Wow I admire how systematic and methodical you are, Devon! I appreciate you saying how most people don't have the money or time to subscribe to 50+ lit mags and read them all carefully before submitting to them. Getting a vibe from the few short stories on their website, sounds like a great idea to save time and money.
Also I realized from your section on what short stories are possible, that this is why I struggle to keep my short stories short. I'm fixated on the novelist's mindset, where I have a story problem and want a clear and satisfying resolution to that problem by the end. But short stories don't have to have a full dramatic arc, as you said. Lots of food for thought!
Submitting fiction doesn't have to feel like filing taxes. Skip the spreadsheets and the paywalls and just write the strongest work you can, send it out, and keep writing better things. The rest is just noise. If you write something that Matters it will find a place to land.
As an occasional content marketer, I think this was brilliant on many levels but here’s top two: reminder to send infant short story to trusted readers to hear the worst while you can still change it, and the link to “Lisa in the Third Grade.” I don’t know if Lisa is autistic or an alien or (of course) both, but it’s marvelous, and as proof of concept (“Who says I know what I’m talking about? This”) it’s perfect.
Thanks for this amazing resource - I have been largely winging it with my submissions and my spreadsheet is nowhere near as intuitive/useable as yours is! I was wondering if you have any thoughts or advice on whether to submit if you're not based in the States? I am from little old New Zealand and have had a couple of things published with NZ journals, but haven't braved international waters yet!
Oh, good question! I don't see why not to submit to US journals (and UK journals, but I know nothing about that market). Unless the journal has some explicit focus on US geography, I think they'd be glad to get submissions from anywhere.
If you want to be sure of this, you could always look up the New Zealand writers you admire and see which US journals have been friendly to their work.
Thank you so much for this guide. I am a writer whose novella is currently out on queries, looking for an agent and its future home. In the meantime I have written over half a dozen short stories that I am actively submitting. This guide is helpful! I appreciate it and you.
Thanks for writing this great guide! You described exactly where I'm at: have written a novel, currently querying said novel, looking to get into lit journals and gain some credentials. From the little bit I've done so far, this advice is spot on. I wish I'd kept better track of the nice rejections vs the form rejections. I have used chillsubs, but only to tell me readership and if they charge submission fees, then I go to the journal's website for more info.
This is so useful, even for a veteran short story submitter like me (hundreds of rejections, some acceptances - four last year). I've used the free version of ChillSubs and have had a few positive rejections, but I'm getting the feeling it's oversubscribed, as in that it's the go to place and therefore the places on there get many, many more submissions. I now do a bit of digging myself. I fall for the odd competition still, but hardly ever submit to top-tier. Just haven't had any luck with them, and so it feels pointless. 🙏🏼
When I started I sent everywhere (all the mags that "looked like" they might be active in my genre). A few bites, lots of rejections. I'm a lot more precise in my targeting now. with lots of repeat business. My biggest source of information on mags is the writing community (I write mostly crime fiction). I read what my buddies write and if I like the piece, I'll go see where it was published. Every year I discover new potential publishing venues that way. Oh yes, and my Excel spreadsheet of submissions is 1200 lines long - that's 10 years worth! Color coded: in progress, accepted, rejected, withdrawn, no answer, mag defunct. I'm a bit of a pack rat ... I keep records!
I agree with Nikita re Duotrope, particularly because of the data on journal response times! Also so much easier than manually building and updating spreadsheets
Thank you for this helpful guide! For your published pieces, what’s your experience been like working with different editors? Do editors tend to only make small changes/line edits or have you received requests for bigger, more structural edits?
Only once have I worked with an editor who wanted me to make significant changes to the story. Mostly, it's line edits, and sometimes they just fix a typo or two and send me a final proof! I think this is part of why the bar is so high for acceptance--most journals publish the story more or less as-is, so the burden of editing falls on the author.
nah this is too neat. should be more like
Step 1: throw shit at the wall
Step 2: bang your head against the wall
Step 3: when the kool-aid muse inevitably bursts through the wall, shoot her with a t-shirt cannon
Wow I admire how systematic and methodical you are, Devon! I appreciate you saying how most people don't have the money or time to subscribe to 50+ lit mags and read them all carefully before submitting to them. Getting a vibe from the few short stories on their website, sounds like a great idea to save time and money.
Also I realized from your section on what short stories are possible, that this is why I struggle to keep my short stories short. I'm fixated on the novelist's mindset, where I have a story problem and want a clear and satisfying resolution to that problem by the end. But short stories don't have to have a full dramatic arc, as you said. Lots of food for thought!
Submitting fiction doesn't have to feel like filing taxes. Skip the spreadsheets and the paywalls and just write the strongest work you can, send it out, and keep writing better things. The rest is just noise. If you write something that Matters it will find a place to land.
As an occasional content marketer, I think this was brilliant on many levels but here’s top two: reminder to send infant short story to trusted readers to hear the worst while you can still change it, and the link to “Lisa in the Third Grade.” I don’t know if Lisa is autistic or an alien or (of course) both, but it’s marvelous, and as proof of concept (“Who says I know what I’m talking about? This”) it’s perfect.
Thanks for this amazing resource - I have been largely winging it with my submissions and my spreadsheet is nowhere near as intuitive/useable as yours is! I was wondering if you have any thoughts or advice on whether to submit if you're not based in the States? I am from little old New Zealand and have had a couple of things published with NZ journals, but haven't braved international waters yet!
Oh, good question! I don't see why not to submit to US journals (and UK journals, but I know nothing about that market). Unless the journal has some explicit focus on US geography, I think they'd be glad to get submissions from anywhere.
If you want to be sure of this, you could always look up the New Zealand writers you admire and see which US journals have been friendly to their work.
Oh that's a great suggestion, thank you!
You are—and I don't say this lightly—da real MVP
Thank you so much for this guide. I am a writer whose novella is currently out on queries, looking for an agent and its future home. In the meantime I have written over half a dozen short stories that I am actively submitting. This guide is helpful! I appreciate it and you.
Excellent guide thanks. I'm just working on something now to send out while I've got some time away from my current in work novels.
Holy mother of resources. Thank you, thank you, and thank you!
I really loved your story, Lisa in the Third Grade! Thanks for sharing it. :)
Thank you for this guide. Such a gift for us newbies.
Thanks for writing this great guide! You described exactly where I'm at: have written a novel, currently querying said novel, looking to get into lit journals and gain some credentials. From the little bit I've done so far, this advice is spot on. I wish I'd kept better track of the nice rejections vs the form rejections. I have used chillsubs, but only to tell me readership and if they charge submission fees, then I go to the journal's website for more info.
This is so useful, even for a veteran short story submitter like me (hundreds of rejections, some acceptances - four last year). I've used the free version of ChillSubs and have had a few positive rejections, but I'm getting the feeling it's oversubscribed, as in that it's the go to place and therefore the places on there get many, many more submissions. I now do a bit of digging myself. I fall for the odd competition still, but hardly ever submit to top-tier. Just haven't had any luck with them, and so it feels pointless. 🙏🏼
When I started I sent everywhere (all the mags that "looked like" they might be active in my genre). A few bites, lots of rejections. I'm a lot more precise in my targeting now. with lots of repeat business. My biggest source of information on mags is the writing community (I write mostly crime fiction). I read what my buddies write and if I like the piece, I'll go see where it was published. Every year I discover new potential publishing venues that way. Oh yes, and my Excel spreadsheet of submissions is 1200 lines long - that's 10 years worth! Color coded: in progress, accepted, rejected, withdrawn, no answer, mag defunct. I'm a bit of a pack rat ... I keep records!
Love the guide, Devon. I'm bookmarking it to share with other writers.
Duotrope has been invaluable in my writing. It's well worth the $5 subscription. I highly recommend it.
That's cheaper than I realized! Thanks--good to know!
I agree with Nikita re Duotrope, particularly because of the data on journal response times! Also so much easier than manually building and updating spreadsheets
Thank you for this helpful guide! For your published pieces, what’s your experience been like working with different editors? Do editors tend to only make small changes/line edits or have you received requests for bigger, more structural edits?
Only once have I worked with an editor who wanted me to make significant changes to the story. Mostly, it's line edits, and sometimes they just fix a typo or two and send me a final proof! I think this is part of why the bar is so high for acceptance--most journals publish the story more or less as-is, so the burden of editing falls on the author.
Makes sense. Thanks! :)