How to submit your writing to magazines and journals

To preface this article, please note that this is by no means a hard and fast guide to submissions: many journals and magazines have varying standards, rules and even themes that may merit some caution.

However, as everyone has to start somewhere, here are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind when submitting your writing to magazines or journals. It can be helpful to adapt to a publication’s rules – so in this article, we’ll go over some of the basics you should expect to see when submitting.

How to submit your written work

One of the first things you need to do is find a good place where your words will slot in nicely, thanks to theme, word count or other things. Otherwise, you can prune your writing to fit, or come up with something entirely new to fit the brief. Search for lit mags with open calls on social media, pour through Google results or use a handy compiler like chill subs (one of the best resources out there, in my humble opinion!) – search far and wide to find the right home for your writing.

Next, you’ll want to be certain that your writing is ready to submit. Make sure you’ve carefully crafted and checked through your work, and cram in as much extra love as you can. This is the hardest step, so don’t rush through it – no matter how tempting! Whether or not you’re submitting work for a writing specifically for a publication or have something in the bank already, you need to be confident that it’ll do well.

Watch out for:

• Spelling (including localised differences, like British versus American English spellings – use an online tool like Grammarly if you have to!)
• Organisation (does it make sense? Is it logical – or if not, is it on purpose? Is it structured correctly?)
• Rules (does it fit the brief or guidelines? Is it appropriate? Is it formatted correctly?)
• Flair (are you proud to be associated with this work? Does it need another round of editing first?)

How to find the right submission platform

There are tons of choices out there for places to submit, and the process gets even more convoluted with rolling submission windows, seasonal themes and other general gubbins. But there are plenty of resources to use, like compiled lists by helpful websites like TheWriteLife or Angela T. Carr’s A Dreaming Skin – or even paid versions.

Additionally, to find a submission platform, you can simply just search for ‘where to submit’ or other similar phrases to find those favoured by the all-holy algorithm! Bonus points if you’re looking for something with a specific theme, or to enter a competition – they’ll pop up if you look long enough. Personally, I like the compiled lists as you can work your way through them.

Note that depending on whether or not you’ll be submitting simultaneously, you might want to carefully think about which piece goes where. If you spent tons of time on a short story piece, you may want it cooking in as many pots as possible if you want it out there fast – or, similarly, you might want to wait a while to find the perfect fit.

Submitting your work to publications

Once you’ve found a nice snug home, you’ll start the submission process! There are many ways to submit, but one of the most common ways is through Submittable – a platform made purposely for submitting documents! There are also likely different platforms you’ll encounter, but they should all be self-explanatory.

Many journals will allow email submissions, which are fairly easy to get to grips with, and free! Your work will need to be typed into a Microsoft Word document or PDF, and attached to an email. Some publications may ask for a donation – usually, this will only be a small amount, and may even allow you to get feedback on your piece. Other times, a Google Form will be used, or they’ll need you to paste your work directly into the body of an email. 

Now, you’ll want to study the instructions for submission carefully, as many publications have different preferences when it comes to formatting – or even depending on the type of piece (for example, you may need to pitch an article first). The line spacing, format of submission and many other factors will also come into play, and some harsher publications will outright ignore or immediately reject a piece if it doesn’t fit with their criteria. All in all, make sure you adhere to their guidelines as closely as possible when submitting your writing. 

You’ll need to write a short bio (as well as a well-structured submission email), if you want to grab the attention of the people looking at your work, although sometimes the bio can be submitted after you’ve been accepted for submission – or isn’t needed at all. It may also be more or less detailed, depending on the standard fare for where you’re submitting, so include some fun information about yourself if there’s space to.

Checking the status of your submissions

Keep track of your submissions – use a spreadsheet or physical list to see the dates you submitted on, places you submitted to, the name of the work you submitted or any other important information. Not only can you tally up your acceptances, but you can see when you may be able to resubmit once a journal’s ‘cool-off period’ (where they may not want you to submit for a few months to give new writers a chance) is over.

This will also make it easier when you’re letting publications know in case of simultaneous submissions being accepted elsewhere. Although it can be a little disheartening to see a whole column of ‘no’s’ (rejection is totally normal; unless you’re a magician), it will benefit you in the long run as you don’t have to scramble around wondering if you’ve already submitted something.

Submission pending!

TL;DR: when it comes to submitting writing, there’s no one size fits all answer! All publications are drastically different, and will be looking for different types of work to be sent in. They’ll also have different restrictions; such as content, word count and whether or not they’re accepting simultaneous submissions – not to mention different style guides and best practices depending on the writing submitted. Just make sure to read their rules carefully!