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Does It Matter When You Submit to a Lit Mag?

Part 3 of the 'Swimming lessons in the Slushpile' Series with Benjamin Davis

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Benjamin Davis and The Forever Workshop
Jan 21, 2026
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Art by Mariam Chagelishvili

Welcome to lesson #3 of Swimming lessons in the Slushpile with Benjamin Davis. Learn more about this workshop and find upcoming lessons here. This week, we’ll learn how to use timing as a tool to up your chances of publication.

Does It Matter When You Submit?


Submitting to lit mags is the homework of the writing world. Since we’re an industry that most sane human beings already consider homework, that’s saying something.

And I hate homework.

So, like a lot of folks, I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time procrastinating about writing by looking for ways to game the submission system.

A big one for me has been about saving time: How can I get the best results with the least amount of time spent?

So, let’s see what we’ve found across thousands of lit mags on Chill Subs that might help us find some.

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