How to Choose a Literary Journal …for Submitting Your Work

If you’re writing for publication, you need to know where your work will fit. After you’ve written a short story (or poem, or nonfiction piece…), you’ll need to send it somewhere. But where? Do you simply send your work to any and all journals that have an open submission call?

Or should you devote some time to reading current literary journals? It is a good idea to look for the best fit for your writing, so you ought to consider reading a selection of journals first. Now wait… there are so many literary journals out there! So, to avoid being overwhelmed I’ve developed a system to help narrow the field when you’re just starting out. It goes like this:

Read One.

Begin with one current literary magazine. It doesn’t really matter where you begin, per se. It could be the most recent copy of The New Yorker, or you can go with an online-only option such as CommuterLit. For some ideas of current journals, check out my Story Review posts and begin with one of those. Read each piece in that issue, or a selection of pieces from that online collection, with your full attention. Take notice of anything that resonates deeply with you—character, plot, narrative style, imagery, etc. Find stories that match your personal interest and look for pieces that are similar in style or subject matter to your own writing. Bookmark those.

Find More.

Return to your bookmarked selections/pages. Decide exactly what it was that resonated with you the strongest. You’ll need to reflect within yourself to determine what that might look like. Just liking the story may not be enough—consider if the tone, writing style, or level of sophistication is a close match to your own.

Now for each piece you’ve bookmarked, read the author’s bio. Pay attention to where else this writer has been published. If the writer has a website, scope it out for a more extensive list of where this writer’s work has been published. Now you’ve found more options of journals to read.

Repeat.

You’ll need to repeat the above process at least a handful of times. Wait for the next issue of each journal to be released so that you get a clearer picture of where the managing editor is headed with the selection process. Ask questions while you’re sorting through these.

Does the journal have one theme or rotate a set of themes with each issue? Is it fairly consistent in tone or subject matter over time? Does the journal publish the same genre that I’m writing? Is the journal well-balanced, or do selections appear partisan in some way? Are there any selections in the journal or items mentioned in the editor’s message that peak my interest or give me pause? Does the overall feel of the journal reflect my personal vision/ethics/principles? Are there any areas that I see as a possible red flag? Has the journal’s masthead gone through major changes or does it appear to be a steadfast team? Is it run by a team or does the editor appear to use the royal “we” a lot? Are there any signs of sloppy or neglectful line-editing (massive typos)? Is each selection polished in the way that I’d like my own work to appear? Am I able to navigate the journal’s website with ease?

And eventually, you’ll need to ask yourself:

Is this an outlet where I want my work included?

Choose.

Eventually you will develop a set of favourite journals. This will take some time, but you’ve got time since you’re working on writing in the meanwhile and building up your own portfolio of work to send out, right?

The next step is to read each journal’s submission guidelines to become familiar with the expectations. Check when and how often the journal opens for submissions. Check for any upcoming themes, word count limits, or other parameters that could affect your work’s eligibility for consideration.

Make sure you familiarize yourself with the preferred submission method—some journals only use e-mail, while others have a specific web form on their own site, and still others make use of a third party like Submittable. You also need to read the editor’s formatting guidelines. This will include preferences for page numbering, paragraph and line spacing, and font type or size. If the editorial team is asking you to remove your name from the document, this is to ensure that the writing is judged with a degree of anonymity so that the focus is on the actual writing, not who wrote it.

While each managing editor has a different set of preferences for how the manuscript is formatted, the submission process itself is fairly uniform. It boils down to this: your work won’t get published unless you actually send it out there! So get to it, and best wishes.

For any new writers pursuing writing as a career, check out Jane Friedman’s The Business of Being a Writer. It is a good resource to start learning about the ins & outs, technical jargon, and so on. Ask questions and 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 articles, story reviews, updates, and more.

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