Ambrielle Butler

When I first started submitting my poetry to literary magazines in 2020, I had no idea what I was doing.

I spent so much time scouring blog posts, creating a spreadsheet, and tracking reading periods of various magazines. The unfortunate reality of submitting is that you will spend almost as much time sending in your material as you spend writing. So how can you make sure that you are using your time efficiently and effectively?

This is the guide I wish I had when I first started submitting.

This guide will cover some basics: helpful websites for discovering literary magazines and open calls, tips for formatting documents and cover letters, and some magazines that prioritize publishing new writers.

Where to find literary magazines open for submissions

There’s a few websites that I recommend you use to find new magazines that are accepting submissions.

• Submittable. A lot of magazines are transitioning from email submissions to electronic form submissions through Submittable, so it’s likely you will need to create an account to send your work in anyways. Accounts are free. Submittable is a wonderful way not only to keep track of magazines you’ve submitted to and their current status (every writer’s bane is the vague “in progress” label), but the discover feature in Submittable is incredibly useful for finding new magazines. You can filter by genre, reading fee, and deadline to find magazines that are currently open to you in the genres you create.
• Duotrope. You can opt to pay for an account or take advantage of the limited free version. Duotrope includes information about specific magazines and their response times, pay rate, genres accepted, and acceptance rate.
• The Submission Grinder. This website is helpful in vetting magazines and gives information about genres, payment, submission type, and response time. Their website even offers a graph where participants can mark the date they submitted and the date they received a response to help create a more accurate timeline while you are waiting for those responses.
• Twitter. I have found a plethora of new magazines simply by searching for lit mags on Twitter. Some of my favorite magazines have been new and upcoming lit mags that I wouldn’t have discovered had they not been shared about on writing Twitter. Magazines often will tweet when they are open to submissions as well.
• Clifford Garstang. Each year they create a ranking for literary magazines based on a variety of factors, including how many pieces are nominated and accepted for Pushcarts. The list is updated each year, so if you’re searching for the most prestigious lit mags, this is a good list to work from.
• RejectionWiki. This page is great for when you start receiving responses on your submissions, but can also be used to find new magazines. Users have recorded all of their rejections from literary magazines here on this Wikipedia page. Scour the list of lit mags for some new places to submit to. Or, if you’ve received a rejection, check here to see if your rejection was a form or personalized. A lot of literary magazines will also have tiered rejections; you can check here to see where yours falls.
• Bonus: Writers Beware. So this is really more of a list of magazines and anthologies to avoid. Writers Beware is a helpful site that lets you know about vanity anthologies and other scams being used to target writers. Unfortunately, not everyone in the literary world is out there to do good and there are some magazines that take advantage of writers to exploit their words for profit. A good rule of thumb is to search for the masthead of each literary magazine you submit to. If they do not have a masthead, tread carefully as the magazine can be run anonymously. Writers Beware is a great resource when vetting new magazines.

Formatting your submission

So how do you create your submission? Here’s a few tips for formatting and what magazines want you to include.

• Cover letter and bio. Most magazines will ask you to include a short cover letter and biographical statement. The cover letter doesn’t have to be long. Address it to the editor in chief or specific genre editor over your subject. Simply using their name is best if pronouns are not listed on the website. (Double check you’ve spelled it correctly. Nothing makes a worse first impression than meaning to address your letter to “Justine” but writing “Dear Justin”.) In your first paragraph, include relevant details about your submission. This can include the title of the piece(s) you’re submitting, a word count when specified, details for if the submission is for a specific themed issue of the magazine, and if your work is unpublished and a simultaneous submission. (Many magazines define unpublished work as anything that has not been in literary magazines or published on the internet in any form. Yes, social media and your blog would count as published.) Simultaneous submissions are important to note— if your work is accepted elsewhere, you will need to withdraw your piece from other magazines’ consideration immediately. Additionally some magazines will not consider simultaneous submissions and want exclusive consideration of your work. Below this first paragraph, include a brief third person bio. This can include your writing credentials, past publications, and relevant information to what you’ve submitted. Keep these brief; usually under 250 words. Make sure to sign your cover letter and include your contact information and social media handles if you’d like for them to tag you on social media should your piece be accepted.
• The actual submission. Most magazines will accept submissions formatted as a .doc or .pdf file. Put your submission in a neutral font (I usually use Times New Roman, 12 pt) and set your margins to standard 1 inch. In the top left corner, include your name, address, phone number, and email. Space 4 times below the last of your contact information and center your title on the page in all caps. In the top right corner, include the total word count for fiction/nonfiction and the total line count for poetry. Space twice below your title and begin your piece below. For poetry or flash fiction, you should include your contact information on each new poem or flash piece within the single document submission. If your work spans multiple pages, include a header in the top right corner with your last name, the title of the piece, and page number/relevant formatting for poetry (continued stanza or new stanza).
• Payment. There are many free literary magazines, but you will find that some magazines charge a nominal reading fee ranging from $3-$5. This fee usually covers charges for using services like Submittable and/or go towards paying contributors of the magazine. Additionally, some magazines will offer services if you’d like to donate to them (as a sort of Tip Jar). These services can range from expedited responses to feedback on your specific piece.
• A note on anonymous submissions. Some magazines will read submissions blindly. When a magazine does this, they will specify in their submission instructions how they would like you to format your submission. It is always vital that you read the instructions for each magazine you submit to. For most anonymous submissions, you can include your bio in your cover letter and remove the contact information from the left hand corner of your .pdf or .doc file, as well as removing your name from the title of the file you submit and the header.

Increasing your chances of publication

Here is a brief list of some tips that will help new writers to have the best odds of getting their pieces published.

• Submit early. Some magazines will not read any work until after the deadline has closed, but lots of magazines have rolling submissions, meaning that they read and accept work as it comes in. Additionally, some magazines cap submissions after a certain threshold has been met. To avoid this, prioritize getting your submissions into top magazines early on when they open for submissions.
• Read past work that the magazine has published. The best way to get your work published in a specific magazine is to know what that magazine publishes and likes. Many lit mags will have free archives with their past publications so you can read and see the kind of work they accept. You can also read their About statement to see if there is a specific genre or kind of work they are looking for. While there’s no harm in trying to get your work widely published in magazines, if you are submitting horror fiction to a magazine that only wants literary, you will not have much success. Similarly, if you write structured poetry and a magazine is only looking for free verse or experimental, you may find that they are not a good fit, and thus your time could be better spent submitting elsewhere.
• Proofread, proofread, proofread. While it’s true that magazines typically have editors who ensure that the pieces they publish are at top notch quality, nothing screams amateur more than a submission riddled with typos and grammatical errors. Make sure to get your work in the best shape possible. And don’t despair; one or two typos won’t immediately garner you a rejection.
• Keep submitting. It took me almost 6 months to get my first acceptance. The poem that was accepted had already been rejected 3 times at that point and submitted to a dozen magazines. One of my favorite poems I have ever published was rejected nearly 40 times before a magazine gave it a home. Perseverance is the name of the game. It only takes one yes to get your work out there.

Magazines for new poets

Here is a list of a few magazines I recommend to poets starting out on their lit mag journey.

• Giving Room Mag. This quirky and fun magazine prioritizes BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, and women voices. Submitting to them is free and they are a paying market.
• Red Ogre Review. This UK based magazine loves all things quirky and experimental. They are a newer magazine and are always searching for fresh voices.
• Halfway Down the Stairs. This magazine produces quarterly themed issues. Check their website often to see the latest theme! They are free to submit to and love new writers.
• Rattle. While Rattle is harder to get accepted into, the magazine offers free submissions and a wide variety of poetry categories, ranging from general subs, monthly ekphrastic, and weekly relevant news. They also are a paying market.

And there you have it! I hope this guide was helpful if you’re new (or just needing some resources) in the world of lit mags. Happy submitting!

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