by Annalisa Parent | Sep 14, 2020 | How to Publish, Publishing Opportunities, Writing Opportunities |
Do you think you’re destined to be the next great author of our generation? Wondering what you have to do to get there?
Many of the most talented, well-respected authors have gotten their start in literary magazines. Why?
Think of literary magazines as a sort of massive filter to select the cream of the crop among thousands of just ‘average’ writers.
The top editors and publishers in the world–the people who publish anthologies like “Best American Short Stories”–look for new authors in prestigious literary magazines, because they know that those magazines have already done most of the work for them. The literary magazine editors spend all year processing thousands of manuscripts, and have taken painstaking care to pick the very best.
That’s why getting published in a prestigious literary magazine means immediate, global, recognition as a highly-talented writer.
You can think of them like the Ivy Leagues of short-form writing. Drop Harvard on your resume, everyone will want to hire you. Drop Cincinnati Review on your portfolio, everyone will want to publish you.
So, take your shot. What’s the worst that could happen? I’ll tell you the best thing that could happen:
Overnight, you go from struggling writer to world-renowned published author.
To give you an extra edge, we hand-picked 3 magazines that just opened submissions for the year in September, which means you can get on top of the pile before you’re competing with thousands of other writers for attention.
Good luck!
Don’t think you’re ready for these incredibly competitive opportunities? Learn more about how we can help you prepare your work for submission. Hop into our calendar for a consultation call.
If these just aren’t you’re thing, no worries. We put out a curated list of the latest publishing opportunities each week. Be sure to check back here in 7 days for 3 more opportunities! Or, you can get on our mailing list to have this list delivered straight to your inbox. Never miss a publishing opportunity again. Click below to sign up.
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Who they are: This is one of the biggest names in literary journals. “The Cincinnati Review has published many promising new and emerging writers as well as Pulitzer Prize winners and Guggenheim and MacArthur fellows. Poetry and prose from our pages have been selected to appear in the annual anthologies Best American Poetry, Best American Essays, New Stories from the South, Best American Short Stories, Best American Fantasy, Best American Mystery Stories, New Stories from the Midwest, and Best Creative Nonfiction.”
What they publish: Fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry, and flash fiction. They are open to submissions from writers at any point in their careers.
Word Count: No more than 40 double-spaced pages for fiction; 20 for nonfiction; 10 manuscript pages for poetry
Pay: $25/page for prose, $30/page for poetry
Accepting submissions since: September 1, 2020
Deadline: January 1, 2021
Get more information and submit here.
Who they are: The Antioch Review is one of the oldest, continuously publishing literary magazines in America and has garnered extremely high respect among the writing community. They say: “the Antioch Review has an international readership and reputation of publishing the “best words in the best order” for over 75 years.” To be published in the Antioch Review is to be in company with some of the most influential writers, from Ralph Ellison to Silvia Plath to Leon E. Panetta.
What they publish: Nonfiction essays, fiction, and poetry from promising and prominent authors. They say about fiction submissions: “It is the story that counts, a story worthy of the serious attention of the intelligent reader, a story that is compelling, written with distinction.”
Word count: They recommend against submissions of over 5,000 words. 8,000 is the outside limit
Pay: $20/page (about 425 words)
Accepting submissions since: September 1, 2020
Deadline: May 31, 2021 for nonfiction and fiction. April 30, 2021 for poetry.
Get more information and submit here.
Who they are: Copper Nickel is a national literary journal housed at the University of Colorado Denver. Work published in Copper Nickel has appeared in the Best American Poetry, Best American Short Stories, Best Small Fictions, and Pushcart Prize anthologies, and has been listed as “notable” in the Best American Essays anthology.
What they publish: Poetry, fiction, essays, and translation folios “with a particular—but by no means exclusive—interest in work that considers sociohistorical context.”
Wordcount: They do not have explicit limits on length, but state that “longer-than-normal pieces have to earn their space.”
Pay: $30/page, along with the possibility to win one of two $500 prizes for poetry or prose.
Accepting submissions since: September 1, 2020
Deadline: December 15, 2020
Read their guidelines and submit your work here.
Is your work ready for these prestigious magazines?
Thousands of writers submit for very few publication spots–especially for prestigious magazines like these. Editors can’t–and won’t–read past your first five pages if it’s not top-quality work. If you’re unsure whether or not your work is ready, we can help.
You can sign up for our five page review here to get feedback and professional editing on your work so it’s ready to publish.
Check out how our services helped Lauren get a short story published in an anthology:
by Annalisa Parent | Sep 8, 2020 | How to Publish, Publishing Opportunities, Writing Opportunities |
Unfortunately, beginning writers often don’t get paid for their work. Publications will try to tell you that “it’s an opportunity” for you to have your work published with them, that they shouldn’t have to pay you.
While it’s true that you sometimes do have to publish your work for free early on in your career, this doesn’t necessarily have to be the case.
This week, we’re sharing 3 publications paying their authors for their work–and paying them a relatively competitive rate. Each of these publications pays $0.08/word. While you won’t get rich quick through lit mag publications alone, wouldn’t you rather publish with someone who recognizes the value of your work (and earn some cash on the side)?
The themes of these publications are perfect for those of you writing about:
- Ghosts, horror, and fantasy
- Environmental justice
- Science fiction and East Asia
Do note that the deadlines for all of these publications are coming up within the next two weeks.
Need help getting your work ready? Learn more about how we can help you prepare your work for submission fast. Hop into our calendar for a consultation call.
Deadlines too tight? Not the themes you’re looking for?
We put out a curated list of the latest publishing opportunities each week. Be sure to check back here in 7 days for 3 more opportunities! Or, you can get on our mailing list to have this list delivered straight to your inbox. Never miss a publishing opportunity again. Click below to sign up.
Get Weekly Publishing Opportunities
Who they are: Flaming Tree Publishing is an award-winning global independent publisher of fiction, art, music, and lifestyle content. They have published work for the Tate Museum and The Royal Academy of Arts and have worked in association with HarperCollins. Their imprint Flame Tree Press publishes novels and anthologies in the genre of horror, suspense, sci-fi, fantasy, crime, fantasy, and mystery.
What they publish: Their new short fiction anthology is themed ‘Terrifying Ghosts’ Their website elaborates: “Ghastly castles, haunted mansions, shadowy forests and long, dark corridors… This new addition to the Gothic Fantasy series will be packed with tales of terror, bringing together the new and the familiar, the unusual and the unexpected.” Previously published work is okay.
Word Count: 2,000-4,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word (4,000 words = $320)
Deadline: September 20, 2020
Get more information and submit here.
Who they are: Reckoning is a nonprofit annual journal of creative writing on environmental justice.
What they publish: They are looking for creative writing about environmental justice. They say “Fiction preferably at least a tiny bit speculative, nonfiction preferably more creative than journalistic, poetry tending towards the narrative and preferably with some thematic heft, art leaning away from the pulpy heavily towards the political. But the heart of what we want is your searingly personal, visceral, idiosyncratic understanding of the world and the people in it as it has been, as it is, as it will be, as it could be, as a consequence of humanity’s relationship with the earth.”
Who they publish: They are “actively seeking work from Indigenous writers and artists, writers and artists of color, queer and transgender writers and artists, and anyone who has suffered the consequences, intended or otherwise, of dominant society’s systemic disconnect with and mistreatment of the natural world.”
Word count: Up to 20,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word (20,000 words = $1600)
Deadline: September 22, 2020
Read their guidelines here.
Submit your work here.
Who they are: Future Science Fiction Digest is a quarterly science fiction magazine.
What they publish: “For this call we’re seeking science fiction stories that envision the future of the East Asia region in an optimistic, positive way. No dystopias, please. You can interpret this widely, but the theme has to be at the core of the story. It isn’t enough that the story be merely set in the region.”
Wordcount: Length: 500-10,000 words (under 5,000 words strongly preferred)
Pay: $0.08/word (5,000 words = $400)
Deadline: September 30, 2020
Read their guidelines and submit your work here.
Is your work ready for publication?
Thousands of writers submit for very few publication spots. Editors can’t–and won’t–read past your first five pages if it’s not quality work. If you’re unsure whether or not your work is ready, we can help.
You can sign up for our five page review here to get feedback and professional editing on your work so it’s ready to publish.
Check out how our services helped Lauren get a short story published in an anthology:
by Annalisa Parent | Aug 31, 2020 | How to Publish, Publishing Opportunities, Writing Opportunities |
Want to make money writing, but tired of dealing with agents and publishing houses?
Here’s an idea: submit your work to writing contests.
Writing contests are great ways to get paid for your writing without having to navigate the complicated world of publishing houses and agents.
You submit your work, if it’s good enough, you get published and paid. That simple.
But which are worth submitting to? How do you find high-paying, respectable contests?
An agent in our network passed us these three contests that pay well and are published by highly-respected organizations and journals. Check them out below.
Deadline too tight? Not the themes you’re looking for?
We put out a curated list of the latest publishing opportunities each week. Be sure to check back here in 7 days for 3 more contests! Or, you can get on our mailing list to have this list delivered straight to your inbox. Never miss a publishing opportunity again. Click below to sign up.
Get Weekly Publishing Opportunities
Who they are: Gulf Coast is a nationally distributed journal of Literature and Fine Arts housed within the University of Houston’s English Department, home to one of the US’s top-ranked creative writing programs. Gulf Coast differs from many other literary journals in its commitment to exploring visual art and critical art writing.
What they publish: For this contest, they will accept a variety of creative approaches and formats to writing on the visual arts, including exhibition reviews, thematic essays, and scholarly essays.
Word Count: Up to 1,500 words
Prize: First prize: $3000; Runners up (2): $1,000
Deadline: September 15, 2020
Submittable link: Click Here
More info and guidelines: Click here
Who they are: Casa Africa is a Spanish government organization which aims to promote “good understanding and trust between Spain and Africa, and strengthen” Hispano-African relations through dissemination, educational and cultural activities. They run an essay contest each year.
What they publish: For this contest, they want essays on climate change, its effects on the African continent, future trends and, especially, the way in which this threat is being fought. The essays may be presented in any of the following languages: Spanish, English, French or Portuguese.
Word count: 15,000-20,000 words
Deadline: September 17, 2020
Prize: €2,000
Read their guidelines and submit your work here.
Who they are: Dzanc Books is an award-winning independent press and non-profit 501(c)3 organization committed to outstanding fiction and nonfiction. Their mission is to “advance great writing and to impact communities nationally with our efforts to promote literary readership and advocacy of creative writing workshops and readings offered across the country.”
What they publish: They have several open contests:
- the Prize for Fiction, which recognizes novels that are daring, original, and innovative, and offers a $5,000 advance and publication;
- the Short Story Collection, which seeks well-crafted and powerful book-length collections and offers a $2,000 advance and publication;
- This year, we will offer a Diverse Voices Prize, seeking book-length literary fiction and nonfiction from writers in minority, underrepresented, or marginalized communities. The Diverse Voices Prize offers a $3,000 advance and publication.
Prize: $5,000, $2,000 and $3,000
Deadline: September 30, 2020
Read their guidelines and submit your work here.
Is your work good enough to win these high-stakes competitions?
With big prizes comes big competition. Your work needs to be airtight if you want to even think about winning. If you’re not confident that your work is ready, we can help.
Run your work by an experienced writing coach and get professional feedback and editing so you can submit with confidence. Learn more about how we can help you prepare your work for submission and hop into our calendar for a consultation call.
Check out how our services helped Lauren get a short story published in an anthology:
by Annalisa Parent | Aug 25, 2020 | How to Publish, Publishing Opportunities, Writing Opportunities |
Do you have a story or an idea about this crazy year that you want to share with the world?
As we try to make sense of all that has happened in 2020, writing is experiencing a kind of renaissance. According to The Guardian, a recent study found that adults in the UK have almost doubled their time spent reading this year. 
And more reading means more opportunities to publish.
In many ways, it’s a good time to be a writer.
People want to read about how others are experiencing the global pandemic. They want to learn about social justice and hear stories from new perspectives. Future historians are sure to spend lifetimes studying the moment we are living through right now. The writing that is published today will one day become vital primary sources, quoted in textbooks, and memorialized in museums.
Share your story, go down in history, and add a publication your portfolio.
Here are three publications publishing stories, memoirs, essays, poems, and artwork about the coronavirus pandemic and global social justice movements. Deadlines for some of these are at the end of August 2020, so hop to it!
Deadline too tight? Not the theme you’re looking for? We put out a curated list of the latest publishing opportunities each week. Be sure to check back here in 7 days for more submission calls! Or, you can get on our mailing list to have this list delivered straight to your inbox. Never miss a publishing opportunity again.
Who they are: Journal of the Plague Year was founded in 2020 by renowned American environmental journalist Susan Zakin. They publish writing about the COVID-19 pandemic in an effort to understand, document, and react to this unprecedented time.
What they publish: News articles, letters, memoirs, essays and poetry about coronavirus.
Pay: As a new journal, they are not currently offering pay, but state that if they get enough donations they “may change that policy.”
Read their guidelines and submit your work here.
Who they are: “Superstition Review is the online literary magazine published by Arizona State University twice yearly in May and December.”
What they publish: Art, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. For this issue, they want work about social justice. Pieces should “promote inclusion and explores new ways to dismantle racial and social inequality.”
Deadline: August 31st, 2020
Word count: Up to 4,000 words for fiction and nonfiction.
Read their guidelines and submit your work here.
Who they are: This is a journal about nursing, but they pay for personal essays.
What they publish: “Personal stories exploring any aspect of nursing, health, or health care. While many are accounts of memorable nursing experiences, we also welcome the patient perspective, as well as that of other health care professionals.”
Word count: 800-850 words
Pay: $150
Read their guidelines and submit your work here.
Want professional editing and feedback before submitting? Run your work by an experienced writing coach. You can sign up for our five page review here so you can submit with confidence that your writing is in tip-top, publishing-ready shape.
Check out how our services helped Lauren get a short story published in an anthology:
