If you agree to pay a fee for your work to be considered for publication, how much is too much? Is a couple bucks okay? What about if that “couple bucks” is listed in a foreign currency and so is actually more like five dollars? What if there are added feedback charges, or if the journal presents you with a tip jar option? Does the prospect of paying submission fees motivate you to produce higher quality work? Or do you submit the same work that you’d send a place that doesn’t charge?
So many questions! In this article, I’ll talk about areas where a writer may be asked to fork out cash just for work to be taken into consideration. I’ll also include some tips to help you navigate the submission process without having to pay fees and while being alert for signs of potential scams.
Literary Journals
I’ve heard several points given as attempts to justify charging a submission fee. Some say that the journal needs to collect money to cover operational costs, such as maintaining its website. Others will point out that it is justified because the journal’s team has chosen to make use of a third party submission manager that comes with a set of fees of its own, thus the writer should assist with covering a portion. I have also seen journals claim to “give feedback” with submissions and therefore need to charge for the time taken to provide comments. And my personal favourite “justification” goes something like: a couple dollars is approximately equal to the postage and handling that a writer would need to pay before everything went digital, so that makes it okay. Right. Do you find all of these positions to be reasonable?
Quite often, those are scams. Or at the very least, poor business practice. You can avoid a good number of submission scams by following the advice I shared in my previous article How to Choose a Literary Journal. Following this process will assist you in locating more legitimate outlets for your writing. Beware participating in the “spray and pray” method of responding to any and all open submission calls listed on a database such as Chill Subs, CLMP, or Submittable.
Ask questions and spend time researching each journal before reaching out. For example, does the journal appear to support its own operational costs by selling ad space, maintaining a regular subscription-based readership, and selling merchandise? Or does it seem set-up to charge its contributors? Does the journal actually pay its contributors, or at the very least send a free contributor’s copy, upon publication? Or does publication acceptance grant you the “opportunity” to pay money for a copy of your own work?
Paying to submit your work to a literary journal is rarely justified. The long-standing journal The New Yorker doesn’t charge for submissions. And being a beginner is no excuse, either. Newly-formed journals such as Cool Beans Lit, Quibble Quarterly, and Taco Bell Quarterly have found their own methods for covering operational costs while accepting submissions without a fee. Look for editorial teams that are serving the literary community first and foremost rather than ones that appear to be squeezing a dime/dollar/fortune from struggling beginners.
Contests
Now, I gave a general overview of Why Participate in Writing Contests previously on my blog. In that post, I explained that the primary function of most contests is to serve as a fundraiser or subscription drive. So, naturally there would be an entry fee. That being said, it is possible to find free contests.
Blank Spaces Magazine, for example, runs a quarterly write prompt contest (open to Canadians-only) that has no entry fee. If your story makes it to the shortlist, you’ll receive feedback from the judging panel. How is this possible? Well in this case, the contest is run purely on volunteer power, and there is no cash prize. The winner receives publication and a free copy of the issue in which the winning story appears. It’s a decent way to get started.
If you write poetry that tickles the funny bone, there’s Winning Writers’ annual Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest. There is no entry fee, and you can submit a previously-published piece. The name is derived from David Taub’s investigation of a poetry publication scam where he submitted nonsense verses just to see what would happen. Beware contest mills where your work “wins” you the privilege of paying money for anything. David Taub’s “wins” came with the opportunity to pay not only for copies of the publication, but to also have his artist’s profile included… for an extra-added fee! Yikes.
Magazines
If you are interested in writing for a magazine (or newspaper), the usual procedure is to contact the editor to pitch a story/article concept. It is unusual to send a fully written article for consideration in the same fashion as a literary journal. That being said, you may need to have a few items already published or available to read on your website as samples for the editor to see.
Pitching to a magazine should never involve creating an account or paying an access fee—you only need the email address for the managing editor or subject-specific editor. Compose a story pitch of about 250-350 words and send it off. You detail the basic story (concept, not summary), highlight why it is relevant (sell it!), and give a convincing reason (or set of reasons) as to why you are the best choice of writer for this story. If your idea is selected, then you will receive more specific information about expectations (word count, deadline, etc.) with the editor’s response. Then you write it.
Submitting Manuscripts (i.e. Full-length Novel)
If you are seeking a literary agent, the number one thing to watch out for is whether there’s a reading fee. No, a serious literary agent never charges a fee. The reason a writer signs with a literary agent is so that person can handle the publishing end of the spectrum on the writer’s behalf. An agent makes commission from book sales. For more details on this process as well as potential warning signs, check out this Writer Beware article.
You might decide that a small press is a better fit for your manuscript. Or you may decide to explore the self-publishing route. In these cases, you don’t need a literary agent—you take care of the publication negotiations, liaise with an editorial team, and hire a marketing consultant or look after that side by yourself altogether. This complicates things a little more than seeking representation by an agent; however, you should not need to pay thousands upfront just to start the process of publication.
A couple years ago, I bumped into an old acquaintance who was a hopeful author of children’s books. She was excited to share the news that she acquired a hybrid publisher who was going to look after “blasting” advertisements worldwide…at the “bargain” of her entire savings—about ten thousand smackaroons. When I asked about the manuscript, it turns out she hadn’t actually finished writing one and still needed to take care of the editing process on her own after that. What a pickle! Check out some of the common warning signs that Writer Beware has listed on the subject of small presses before you dive-in like she did.
Do you have a submission fee story to share? Start the discussion by sharing your comments below. Stay tuned for my next blog post. Wanna get it in your email inbox? Subscribe to stay informed of my newest interviews, story reviews, updates, and more.
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Pauline Shen 