Are you thinking about submitting your work to a literary magazine? These magazines offer a great opportunity to publish smaller pieces, like your short story or poem, but the submissions process can often seem mysterious and overwhelming. To help you navigate this process, we’re sharing all the ins and outs of literary magazines.

What is a literary magazine?

Literary magazines, also known as “lit mags” or “literary journals,” are often associated with a university or independent literary press. They typically publish short stories, poetry, and essays—though many specialize in one specific niche. Some magazines also publish author interviews, book reviews, artwork, and translations.

Although there are several types of literary magazines, all put a focus on creative work. Their primary goal is to support writers and artists, offering a space to spotlight excellent work that otherwise would not succeed in mainstream, commercial publishing.

Who can submit to literary magazines?

Writers of all experience levels can submit to literary magazines. Most lit mags encourage both established and emerging authors to submit work. These editors want to showcase great writing, regardless of a writer’s experience. So, if you haven’t published before, you can still submit your work to literary magazines! In fact, several successful authors began their careers by publishing work in lit mags and continue to do so, including Margaret Atwood and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Most literary magazines, as the name suggests, publish strictly literary fiction. Although some specialize in genre fiction, most lit mag editors emphasize creative styles and value insight into characters rather than plot. If you write genre fiction, such as fantasy or horror, be aware that you might have some trouble finding a magazine that will publish your work. For more explanation of the differences between literary fiction and genre fiction, be sure to give our “Genre Fiction 101” blog post a read.

Why should I submit to literary magazines?

Literary magazines offer a great opportunity to gain exposure and increase your audience. Getting published in a lit mag also builds your reputation as a serious creative writer—and some even consider it a rite of passage.

Creatives do not submit to literary magazines for income. While some magazines pay their contributors, this is quite rare since most literary journals have tight budgets. In fact, some magazines charge submissions fees (that typically range from $2 to $5). Don’t worry though, plenty of literary magazines accept submissions for consideration free of charge.

Where can I find literary magazines?

There are hundreds of literary magazines out there, which means there are hundreds of potential places to get your work published! NewPages, Submittable, Duotrope, and CLMP are all great resources for discovering new literary magazines.

Factors to Consider

While you’re sorting through different literary magazines, consider the reputation and medium of each publication.

Reputation

Make sure the literary magazines to which you submit are reputable. Before submitting a poem or short story, ask yourself “would I be proud to have my work in this magazine?” For more information on determining the quality of magazines, click here.

Digital vs. Print

You may want to pay attention to medium when weeding through potential literary magazines. There are a number of magazines that publish strictly in print, while others use a digital format. Is it important that you hold your work in your hands? Or, do you want to be able to share your work online in an accessible format? There are advantages and disadvantages to both publishing media types, so decide what is most important to you.

5 Tips for Literary Magazine Submissions

So, once you’ve prepared a short story, poem, or other creative piece for a literary magazine, what should you do before you hit “submit”?

1. Find a publication that matches your style.

You need to thoroughly research the literary magazine market, and this will take time. Instead of blanketing every magazine you discover with your work, focus your energy on finding magazines that are not only reputable but that also match your creative style.

Focus less on searching for the “best” or most renowned literary magazines and more on finding a magazine that fits the style and focus of your individual work. Each magazine has a unique style, and whether or not your writing matches this aesthetic is a key factor in editorial decisions. (For example, some magazines love experimental writing, while others tend to accept traditional styles—it’s all a matter of preference.)

To understand a magazine’s unique aesthetic, review the website’s “about” page, read the submission guidelines, browse its blog and social media content, and review a couple past issues. Then determine if your piece would fit in well with the lit mag’s style.

2. Keep track of your simultaneous submissions.

A “simultaneous submission” means you’ve sent the same work to more than one literary magazine for consideration at the same time. Most magazines allow simultaneous submissions, but others prohibit it, so you’ll need to read the submission guidelines carefully.

As a note, if a publication accepts your submission, you must withdraw any pending simultaneous submissions immediately. This is a professional courtesy that prevents magazine editors from spending time reviewing work that they ultimately cannot publish.

Author Matt Bell shared a submission tracker template that you can copy to help you keep track of your literary magazine submissions.

3. Follow the instructions.

This tip sounds self explanatory, but every year tons of pieces are rejected because writers and artists didn’t take the time to read the instructions carefully.

Keep an eye out for instructions about items such as word count or narrative themes. If you don’t follow these non-negotiable instructions, the acquisitions editor is not going to read your work.

Similarly, you should regard formatting guidelines seriously. Many magazine teams will treat incorrect submissions as automatic rejections. While some editors might still read your work even if it’s in the wrong format, it pegs you as an amateur writer that is likely unfamiliar with the magazine in question.

4. Avoid cutesy bios.

Don’t overlook the importance of your author bio. Some—though not all—editors will look at your bio before they look at your work.

It can be tempting to add cutesy details to your bio in an attempt to be personal, especially if you lack publishing credits. However, be warned that many editors find these types of bios off-putting. (The poetry editor doesn’t need to know that you’re a plant mom or that you have a slight caffeine addiction.) To make sure you “fit in” with the magazine’s style, check out the author bios in past issues. For more tips on writing author bios, click here.

5. Be persistent.

Submitting to literary magazines requires persistence. Prestigious literary magazines accept less than 1% of submissions. We don’t say this to discourage you; instead we want to acknowledge that these magazines are competitive.

With that said, don’t fall into the trap of being discouraged by a rejection. Remember that many magazines are very selective, and sometimes editorial decisions come down to finding the right fit for that specific issue. Don’t be afraid to revise your work and submit it to a different magazine later on. Similarly, don’t be too shy to submit to the same magazine with different work in the future, especially if the editors invited you to do so.

Finding the right home for your work can be a tough process, so be persistent and don’t quit!