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Craft Chat Lit Mag Resources

Sedayne

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Following a conversation prompted in Clare's Submitting to Agents thread, I thought it worth a thread for stuff about Lit Mag submissions.

Submitting shorter forms and poetry to Lit Mags is a great way to upskill and keep busy while you're waiting for the Big Break with your Literary Agent 😂 The stakes are lower, but the wins are more attainable, and getting published in magazines is a huge boost to the creative morale.

Here are a few of my favourite resources. Maybe you can add some of your own?


This is the best place to start for me. All the opportunities they list are free to submit to. They list magazine and anthology submission calls by genre and theme, as well as independent publishers to send longer works to. Everything they list has been reviewed - if they don't think it's a reputable outlet, they don't list it. They also have free ebooks about the submission process and independent publishers. They regularly hold online seminars, some of which are free. I recently got a lot from this one on inclusivity in writing How to write layered stories, not stereotypes.

Then there's loads of resources on Substack:


Information about the Lit Mag scene, interviews with editors, Lit Mag questions answered. Lots of free info, plus a paid tier if you want a deeper dive into the world of Lit Mags.


Free database of thousands of lit mags and competitions. Also a paid tier for extra content if you want it.


The Lit Mag Lounge - a free Substack with hints and tips for lit mag submissions. There's a nice feature where she interviews writers about their submission to publication journey.

This Substack also does podcast interviews with editors of lit mags to give extra insight.

Tips from a lit mag editor.

Have you got any go-to places for your Lit Mag submissions?

What Lit Mags do you read and where have you submitted to?

I've got my favourite Lit Mags, but I'll save them for another time - this is probably enough for now.
 
I don't do lit mags, preferring commercial. They go different directions. My take is that commercial is very reader centric while literary seems to me to be for other writers. But whichever way you go it's good. Find readers. Get feedback.
 

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