Each time I receive a rejection, I feel like I’ve been kicked in the gut. It doesn’t matter how many times it happens and it doesn’t matter how many times I’ve been published.
By contrast, when I read those magic words, “We loved your____ and we want to publish it,” the affirmation that something I wrote was “loved,” creates the sensation of a magical elixir lifting my feet off the ground. I whoop and cheer, dance around the house before reminding myself it’s just a little publication, online, no big deal. I take a seat, review my notebook of submissions and set about the task of notifying the other publications where that same piece has been submitted and is currently “pending” to let them know it is no longer available. Then I go back to work writing.
Some weeks all I get are rejections. Some weeks, I happily might receive more than one acceptance. Many weeks I hear nothing. I wait.
What I’ve Learned About Publishing in Literary Magazines
What I have learned, that I’d like to share with my fellow writers, is that you can increase your odds with some simple strategies. The most obvious strategy is to reduce the number of entries you are competing against. So much good stuff is written, often editors have to reject pieces they wish they had space for but they don’t.
* Therefore, look for NEW magazines that may have less of a following and thus fewer submissions. While you are taking a gamble that they may not last, often they do survive and within a year can be become extremely popular and backed up with submissions they don’t have time to fully read and your odds are severely reduced.
*Look for magazines that have one or two editors who run the publication rather than publications with a cadre of twenty or more readers. A publication with a scaled down editorial team means you are not being judged by an entire committee where it may be difficult to reach a consensus. That one editor may like your work, or not, but you are more likely to be seriously read and receive faster responses yea or nay.
* Honestly share personal information about yourself which makes you stand out from the herd. Publications are looking for diversity. If unique qualities about you: you worked 20 years as a sheep herder, you are a world class mountain climber, you are a great-grandmother, as well as religion, race, disability, gender identity and ethnicity may help push the odds a little towards your favor.
* To balance the score, Publications have been founded to provide opportunities to particular groups such as LGBTQ plus or people with disabilities. If you qualify, submit.
*Publications also serve specific Geographic areas. These magazines often limit their submissions to only those writers who live in a particular state or region. Use the internet to develop a list that applies to you.
* Publications have been founded to serve specific age groups. I’m an older writer. Even if I considered myself a “new voice” many magazines looking for new voices are interested in publishing twenty somethings. If you are a young writer, look for those magazines, but if you are an older writer, look for the ones looking to feature older voices. Here are six literary magazines that are specifically only publishing older writers, at the minimum over forty. Several are limited to women.
PUBLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY PUBLISHING OLDER WRITERS:
Smoky Blue Literary and Arts Magazine, sponsored by the Creative Aging project based in North Carolina encourages submissions from seniors but is primarily interested in publishing quality writing. On their website they say, “We have since our inception encouraged submissions from seniors, but we judge all works we receive without any bias toward age, status, location, or any other identification”. Check out their magazine here.
Passager Journal, located in my hometown of Baltimore Maryland was founded to provide publishing opportunities for writers over fifty. They also publish books. Check out their magazine here.
Instant Noodles Literary Magazine, published by Devil’s Party Press Ltd. Focuses on publishing writers over the age of forty. Each quarterly issue has a specific theme. Full disclosure: I’ve been published by Instant Noodles several times and am a contributing editor to their chapbook imprint Old Scratch Press. This upcoming issue, I will be the Guest CNF editor for the “Cooold Turkey” winter issue of Instant Noodles. Closing Deadline is October 15th. Other guest editors will be reading poetry and flash fiction. Please send us your submissions. Prose under 500 words)
Crone Magazine has a readership of wise active women past childbearing age and they have a number of submission opportunities for that demographic, “All submissions should focus on themes and issues of concern to women of crone age and/or for those who appreciate the archetype of the Crone.” Learn more at their website here.
Quartet Journal is an excellent poetry journal that only publishes women poets over 50. Check out their Publication here.
And finally, Persimmon Tree is a literary magazine dedicated to publishing the poetry and prose of women over the age of 60. Visit their website and find out about upcoming deadlines here.
Thank you for reading. You can sign up to follow me for free on wordpress or medium. If you are considering submitting a flash piece of CNF here is one I wrote, published by Lumiere Review, that combines place and circumstance with memoir.
Nadja Maril, Writer & Author 