Now What?

By: Kirsten Ogan

As a senior of a creative writing BFA program, I am always surprised to hear that my peers aren’t submitting their work. I’ve been proudly collecting rejection letters since my freshman year, when I really started writing short stories. While there are many reasons that seem to hold people back from putting their work out there, there are more that should propel them into filling out submission forms.

The way that I got started submitting was through a popular online platform, Submittable. They make it incredibly easy to submit, and have opportunities for seemingly every written form. An account is easy, and free, to make. They offer tags to narrow down submission opportunities by genre, timelines, lengths, and other factors. By going to the “Discover” portion of their site, you can see the journals and contests with upcoming deadlines, or search for other opportunities. Submittable is beginner friendly, and does the hard part for you.

Beyond Submittable, there is also the option of searching yourself. There are plenty of lists published online of literary journals that are accepting submissions. While these can be tedious to look through, you are sure to come up with some options. I constantly refer back to Bookfox’s “Top 100 Literary Journals Accepting Online Submissions.” The list was published back in 2009, but remains relevant and is extra handy for listing out each individual journal’s submission fees, if they have one. Reedsy has an updated list published this year that includes similar information. Further, a simple search of “literary journals accepting ____” goes a long way.

After you find where you want to submit, the process is fairly easy. Always double-check the submission guidelines to make sure that your piece fits the parameters. From there, most places will want a brief cover letter and/or a third person biography. A cover letter for submissions is similar, but slightly different, than that for a job. They are what the editors will see alongside your submission. They’re usually much shorter, and focus on prior publications, relevant education, and some sort of acknowledgement of what the journal usually publishes. Meanwhile, bios are what will be attached to your work if published for readers to see. A usual bio is just a couple sentences long, and includes education, publications, and sometimes a fun fact or location. Oftentimes, that is all the journals will ask for.

A huge factor that goes into writers avoiding submitting is the fear of rejection. It is a scary thing, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and letting strangers look at something you’ve put a lot of time and effort in. Most people think a rejection letter is a be-all and end-all of their writing career. But the truth is: if you’ve put all of that time and effort in, then it deserves to be looked at! Another truth is: even the absolute best writers get rejected. It is a badge of honor to receive the “Thank you for your submission, but…” email, because at least it got read.

In most cases, rejections get easier to receive as they accumulate, making submissions easier to put out. You can’t get published if you keep your work to yourself, so get over your fears and submit!

Helpful Links

The Adroit Journal “How to Write a Cover Letter for a Literary Journal, Magazine, or Publication” https://theadroitjournal.org/2019/08/09/how-to-write-a-cover-letter-for-a-literary-journal-magazine-or-publication/

Bookfox “Top 100 Journals Accepting Online Submissions” https://thejohnfox.com/2009/01/journals-accepting-electronic-submissions/ 

Reedsy “100+ Best Literary Magazines in 2024” https://blog.reedsy.com/literary-magazines/ 

Submittable https://www.submittable.com/