Literary Journals

Scenario:  You’ve written short stories and poems and don’t know what to do with them.  You’ve probably assembled them into a collection at some point and submitted them to agents or editors.  You’ve also accumulated enough rejection slips to wallpaper your office.  (Don’t laugh—writers really do this sometimes, and the extra layer of paper makes great insulation on cold December nights.)

 

So what do you do with your work?  Put it in the bottom desk drawer and forget your dreams of publication?  Grow irritable with your spouse and children while you put on a few extra pounds?  No.  Buy some more ink or toner for your printer and start to publish in literary journals.  No, you won’t get rich—payment usually comes in the form of free copies of the volume you’re published in—but many great writers have started in the minor leagues.  And believe it or not, many very well known writers still publish in these journals, even the very small ones, because they realize that it’s important to keep these journals afloat.  Stephen King is just one example of a writer who hasn’t forgotten where he got his start.  There’s a lot of talent out there, and legion are the literary agents who scour these journals to find emerging talent.

 

Ah, I see I’ve gotten your attention.  Yes, it’s a form of paying your dues, but it can also yield big dividends if you’re willing to stick with it.  If you one day submit a novel to an agent or publisher, don’t underestimate the street cred you’ve earned by fishing the waters of large and small literary journals.  Agents like to see people who have taken the time to hone their craft.  To them, it indicates that you’ve learned how to please professionals, editors and publishers who don’t just publish anything, even if they don’t have wide distribution. 

 

It doesn’t matter if you start out submitting stories to the Skinny Loon Poetry Journal or the Anything Goes Short Story Collection for Senior Citizens.  Keep rolling up the credits.  Go from the smaller journals to the larger ones.  Never turn your nose up at publication.  And here’s the good news.  These journals are very accessible, although some are, admittedly, rather exclusive when you start talking about The Southern Review or Prairie Schooner.  Sure, some journals only have a circulation of 100-500, but so what?  Your work is being read!  You’ve now got bragging rights and can speak with authority at cocktail parties when you tell people you’re a writer. You can always submit to larger, more prestigious journals as you go along, but enjoy the journey.

 

But where to submit?  Just go to the closest bookstore and buy the Novel and Short Story Writer’s Market or Poet’s Market by the editors of Writer’s Digest.  If you have talent, you’ll start to get some acceptance letters, and that, my friend, is worth the price of the ride.