CLMP directory. It is a handy resource for discovering literary magazines that fit your style. Duotrope is a digital way to find a target magazine. This site is wonderful. They have any and all the information you could ever want on thousands of magazines. Best part is, it’s searchable. Duotrope can save you a lot of time, but browsing the CLMP is nice, too. They’re both great resources and can be used in tandem. Look for a magazine that fits your genre most importantly, but also your style.
Step 2 – Read your target magazine
Magazine editors have exacting tastes in fiction. Due to the huge number of submissions they receive, they may give a story a few pages, paragraph, or sometimes even just a few sentences to impress them. That’s why it is crucial for you to read your target magazines. Read them cover to cover. Order back issues and read those, too. Not only will you enjoy beautiful writing and great stories, you’ll get a chance to see if your work fits in with this magazine and maybe learn some ways to improve your prose at the same time.
The process of publishing short stories is a stepping stone to publishing longer works. It is one that many prospective authors forego. They then wonder why their books aren’t getting picked up by agents. The rejection by agents frustrates many previously unpublished authors and they either quit writing or self-publish to no sales. Madness soon follows. Don’t be a crazy. Study your target magazine and write to please the editors.
Step 3 – Write your story
You’d better know how to do this step!
Make sure to check out the magazine’s guidelines before starting your story. Their rules may impact how you approach writing your story.
Step 4 – Send the story out into the world
This may be the most tense part of the whole process or it may not be, everyone views rejection differently. Some people get nervous about some stranger will be judging their baby–their story. Others don’t sweat it. They let criticism roll off like water on a turtle’s shell. Either way, depending on the magazine you are submitting to, you can expect one to six months before a response.
Some magazines will give you a detailed response as to why they did or didn’t accept your work, others won’t. Some magazines will not even respond. For that reason, some writers send one story or poem to many different journals. If you chose to send multiple submissions, do make sure to let the editors know. Nothing is more bothersome to an editor than a late retraction.
If your story is accepted, you will be paid for first print rights (usually between $0.01 – $0.10 a word). If they decide to pass on the story, all is not lost. It may just be that you targeted the wrong publication for your story. Go back to step 1 and try again. The process of short story publishing can often take a few tries before gaining acceptance in the magazine you want. It is a time-tested system that gets writers to think about their target audience and write for them, though. An invaluable skill in the modern publishing marketplace.
Have you had any success with magazine submissions? Or do you have any questions?
I hope you found this information useful. I am available to answer questions in the comments. Please ask away and I'll answer them as accurately as possible. And if I can't, I know someone who can. So really, ask anything.
Also, feel free to shoot me an email at Editor at eFictionMag.com with questions about a specific story. I love helping out authors. In fact, it’s my job so please don't hesitate to ask for advice, consultation, or even a place to publish. I'm not too busy for you. Best of luck with your short story publishing endeavors. Look forward to hearing from you.
He is a Michigander living in Chicago, graduate of Creative Writing from WMU where he studied under Jaimy Gordon (author of Lord of Misrule, National Book Award Winner 2010) and Thisbe Nissen (author of The Good People of New York). He works with authors in all stages of their careers as an editor and marketing/publishing consultant. You can find him on Twitter @DougLance or at his magazine's social network, Authors
Image: Flickr CC Longzero
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1 2 Next »I was first published in my local newspaper, but after that I spent years publishing in various literary magazines. I consider that experience crucial for any writer and those stories are still my pride and joy after all these years.
I would love to publish my short stories this way. How do you address the fact that many such magazines will not publish your article if it is in circulation or even being reviewed by another magazine?
The best way is to write a story specifically for the publication.
But many magazines accept multiple submissions with proper notice. Check their guidelines to make sure you're not breaking any rules.
Most of the big magazines want first publishing rights, which means that they cannot have been published before anywhere--online, offline, or otherwise.
Ah, OK! Thank you for the reply, and thank you very much for this article!
This is such a great post. I never would have thought of taking this route. I would love to get my short stories published this way.
Thanks so much!! Glad I could help.
I write Science Fiction, which has a healthy short fiction market. I've sold to magazines (and will continue to submit to them). If nothing else, those magazines will increase your readership, especially the pro-level magazines.
Sci-fi has been huge in magazine form since the pulps. Now Asimov's and Fantasy and Science Fiction are the two big magazines left. Having a story featured in a publication of that size definitely will spur sales or new connections with readers.
Thank you Doug for this post, and for reposting, Joanna. Starting with magazines is always a great way to start out. Creditability, my friends. I have a short story being considered for publication, so keep your fingers crossed.
Good luck!
Thank you, Doug.
I've taken this route, and it has helped me grow as a writer.
Which publications have you been featured in?
Hi Joanna,
I just saw this article listed in Dana Lynn Smith's newsletter. Great post by Doug! I don't know if it's too late to leave a comment or not...
I work with Christian Author D.I. Telbat and this is exactly the way he got started with his publications. In fact, he had written several novels first but he needed to back up and get some credits under his belt before he could break into the Christian novel arena.
He wrote some short stories based on the premise of his novels and was able to get them published in small journals and won contests, etc. That was a few years ago. He now has a good list of publications and awards and is about to get his first Christian suspense novel published on the Kindle. It's been a long but very worthwhile journey. As you well know! :)
Thanks Joanna for having Doug on your blog. I'm going to go check out his eFiction Magazine right now!
Thanks! Hope you enjoy the magazine!
Doug,
Excellent post with very sound advice. I was especially pleased to discover DuoTrope which was new to me and appears to be an excellent resource. In fact, I used it to do a quick search for ebook publishers, and as a result, have just had my Valerian Chronicles picked up by Double Dragon books! So good things do happen if you just look for them.
Awesome!! Congratulations! Please let me know when it is available. I'd love to be among the first readers of a book I had a very minute role in getting out there. :) My magazine would also be happy to promote your book when it is available, as well.
Actually, there are four books in the Valerian Chronicles series, with a fifth in process. They are currently available on Amazon for Kindle, but those versions will be taken down as the Double Dragon versions go up. And promotion by eFictionMag would be wonderful. I'll get you whatever you need.