on Publishing … and Other Forms of Insanity:

This is your year to get published!

Conveniently, I just happen to have a list of literary magazines that want your work – and will pay for it.

If you are wondering how I came across this magical list, I took advantage of Duotrope’s one-week free trial to search for every paying literary magazine in their database. (And they banned me for doing that – FOR LIFE! I took a hit for the team.)

Submission strategies

This table is a bit daunting, but you can simplify your task by making a list of all the places you intend to submit. (Make a separate list for each story or article.) As you submit, make sure to keep track of where, when, and how you submitted (i.e. email, Submittable, online form, etc.).

If you want to get published fast, start with the magazines that accept simultaneous submissions, and submit to all of them. Once your work is accepted, don’t forget to withdraw it immediately from the remaining magazines. (If you have used Submittable, this is very simple. Just click “Withdraw.”)

I suggest you start with the pro markets. These are harder to get into, but if you get published in a prestigious magazine it will establish you as a serious writer.

Save the magazines that take reprints for last. You can submit to those after your story has been published elsewhere.