Five Ways to Find Lit Mags (with all the tips, tricks, and bullshit)
Lesson 3 of 12: Sorry For The Inconvenience — A Submitter's Guide To Lit Mags
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On to lesson 3 - Where. OK, so a lot of folks had questions in previous lessons about Substack, Medium, and blogging. I have used all three to varying levels of success for many years and have a lot to say on the matter. However, I won’t include them in these lessons because I want to focus on lit mags. Maybe I could do a whole course on Medium later this year? If people want something like that. If you’re interested in Substack though, Courtney Kocak will be teach a course here on The Forever Workshop starting March 4th: Every Writer Needs a Newsletter: Launch & Grow a Newsletter to Boost Your Writing Career. She has taught for our regular workshops in the past and is a brilliant instructor. Her course will kick off the paid aspect of this newsletter, so if you’d like to take it in full, you can sign up here using Courtney’s 10% discount link. (If you are already a subscriber, you’re already signed up).
Note about this lesson: There is no way I can entirely remove my bias when it comes to where to find lit mags. I am a co-founder of Chill Subs, a database of lit mags, and I write The Sub Club Newsletter, creating lists of submission opportunities for subscribers three times a week. Of course, I think the projects I am a part of are the best. I know there are some folks out there who claim the ability to objectively analyze things beyond their own selfish bias. I am not one of those people. But I’ll do my darnedest. Here we go.
In case you missed it, here is where you can find lessons 1 & 2:
5 Ways to Find Lit Mags (with all the tips, tricks, and bullshit)
I’m going to tell you a lie. A lie everyone but writers seems to know is a lie.
“There is no money in writing!”
There is money in writing. You have it.
Some see that as an opportunity to provide a need in exchange for that money.1 Others will just try to screw you out of it. Nothing makes that more obvious than when you start to dig into the various ways to discover new lit mags. Let’s take a look at your options.
Google is a messy way to find lit mags.
Lit mag lists you find through Google tend to come from websites with no real knowledge of the industry. And their recommendations for lit mags often…kinda suck. Really? The New Yorker publishes fiction, gee wiz thanks writersbuymyworkshops.com.
They publish these lists once or twice a year because it drives SEO traffic, so they can sell you something related on their website. They pay a freelancer a bit of money to ChatGPT it for them because they are usually too busy counting all of the fucks they couldn’t possibly give. (Seriously, if you find one of these lists and don’t get a pop-up trying to sell you a course or sign up for an email list within 30 seconds, I’d be shocked.)
Worse, you often have places just changing the date on their content so it shows up when people write “2024”. This gets even worse if you start looking for niche genres because so few publish about them; it’s more likely than not that you’ll wind up with a 5-year-old list of 50% defunct magazines. Google is a dumpster fire for especially misguided raccoons.2
E.g., top 3 results for “where to publish fiction,” not including places like Reddit, Quora, or Medium —
Where to Submit Short Stories: 20 Places Accepting Submissions (Reedsy) (originally published 2020)
Where to Submit Short Stories: 30 Options for Writers (The Write Life) (originally published by another author who-knows-when)
24 OF THE BEST JOURNALS ACCEPTING SHORT STORY SUBMISSIONS (Writers) (originally published 2020)
These are not recommendations. They are thirst traps.
*The one thing Google is good for is finding acceptance rates. If you Google [Magazine]’s acceptance rate, it will tell you right at the top wherever it’s been listed.
Social media is OK for finding lit mags (if you’re the type of person who likes finding things on social media.)
This method is best for those with a community focused goal for submitting. Most magazines are active on social media. Mostly on Twitter. Growing on Instagram. Some are on Threads or TikTok (After Dinner Conversations is one of the few I’ve seen). The upside of using social media is that you get to engage directly with the editors of a magazine, gather insights, and be the first to hear about special calls (essential for lit mags like HAD). It is important to note that the number of followers a lit mag has means almost nothing. Engagement is your metric. How often are people commenting, liking, sharing, their content? A prime example of this is the ongoing mock feud between TBQ (37K followers) and Paris Review (nearly 1M). Go look at their engagement numbers. It isn’t even close.
There are a lot of free online tools for analyzing social media. You don’t have to know the super technical details, but if you plug any Twitter or Instagram in, it will give you their engagement rate by ‘%.’ A good engagement rate on Instagram is 3-5%. On Twitter, this is much lower (0.02%-0.09%). If you see engagement rates lower than these, a few things might be happening.
Sometimes, a magazine is older, popular for other reasons, and has simply picked up a lot of followers along the way that they don’t really engage with (that’d be my guess with Paris Review). But others may have such low engagement rates because they spam follow-for-follow, force writers to subscribe to submit, or (worst case) buy followers to look more popular than they are. This is the same for any industry, but if you choose to use social media to find magazines, do not get blinded by a follower count. A magazine with 1,000 super-engaged followers (commenting, liking, sharing) will get you more attention than a dead social media with 100,000. Here is a tool for Instagram you can use that isn’t perfect but is free. And here is one for Twitter.
*Something to be aware of. More and more magazines are moving off of Twitter and onto Instagram. We approve more and more lit mags every day and more often than not, they no longer share Twitter info.
Submittable’s Discover page is OK if you don’t mind fees.
Submittable (the most used submission manager for lit mags) has a page on their website that acts as a feed for submission calls. No need to go looking for it. Here is the link. Problem: Whenever there is money to be made (and there is money to be made), bad actors always find a way to take advantage. Loads of the calls that pop up are for constantly recurring contests by magazines or organizations with no masthead and enticing prizes charging silly fees. I often see the same names flooding this feed — few of them are recognizable and more still are outlets I know to be scams. Submittable is not a filtering service. They do not vet magazine calls or care. It’s not their role. Using their ‘Discover’ can be an interesting scroll, and you’ll find things here and there, but the effort/reward ratio is skewed af. Just popping over there now, and the place is riddled with bullshit calls. One is titled “ONCE IN A LIFETIME: Poetry & Short Stories (24-Hour Decision!).” There is a word for this. Hold on, trying to remember, tip of my tongue…ah, got it.
Woof.
Newsletters are the best all-around pick for those who want to learn passively & submit
There are several newsletters out there that focus on the indie-lit world but aren’t exclusively targeted toward submission opportunities. Lit Mag News is a prime example. And then there are those that focus on providing up-to-date calls based on an array of themes and factors. The two best for this are The Sub Club Newsletter (100% biased here) and Authors Publish. The clearest distinction is that Author’s Publish only shares calls where there is no fee to submit. These are pretty straightforward. You sign up; and you get emails of opportunities weekly. The nice thing about curated lists is that usually, the curator cares more than an algorithm. You’ll get more details, often those you won’t find in databases, and overall, have a better time. Plus, they are communities all their own so you’ll be able to meet and learn from other writers who are at the submitting stage.
Databases are the most accurate way to discover new magazines
The two main databases in indie lit are Chill Subs and Duotrope. As a co-founder of Chill Subs, I am obviously biased. Though, I will give my honest opinion of the pros and cons of each.
Chill Subs
Pros: Friendly, free, community-driven.
Cons: A bit buggy, less accurate contest data (for now), less accurate statistics (for now).
Duotrope
Pros: Straightforward, better sub-genre specific filters, better tracker data.
Cons Paid, somewhat hard to navigate, no community.
Databases are the best for folks who want to narrow their search or discover new listings. It’s all in your hands. You can save listings, get notifications, and schedule your submissions.
Here is a quick video for those not already familiar with Chill Subs:
What? No, I’m not going to make a breakdown video for Duotrope. I’m not that nice.
My favorite way to find magazines & the best for the health and well-being of the writing world
I think the best way to find lit mags that contributes positively to the overall health of the industry is to stalk writers. I’ve written up a free and complete breakdown of this process using a poet I like as an example, but I’ll briefly summarize it here. When writers get published, they have their lit bio at the bottom. In this bio, they tend to share their most prestigious publication credits.
Seek out writers who have a similar style to you, find their bios, websites, and socials. Read their work. Look for where their work was published. How did those lit mags treat those writers? Were those pieces nominated for awards? Was the work promoted and presented well?
Almost any question you could have about a magazine can be sussed out through the lens of how they treated a writer’s work. Design, promotion, bio preferences, length. But most importantly: style, subgenre, vibe, etc. You’ll know your work fits because you’ll know they’ve liked similar work in the past.
Most writers have websites where you can go to find more of their work. It’s not the quickest or easiest way, but I believe it leads to the best results while showing support for the community.
The easiest way to find a writer’s website: Google their name + “writer/author”.
Here is that complete step-by-step article where I show how I found prose poem publishers by stalking Leigh Chadwick.
Let’s try something different this lesson.
Tick off your response then let me know in the comments how it works for you. There are LOADS of other websites, resources, and newsletters. I know a lot of folks use Duotrope’s auto-generated newsletter, for example. Others might use a blog or website. I’m sure other submitter’s would love to hear about them.
Use one of the methods above to find a lit mag that suits your what & why. Read a few of their published works within your genre until you find a piece that makes you go, “Woah, that’s like mine but better!” If you don’t find a piece like that, maybe this magazine isn’t for you. Move on. Once you find a mag and a piece you like, see who wrote it and stalk the heck out of them. Use this to discover three new publications. Share your findings, struggles, thoughts, and feelings below.
Thank you for joining! On Friday, we’ll move on to Lesson 4: Deconstructing Submission Guidelines. If you’re new to this course, you can find the full breakdown and schedule in my introduction post.
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Resources
Since I didn’t have too many lit mag mentions in today’s lesson that I hadn’t mentioned already, I will forego the spreadsheet and share this instead because it’s super relevant and probably helpful. A while ago, I wrote up a bunch of resources for writing & submitting and shared it to our Sub Club Newsletter. Since that was a while ago, and to avoid sending you to another part of the internet, I trimmed it down to only those resources that hold value for learning about and submitting to lit mags.
The Sub Club Newsletter 👀: Sandwiched between thick-sliced newsletters you'll find spicy hit-submit parties, a farm-fresh submitter's guide, diced-up chat channels, and a profile badge sprinkled with merch & workshop discounts all slathered in special sauce & puns. Toasted to perfection.
What’s it good for? finding mags, learning about mags, and food porn.
VIBE: under a weighted blanket in a ball pit
Chill Subs: Chill Subs is a free searchable database of over 3,000 literary magazines and 1,200 writing contests, offering writers a variety of submission opportunities. In addition to the ability to filter by selectivity, demographics, response time, acceptance rates, and "vibe" of publications, Chill Subs also provides a calendar to track submission deadlines and a fun simple af tracker. Boom. Professional af.
What’s it good for? What’s it not good for, eh? eh? we suck at self-promos. You tell us.
VIBE: frantic squirrels trying to hide nuts in a desert
Lit Mag News - Lit Mag News is a resource for all things lit mag. Readers receive a bi-weekly newsletter with all the latest goings-on in the world of literary magazines. As a subscriber you will learn about new magazines, calls for submissions, contests, job and fellowship opportunities, grant opportunities, trends in lit mag publishing, as well as controversies, scams, and the occasional smidge of lit mag gossip.
What’s it good for? All the details about the ongoing goings-on in the lit world.
VIBE: no bullshit unless reporting on some bullshit
The Practicing Writer 2.0: A Newsletter from Erika Dreifus - The Practicing Writer 2.0 is a monthly newsletter created by writer Erika Dreifus, offering writers a carefully curated list of 60+ calls and competitions for poets, fictionists, and creative nonfiction writers. The newsletter focuses on paying opportunities and does not list any submission fees. (She also has tons of resources on her website)
What’s it good for? learning about writing & where to submit with friendly people.
VIBE: like having a professional writer in the family
Writers Beware: Writer Beware shines a bright light into the dark corners of the shadow-world of literary scams, schemes, and pitfalls. Also providing advice for writers, industry news, and commentary.
What’s it good for? learning about all the nefarious shit to avoid
VIBE: heroes are remembered but legends never die
The Submission Grinder: a donation-supported submission tracker and market database for writers of fiction and poetry.
What’s it good for? finding, tracking, and exploring new magazines
VIBE: how the Internet should be
Erika Krouse’s Ranking of 500-ish Literary Magazines for Short Fiction: A super useful comprehensive breakdown of the top literary magazines to submit to.
What’s it good for? knowing where you stand
VIBE: like walking through a wealthy neighborhood thinking, ‘Well now, how will I ever…’
2023 Literary Magazine Rankings by Clifford Garstang: annual Literary Magazine Rankings for Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry based solely on the number of Pushcart Prizes and Pushcart Special Mentions the magazines have received over the past ten-year period.
What’s it good for? knowing where other people stand
VIBE: knows what’s up but maybe not down
Authors Publish is a comprehensive website that offers writers a variety of resources, including articles on writing and publishing, lists of literary agents and publishers accepting submissions, and a weekly e-newsletter featuring new and established literary journals, writing contests, and more.
What’s it good for? all sorts of lit & writing-related stuff
VIBE: cool friend who knows their shit
NewPages: A comprehensive online guide to literary magazines and independent publishers, featuring reviews, interviews, and submission guidelines.
What’s it good for? finding a home for your work
VIBE: pages and pages of new pages from some real-kind folks
Duotrope: A subscription-based database of literary magazines and publishers, providing advanced search options, submission tracking, and statistical data on acceptance rates. *requires a paid subscription to access statistics or use the tracker.
What’s it good for? holding our tongues
VIBE: nom nom nom nom nom…
Opportunities of the Week: This an exceptionally useful newsletter for any writers looking to get into the pitching game for articles and nonfiction.
What’s it good for? Writers who want to freelance. Mostly for nonfiction & journalistic opportunities.
VIBE: experienced sherpa
Submittable: An online platform for writers to submit their work to literary magazines, publishers, and writing contests. They have a ‘Discover’ section where you can find current calls for submissions.
What’s it good for? Finding magazines trying to find you.
VIBE: Are you there God? It’s me…oh never mind.
Poets & Writers: A nonprofit organization supporting creative writers through grants, resources, and community building, with a website featuring articles, events, and a searchable directory of literary magazines.
What’s it good for? Accolade measuring, learning a ton, meeting other writers, and finding submission opportunities.
VIBE: fancy folk but seem cool
Writer’s Market: A directory of literary agents, publishers, and writing contests, updated annually and featuring submission guidelines, contact information, and editorial advice.
What’s it good for? Learning a ton in 2G, bookmarking, fending off home invaders.
VIBE: back in my day…
Winning Writers: A resource for writers and poets, featuring a directory of writing contests, a free email newsletter, and advice on writing, publishing, and promotion.
What’s it good for? Learning everything you could ever want to know about contests (including warnings about the bad ones).
VIBE: winning
Christopher Fielden: Short Stories, Writing Competitions, Writing Tips, Publishing Advice & Free Writing Resources are freely available here along with one of the best humor writing contests we’ve come across.
What’s it good for? Diving into a rabbit hole of TONs of lists & info for writers who want to submit.
VIBE: wild uncle who knows EVERYTHING about that one thing and is going to tell you all about it right now
CLMP: Hundreds of small publishers creating print and digital books, magazines, online publications, chapbooks, and zines, who have come together to do our work as publishers better and to organize around a shared set of beliefs.
What’s it good for? Supporting literary magazines. Submittable discount.
VIBE: lit cops
The Rejection Whisperer: OK. This one isn’t so much a resource for finding submissions, as it is one to help you manage rejections and keep going. It’s a fun indie tool and we love fun indie tools. It “translates” a rejection letter to a short snippet that tells you the core meaning. Credit where credit is due: @ArsenalOfWords (The Creator)
What’s it good for? interpreting rejection letters
VIBE: internet win
Heavy Feather Review (post entropy list) - a list of submission calls cultivated by Heavy Feather Review.
What’s it good for? finding places to submit your work
VIBE: trim & scrollable
Lit Hub: Literary Hub is an organizing principle in the service of literary culture, a single, trusted, daily source for all the news, ideas, and richness of contemporary literary life.
What’s it good for? great content that’s up to date in the lit world from industry professionals
VIBE: fine dining
Writer's Digest: A bimonthly publication that offers articles, essays, and interviews on the craft and business of writing, as well as resources for writers such as writing prompts, workshops, and competitions.
What’s it good for? an ocean of valuable content for writers to learn more about the industry.
VIBE: easy to swallow even easier to digest
HorrorTree is a free resource for genre and speculative fiction authors that includes all of the latest horror anthologies and publishers that are taking paying submissions. Thank you, @palestarsirius
What’s it good for? learning where to submit your genre stuffs
VIBE: really cool but holy fuck, ads.
Publishers Weekly: A trade magazine covering the book publishing industry, featuring news, reviews, and industry insights for authors, agents, and publishers.
What’s it good for? good for if you want to learn more about book publishing & industry news in particular
VIBE: you made it kid
Oh hey
That’s two raccoon jokes in one lit mag course for those of you counting. And they said it couldn’t be done.
Appreciate the shoutout to The Practicing Writer 2.0!
I like the tip on stalking your favorite writers lol as weird as that is to type 🤣 definitely going to try to look into my favorite writers’ past publications!!