Try taking a break from your big novel project and reignite your creativity with these fun publishing opportunities. They all include an interesting prompt that’s sure to fill up your page. Plus, get closer to your goal of living the author lifestyle by boosting your writing resume with some literary journal publications.
We’ve put together the perfect list of inspiring publications with November 1st deadlines.
Here’s a pro-tip on how to ensure your work gets selected: talk to a professional who understands what literary journals, writing contests and publishers look for in submissions. I can work with you on your first 5 pages. You will receive tailored feedback and feel 100% ready to publish. Drop yourself into my calendar here. Spaces are limited.
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The First Line
Who They Are: A publication of Blue Cubicle Press, they are a quarterly literary journal print publication whose mission is to help authors break through writer’s block by theming each issue around one line. Every submission starts with the first line provided for that issue.
What They Publish: For their winter 2021 issue, the first line must be “Later that evening, they sat alone in their apartment, wondering if they had made the right decision.” They accept previously unpublished works of fiction that should be between 300 and 5,000 words. They accept poetry, but not often. Critical essays between 500 and 800 words about your favorite line from a literary work are also accepted.
What They Pay: $25-$50
Deadline: November 1, 2021
Get more information and submit here.
Nimrod International Journal of Prose and Poetry
Who They Are: A regarded non-profit literary journal published by the University of Tulsa since 1956, they are a biannual publication who seek to spotlight lesser-known writers by providing them with a literary foundation.
What They Publish: For their spring/summer 2022 issue, they’re looking for works centered around the theme “What now? The future we make.” They want work that “examines both micro- and macro-versions of the future: both our futures on an individual, relationship, or family level and our social, national, and worldwide future.” They accept previously unpublished fiction and nonfiction up to 7,500 words and poetry up to 7 pages. They do charge a $3 fee to cover administrative costs, but waivers are available.
What They Pay: $10 per printed page and 2 free copies of the issue
Deadline: November 1, 2021
Get more information and submit here.
Ninth Letter
Who They Are: An award-winning, regarded literary journal published biannually by the Creative Writing Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who are dedicated to publishing excellent original writing.
What They Publish: In the winter of 2022, they will be publishing a special online edition on their website and are calling for submissions centered around the theme “Return.” They are looking for work that embodies or answers these prompts: “Can we? Should we? Have we? We go back, we give back, we turn back, we come back–we return–but to what?” They accept previously unpublished works of fiction and nonfiction up to 3,500 words (or three flash prose totaling that amount) and up to three poems.
What They Pay: $25-$75 plus a 2 year subscription to the magazine
Deadline: November 1, 2021
Get more information and submit here.
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