Simplify Your Submissions to Literary Journals

literary journals
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Today’s guest post is by John Sibley Williams (@JohnSibleyWill1).


For literary writers—especially those focused on poetry and short stories—consistently submitting to and being published in literary journals can be a crucial step in being taken more seriously by book publishers. The reason for this is two-fold: it proves that you are a serious author dedicated not just to your craft but to the publishing world, and it proves that journal editors have already vetted and vouched for your work.

You may also end up making solid, sometimes personal, connections with editors (who may publish your work regularly, invite you to participate in readings, or request interviews) and other authors (who may share your work on social media and even endorse your next book).

Although our shared literary world may seem dauntingly vast and diverse, it’s actually a rather close-knit, interrelated community of impassioned individuals doing everything they can to ensure the power of the written word not only endures but thrives across generations.

Now, we’ve all repeated the mantras “Rejections are par for the course” and “It’s all about patience and persistence,” both of which are essential reminders of our precarious creative endeavor. But how does one go about submitting? Despite the subjective nature of editorial preferences, there are solid strategies to increase journal acceptances.

The Commonly Accepted Strategy

We’ve all been told that an intimate knowledge of literary journals is essential to securing acceptances. Most writers and publishing professionals recommend that you to read a few issues of a journal and submit only once you feel confident your work matches their creative vision.

This strategy seems intuitive and straightforward, and I’d recommend it, too, if we lived in an ideal world with ample free time.

The Truth about Submissions

But let’s be honest. It’s nearly impossible to read issues of every magazine you submit to. There are hundreds of literary journals, and you may have hundreds of poems ready for the world. If you read every journal, would there still be time to write?

Added to this, literature is inherently subjective. There is simply no way of knowing if a certain editor will accept a certain poem. Personally, I can attest to having hundreds of poems accepted by journals that, on the surface, don’t seem to publish work similar to mine. But I submitted to them anyway, and it worked. Why?

At their core, submissions are just a numbers game.

Most magazines receive hundreds, in some cases thousands, of submissions per month. Many have interns and volunteers sifting through submissions, only sending a limited number up the editorial ladder. And of those the editors actually see, a select few will be chosen for publication.

So how does an author surmount that mountainous obstacle?

Submit. Submit. Submit.

  • Submit continuously. Submit everything to everyone and wait until your pieces begin to stick. They will. You just need the right editor to read them, and you never know who will be the right editor for each piece.
  • Look past rejection. Don’t worry if a piece has been rejected by countless magazines. if you believe in it and are diligent with your submission method, it will find publication eventually.

Editors call this the shotgun approach. They warn against it, and I don’t blame them. But the simple truth is, it works.

Having taught dozens of submission-focused workshops, I’ve found that the expectation inherent in the commonly accepted strategy actually deters emerging writers from submitting at all. It’s been drummed into them that “real writers” must carefully study every journal, and they have neither the time nor the industry knowledge to do so. So they feel like unprofessional outsiders and end up fearing the submission process.

Telling my students that they should simply submit, regardless of their familiarity with each journal, has met with such surprise and enthusiasm. There’s a freedom in recognizing submissions aren’t some black-and-white, ivory tower art form.

Many editors may react negatively to this strategy. As a journal editor myself, I understand why, not least because going through unsuitable submissions takes time. However, let’s consider the only thing that really matters: ensuring literature thrives. I’d rather have to look at extra submissions that obviously aren’t right for my journal (we know those works right away and reject quickly) than demand everyone study us before submitting.

My Submission Strategy

After reviewing market directories and calls for submissions (in places like Duotrope or Poets & Writers), I place all journals I’m interested in submitting to into three prioritized categories.

The top tier is composed of the top 20 literary journals. The middle tier is composed of other well-known and reputable magazines. The final tier is composed of smaller magazines without national reach.

  • I submit what I consider my best pieces to the top tier.
  • For the middle tier, I submit those pieces I am confident in but don’t feel are my “best.” If my best pieces are rejected by a substantial number of top-tier magazines, I begin submitting them to the middle tier as well.
  • I approach the final tier if I can’t gain acceptance from the top tier and/or middle tier.

I always have all unpublished pieces simultaneously submitted to at least five magazines. This ensures at least five editorial sets of eyes will see the work, greatly increasing my chances of publication. As soon as a rejection comes in, I submit those same pieces to another journal. To keep my submissions flowing smoothly, I try to avoid magazines that do not accept simultaneous submissions.

And that’s really it. What it lacks in romanticism it makes up for in productivity and success rates. I currently have 1,500 poems published, many in top-tier journals. I usually receive a few acceptances every week, along with a dozen or so rejections.

Each rejection equals another submission. Each acceptance equates to an increased chance to publish with that journal again. Multiple acceptances can blossom into an ongoing relationship. And relationships are as crucial in literature as in our personal lives.

What’s your submissions strategy? How much do you study the publications you submit to? Let us know in the comments.

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Paula Cappa

This was quite helpful, John. I am a published short story writer and always submitting to magazines and literary journals. It’s a long and tedious road to strike it right for sales and publication. One thing I wonder about is the “no simultaneous submissions” policy with a number of magazines. Many of these journals take 3 to 6 months to read and reply (some do not reply at all) and it’s seems quite unfair to authors for a magazine to insist on exclusive reading rights as a blanket policy. Honestly, I cannot support it. I think the more we writers decline such favoritism to editors, the more power we will have over our own work and options. Do you support such exclusivity for magazine editors? Your thoughts?

John Sibley Williams

Hi Paula, I’m glad the article gave you some ideas. I agree about the ‘no simultaneous submissions’ policy. It seems so obviously author unfriendly. You can’t have a story in limbo for 6 months without the ability to submit it elsewhere. I very rarely submit to such journals. There are some who quote a very brief response time (1 month or less), and to those I do occasionally submit. But I like your idea of de facto protesting the policy.

Glenn I

“There are some who quote a very brief response time (1 month or less) … ”

I have a batch out to an ezine with a no-SS policy which promises a reply in less than a month — no reply after two months! Should I withdraw the piece so I can simultaneously submit it or should I treat them with the same cavalier attitude they’re treating me and just go ahead with the SSing?

By the way, I developed a slogan for myself (and shared it with friends!) when I got back into sending work out in a serious fashion: #keepyournumbersup

I’m not as diligent about it as it sounds like you are, but I’m regularly publishing again after two decades of very occasional success.

Laura Becker

Thanks for this post, John. I’ve been wanting to submit to literary magazines for some time now, but have been overwhelmed by the sheer number of possibilities. I like your “3-tiered” approach and will try to adapt it to my needs. I also like avoiding those that do not accept simultaneous submissions; I also think that is unfair. I’m going to work on my own 3-tiered approach right now! Thank you! 🙂

John Sibley Williams

I wholly understand, Laura. It’s taken me over a decade to familiarize myself with most journals. But editorial preferences are so personal that even knowing journals intimately is sort of a waste of time. So much easier to submit like wildfire. As a writing coach, I’ve suggested this strategy to everyone I’ve worked with and it’s been universally successful. I hope it works for you too! 🙂

Kaye Curren

John, thank you for a new view on submissions. I have been doing this studying of publications and you are right. My writing time is so limited by it. The pieces I have had published were accepted without any studying at all. I’m going to try your way for a while. It appeals to my gambling sensibility.

John Sibley Williams

I’m so glad the strategy has helped you so far and that my article perhaps provided a further push to continue it. It really does work. And, to use your metaphor, it’s all gambling anyway. I’ve had poems rejected by dozens of small journals just to win a larger award. I’ve had experimental work published in journals that normally publish narrative poetry. There’s just no way of knowing. So submit wildly and frequently!

Jefferson Carter

Please, let’s stop deluding ourselves. Our motive for submitting our work for publication is NOT wanting to ensure “literature” survives, but to ensure the survival of our fantasy that we’re going to be America’s next writing rock star. How else to explain the fact that so few people read poetry and even fewer buy it?

Jane Friedman

Interestingly, poetry book sales are seeing growth—both poetry for adults and for children. It’s not being driven by literary journals or MFA programs, though. It’s the Instapoets. https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2019/03/instapoetry-rupi-kaur-genre-rm-drake-rh-sin-atticus-hollie-mcnish

Rupi Kaur, probably the most famous Instapoet, had 2 of the top 10 bestsellers in 2017 (based on Bookscan sales), both poetry collections.

Joshua

So did she self-publish or was she able to transition her work to standard publishers? Also: don’t many places charge for submission? It’s kind of daunting when you work and have a busy life and cannot afford to not work FT. I’ve had a few pieces published and it almost feels like a fluke.

Jane Friedman

She first self-published and was later picked up by a traditional publisher, Andrews McMeel.

Book publishers don’t charge a submissions fee, but some literary journals do.

John Sibley Williams

Hi Jefferson, you bring up a good point. It’s unauthentic to pretend we don’t care about literary prestige or “fame”. Individually, it’s absolutely a driving goal. It shouldn’t be why we write but it’s why we submit. Writers tend to act like ego isn’t a part of the process, which is silly. However, when I mention “ensure literature survives” I mean it in the broadest context. As a magazine editor, that is why I spend countless hours reading submissions and designing and publishing it. I don’t get paid for it. I receive no ‘fame’ from it. I lose my own writing time for it. The reason is because I love poetry and want to play a tiny role in ensuring it endures. Writing may be a (mainly) solitary act but being a part of our shared literary community is a very beautiful and essential thing. We need to support our peers, even while hoping to achieve personal writing success.

Diane Elayne Dees

I mostly agree with you, except that—in the case of poetry—there are still editors who don’t want to see formal verse, so if you are submitting formal verse, that’s one thing you do need to check before sending the work. Also, with poetry, some magazines publish a style (some of which I don’t even understand) that simply does not match with my work at all, so I avoid them. I haven’t written short fiction in a long time, but I remember submitting fiction a bit more freely than I submit poetry.

And yes, if you believe in a piece, keep submitting it. Last year, an anthology published a poem of mine that I’d been submitting for about seven years.

I, too, send my poems to about five different journals. And with online journals (my biggest interest), I send only to the ones that look attractive.

John Sibley Williams

Hi Diane,

You’re absolutely right in that some journals only accept haiku, formal, rhyming, or another very specifically structured poetry. Similarly, some do seek specific themes or only publish writers of a certain background, religion, sexuality, gender, age, etc. Reading guidelines, which we all must do anyway, usually spells that out for us. My strategy is only for the majority of journals that don’t specify those concerns.

Thom

I couldn’t agree more. Just submit as much as you can and everywhere

Carolyn Adams

The most important thing is to be SURE to read the journal’s submission guidelines. The guidelines usually state the editor/s’ preferences in topic and approach, and tell you their rules (such as not submitting to more than one category at a time if they accept multiple types of writing, and the number of pieces to submit at one time, etc.). Like John, I also generally avoid journals that don’t accept simultaneous submissions. Some top-tier or otherwise attractive journals fall into that category, though, so I make that decision on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration the journal’s stated response time. If they won’t respond sooner than 2-3 months, I don’t submit to them, because I would like my work to be in circulation enough to hit somebody’s target. And I generally avoid journals that charge a submission fee, because the vast majority don’t charge a fee. Again, that’s conditional, considering whether or not it’s a journal in which I’d really like to have my work appear.

John Sibley Williams

I wholly agree, Carolyn. One must always carefully review guidelines before submission. But the general claim of “familiarize yourself with what we publish” is rarely useful, unless the journal retains a consistent unique tone. Some really do only accept traditional forms or structurally experimental work. But the vast majority make the above claim though what they publish varies greatly in tone, structure, and theme. It’s that majority that I feel can be submitted to without intimate knowledge of the journal itself.

And I also agree about the ‘no simultaneous submissions’. I weigh them on a case-by-case basis. If one has a significant number of poems to submit, it can be acceptable to tie five up at one journal for six months.

Tyrel Kessinger

This is what I’ve been saying forever and I’m glad someone with authority had the courage to be honest about it. So sick of all that other “submission tips” crap others peddle ad nauseam.

John Sibley Williams

It seems a pretty straightforward approach, doesn’t it, Tyrel? I’m not really sure why so many editors assume intimate knowledge of their journal is a requirement. Not only is it not a requirement, it doesn’t always help one’s chances.

Rebecca Vance

Hi, John. Thank you for the article. I am trying to write my first novel and I’ve been working on it for years. I seem to have a really hard time actually writing it. I have planned it and it’s all I think about yet when I try to write I’m stuck. My roommate said maybe I should try short stories. Do most literary journals work with emerging writers? I do have a short story published in an anthology and do not have the same problem with writing short stories. Should I write more short stories before attempting a novel? Thanks for your advice.

John Sibley Williams

Hi Rebecca,

Although there’s no real ‘rule’ here as some people write a novel without attempting shorter forms, if you’re feeling stuck or having trouble moving from plan to composition it might make sense to attempt a few short stories first. Plenty, actually most, literary journals are happy to accept emerging authors, so that’s not something to worry about. Warmly, John

Marisa Garau

Hi Rebecca, I recognise your story. Years ago I planned a historic novel, but I just couldn’t write it. I then, totally disillusioned, started another historic novel, without any planning, and actually completed it after five years of researching, writing and rewriting. I discovered that I must not know what’s going to happen, like the reader, and just be open to how the story develops by itself. It was so exciting to write, and have the story tell itself to me, taking me to very unexpected twists and turns. I wrote this novel with such positive energy, that it has received very positive reviews on Amazon as if readers pick up on it. Apparently planning is not always the way to go; in my case it was killing my creativity and curiosity. So maybe start writing a new novel, just to get yourself going again, spontaneously and without careful (but stifling) planning. Just jump in the water – you’ll quickly learn how to swim and make it work. All the best!

diana rosen

WHAT ARE your thoughts about fees? I realize that journals are being dunned pretty heavily lately by Submittable, a monopoly if there ever was one (hint hint, entrepreneurs) and the sheer numbers of journals charging when they never did before is astounding. I have seen $2-3 numerous times, but $10 is not rare anymore. The irony, of course, is that few journals pay, so it’s not a gamble, it is indeed a fee-to-enter which I find insulting. As both a journal editor and a poet, your viewpoint would be interesting to note.

Nancy Nau Sullivan

Diana, I feel the same way about fees. I don’t submit to those journals either. And I do agree with John that the best policy is to submit, submit, submit–but not blindly. I like to check out the editor and write directly to him or her, read the info on the website (and if it’s a crummy website, forget it), and, definitely follow the guidelines. Competition is tough so whatever the writer can do to get a leg up helps. I’ve had success with my formula,,,Thanks for the good ideas.

John Sibley Williams

A good and necessary discussion, Diana and Nancy. I rarely submit to journals that cost more than $2-3 via Submittable. That charge is expected at this point, and it helps journals exist. Submittable costs money, as do websites, and if it’s a print journal costs can skyrocket. So small fees are, in my mind, wholly acceptable. However, some magazines charge far more, which I too feel is a questionable practice. Narrative charges $40! That’s more than a book contest.