It’s September, and that means a lot of my writer friends are gearing up their submissions to literary magazines, many of which close to submissions over the summer. Many of us have our favorites, but for writers who are just beginning to submit their work for publication, figuring out WHERE to submit can be daunting.
It’s important to know where your work fits and which magazines publish that kind of work. You wouldn’t send a short story to a magazine that publishes only poetry, and you probably shouldn’t send a realistic story to a magazine that publishes only speculative fiction. Know your own work, and know the market.
How to know the market? There are resources available, including Writers Market, Poets & Writers, NewPages, and Duotrope. One of my favorites has always been the listserv run by Allison Joseph: CRWROPPS.
And then there’s my Literary Magazine Ranking. This is a list I update every year based on the Pushchart Prizes. I originally created the list several years ago to help guide my own submissions. Many people find it helpful.
These resources are just starting points, however. The best way to know the market is to read widely. Subscribe to magazines, if you can, or seek them out in libraries. And good luck with your submissions!
