Submitting to Literary Magazines: Tips and Tricks
‘Aim for 100 rejections a year!’ - They.
‘For writers, rejection is a way of life!' - also They.
‘If you’re not getting rejected, you’ve probably never been accepted either!’ - They drones on.
They say a lot of things, and, honestly? We have to agree. Let’s face it, you’ve got to be submitting to be published, and even if you’ve written the next [insert wildly successful title here], it’s most likely going to be rejected a lot of times before it finds its home.
Sure, we all know it’s the only way to get that coveted acceptance letter, but how does one go about submitting? What’s the best, most practical way to go about it? For those writers who have written something they’re proud of and hope to see it in print someday, we’ve put together some tips and tricks to get you started.
Edit, Edit, Edit!
Unless you want everyone and your mother to think that you don’t understand how apostrophes work, then you’re gonna have to do more than one quick edit. Comb through your work thoroughly for errors, have someone else look at it, read the whole thing aloud to yourself more than once no matter how much your cat seems to judge you for it. It also helps to put it away for a bit and come back later. You know, fresh eyes.
We of all people understand that the odd typo can slip through no matter how diligent you are, but submitting a well-edited manuscript can often be the thing that tips the scales in your favour. No matter how much someone loves a story, if they see that it's riddled with mistakes, they aren't going to accept it. Submitting a well-edited, mistake-free short story or poem not only immediately increases your chances of acceptance, but it also shows the journal your commitment to professionalism and saves you from the guilt you’ll feel if a simple error gets printed and you can’t take it back.
Submission Guidelines: FOR THE LOVE OF all things, FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES!!!
Speaking of professionalism, nothing irks a magazine [read: us] more than receiving submissions that completely disregard the guidelines provided on its website. Guidelines are typically very clear and simple to follow, so give the submissions page a quick read through and make sure you follow the parameters.
It not only helps editors maintain an organized tracking system so that no submission accidentally goes unread, but following the rules can also save you from immediate disqualification. For example, if a magazine has a submission management system and you decide to email them instead, your work may not even get read (the editors might kindly remind you of the submission requirements so you can try again, but that’s only if you’re lucky).
Many magazines judge work blindly during the selection process to give everyone a fair shot, so, if that’s stated clearly on their website, please remember to keep your name off of the actual document. For integrity!
Protecting your work
This one is very important: BE WARY OF SCAMS.
As the artist, you own the copyright to your work by default. Most legit publications and contests only ask for first serial rights (the right to be the first publisher to publish your work), and you should never, ever, submit somewhere that asks for anything more than that. Protect yourself and your art, read the fine print!
Simultaneous Submissions
There are a lot of people submitting their work. And you know what a lot of submissions mean? It can take the editors some time (read: as long as six months) to sift through all the work they’ve received before they are ready to make their selections, especially if they are a household name. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, you know? Yeah, we totally get the laws of physics. I think.
Even as a small literary press, we get a substantial number of submissions with each submission window, and once that window closes, we work as fast as we can to send out our acceptance and rejection notifications within two months. A lot goes on behind the scenes.
So, what should you do? Wait half a year to hear back from one place before sending your poem or story somewhere that’s a better fit? No, that’s no way to live. You know that, we know that, and most literary magazines understand that too. Just about all of them have a note in their terms and conditions that say simultaneous submissions are A-OK as long as you notify them if your work is picked up somewhere else (always double-check though, because some magazines are not so merciful).
To stay on top of this, we recommend keeping a pretty little list somewhere (like in a spreadsheet or a special notebook) to track important submission details, to include:
Publication name
Title of the work(s) you sent
Date of submission
How you submitted (Submittable, Email, Real Mail, etc.)
This list will prove very useful for you in the long run. Not only will you know who to notify if you need to withdraw something, but it can also save you from accidentally submitting the same stuff to the same place twice. Not that that’s ever happened to us.
Finding Magazines
Are you one of those people who gets really dizzy when a restaurant menu has 6 pages and 34 options? And then, after you order, you worry that you should’ve gone with the hamburger instead of the pizza? And then, when you finally get your meal it’s actually pretty good but when they ask if you want to see the dessert menu you run screaming from the premises?
Option paralysis is a very real thing, and there are so many publication options out there that it can be overwhelming to decide where to submit. There are the household names and the university presses that everyone knows about, and then there are the independent magazines, passion projects, e-zines, themed submissions, and a steady stream of contests popping up throughout the year. These are our tips:
Tip #1. You don’t need to go big to go home.
If you want to send your work to some of the big dogs like The New Yorker or The Paris Review, then, by all means, submit away! It’s absolutely within your rights and hey, it never hurts to take a chance. However, the competition at these magazines is fierce, and they typically don’t accept first-timers.
For the most prestigious magazines, it helps to have a solid publication history, which is a big reason why submitting to places like Silver Apples Magazine (shameless plug alert!) can be a good way to build your reputation and get your work out there.
Another option is to submit your work in tiers—if you have the time and patience, start submitting to magazines at the top of your list and wait for their responses before submitting that work to other options.
Tip #2. Zone in
You have your work ready to go, and you know it better than anyone else. Use this knowledge to look for lists of magazines/contests that cater to your particular style, genre, and desires. There are countless lists of literary magazines that have been compiled by helpful writers across the inter-webs, so we compiled a little list of these lists just to show you what’s out there:
Tip #3. Follow your favorites
Social Media is an increasingly useful tool for writers, especially the Twitterverse. Use your account to follow publications you are interested in, and subscribe to their email list to stay up to date on submission and competition announcements.
The Cover Letter and The Bio
Keep both of these simple, short and sweet. You’ve put in the time and effort, so trust in the work and let it speak for itself.
PRO TIP: You don’t need to write a new cover letter and bio for every submission. Keep templates on file to save you some time and energy.
Your cover letter should:
(a) address the editors
✔ “To the editors at [magazine name]…”
(!!!) bonus points if you can find a specific name
✘ “Dear sirs…”
(b) briefly tell them what you’re submitting
✔ “Please find enclosed [#] poems for your consideration.” / “Please find enclosed my [#]-word short story, [title] for your consideration.”
✘ “I have submitted [title], a short story about the struggles of a young boy as he navigates adolescence in an unforgiving world and yadda yadda [explains the entire plot].”
(c) thank them for their time
✔ “Thank you in advance for considering my work.”
✘ “Please accept my story PLEASE, will you? I could really use the validation, please pick me please.”
(we have to hold ourselves back on this one)
For your Bio:
If a journal asks for a biographical statement, well, we’ve got some exciting news for you. Writing a bio is probably the only opportunity you’ll ever have to refer to yourself in the third person without your loved ones whispering worriedly behind your back.
Try to keep it to about 50 words or less, and you can go as professional or as quirky as you’d like (you know which one we prefer). This is your chance to promote yourself! You can include where you’re from, what you do for a living, something strange that you’ve done or are into.
If you have been published or shortlisted multiple times before, it can be tempting to list every single success, but this can dilute your bio on the whole. As a general rule of thumb, list up to three of your most recent publications, or the ones you’re most proud of.
After Submission
Once you have submitted, there’s not too much else you can do but wait. We know this period kind of sucks, but please trust the process! Legit magazines aren’t ghosters, and they will get back to you as soon as they can. When they do, it’s going to go one of two ways.
Acceptance (!!!) Go you, and congratulations on finding a home for your creative darling! Remember to thank the editor and withdraw your piece from other places you’ve submitted, then go and do whatever it is you do to celebrate!
Rejection, served three ways If your piece doesn’t fit with the magazine you’ll get (a) a generic email thanking you for your submission and wishing you luck elsewhere or (b) a personal email from the editor or some higher-up telling you how much they liked the piece even though they couldn’t accept it this round. In either case, the best thing to do is KEEP SUBMITTING! You never know, the magazine that wants your story might be waiting just around the corner.
With these tips, you should be good to go! We wish you the best of luck as you venture out into the wild publication yonder!
Yours Faithfully, Silver Apples Magazine