In 2023 I committed to submitting 52 submissions (roughly one per week) after several years of not submitting, & a few journal credits pre-2018. I achieved my goal, gaining 15 acceptances of poetry, prose poetry & fiction across 9 journals /presses, including 2 anthologies - giving me an acceptance rate of roughly 31%. I'm thrilled with this outcome, given I was testing the literary waters. It wasn't an overwhelming goal to achieve, and helped me be productive, getting my work out there every month Also, it’s great to know that every two years, I'll have sent out (at least) 100+ submissions.
MISTAKES:
1. Sending out my 1st-ever attempt at a chapbook with every poem previously published bar one & all of those p.p's were the equivalent of blog pubs, not journal pubs (groan). This was late 2022. I learnt fast & starting in Jan set the above goal. My next chapbook will have a mix of journal-published poems & unpublished work!
2. Early on, I'd send the same (or similar) batch of poems to high-tier journals with 4-6 month wait-times AND small indie journals with response times of 24 hrs to a month. I soon realized if I got acceptances to lower-tier journals, I'd be in a bind. LEARNING: Send out different batches to high-tier journals & lower-tier. I did a lot of reading about the submitting game in early 2023, & because I wasn't a complete newbie didn't make too many other massive faux pas (at least none that have come back to bite me).
MORE LEARNINGS:
1. Goals are good. Set something numeric that works for you, rather than simply setting a vaguer intent to “start submitting more.”
2. My acceptances (and where) taught me more about what sub-genres I was actually writing, which made it easier to find more potential journals that might like my work (Kudos to Ben in one of his lessons which discussed this idea of matching your work to journals) I now know some of what I write (rather than just thinking "dark") is feminist horror / feminist gothic.
3. Ekphrastic writing & prose poetry are possibly my strengths. 5 of my acceptances in 2023 were ekphrastic or partially ekphrastic in genesis & 5 more were prose poems (some were ekphrastic prose poems!) I also enjoy using surrealist techniques / surrealist imagery, so journals with this aesthetic are good homes for me. One surrealist journal published me 4 times last year. Another surrealist journal (Aurora) with low acceptance rates was my first prose poem acceptance.
4. Acceptances for 2 feminist reimaginings affirm an audience (& journals) for them exists. Before last year, I was lost with where to submit them. The acceptances show I should keep working at this genre.
5. I learnt to value my work better from a high proportion of paid acceptances. I believe artists should get paid for their work as much as possible (submitting to no-pay but award nommers is my acceptable trade-off) & almost always there's a paying journal alternative to no-pay if you're patient.
6. Previously, I thought I had to write "realism" to get journal acceptances, which only applies to about 30% of my work (partially due to Australia's journal scene & its parochial obsession with realism - up until very recently). It's liberated me to know there's literary homes for work that explore my other (stronger) interests. So don't try to be "everyone else" - spend time understanding your voice, interests & aesthetic - it makes choosing where to submit so much easier.
And Shannon - totally agree - aesthetic sympatico is often more important than exact genre matches. A journal with that aligns with your aesthetics instantly ups chances at an acceptance. That's a gem of a tip! I'll answer #3 in a separate comment. (How are these answers turning into frigging essays?)
Hi Shannan - thanks so much for sharing your insights into the submitting game. We share some common threads -the prose poem thing, & Fairy Tale Review is on my dream-list to be published in, as I write feminist re-imaginings of myth & fairy tale. I also had a former "secret life" as a published erotica writer under a pseudonym between 2012-2018, blogging and also publishing poems & fiction in around a dozen anthologies & even Cosmopolitan UK. Fun times!
I've retained my interest in exploring sexuality as a theme (especially in reimaginings) rather than writing straight-out erotica. So, I've a few "love & sex" pieces myself! I had 2 questions (For context, I started subbing seriously in 2023, with a few journal creds to my own name pre-2018):
1. Bundles / batches: I find I almost never submit exactly the same batch to any 2 journals., I definitely find having different bundles as a starting point is a time-saver ... but firstly there's variations in numbers of poems / flash permitted per journal. Secondly, there's journal preferences ie no form poetry or adhering to line limitations & thirdly I tend to pull out /add in due to (my sense of) aesthetic differences between journals. Is this normal, or am I over-thinking it?
Also, I don't think I've ever made a submission in 5 minutes! Maybe 10 when it's one piece only & I don't need to revise it or update / send a bio. Even the fact so many journals have different formatting preferences stretches preparing a sub to at least 15 minutes.
2. I'm curious how much time you spend on new writing monthly. Sometimes the biz of submitting gets in the way of me writing new material. One thing that helps when I'm in this state is writing something new specifically for a sub call, but a) they're accepted about 50% of the time & b) it can be hard to re-focus from researching /submitting mode back to new writing / generation space. At present my cache of unpublished pieces is less than 10, but I have a large number of "reprints" to try & place from a lengthy, thoughtless time publishing creative work on Medium (the equivalent to blog publishing by many journal's definition).
Forgive my rambly questions - I'm no longer a newbie submitter, but sometimes feel I have even more questions now!
Wonderful walk through. Another lesson of how to spend More Time Writing and Less Time Organizing; which seems like a common thread in the last few lessons. THANK YOU!
Does anyone use Submittable to track submissions along with the spreadsheet? I just started logging my non-Submittable submissions on that platform. (can I please stop using the word submissions? Oops there it is again....) Of course, it doesn't provide the level of detail the spreadsheet does, which I need.
Hi Beth, I used to just go by Submittable but yes it misses out on all the subs non-submittable based and also I feel I have more control on a spreadsheet or the Chill Subs Tracker
Great article. I do think it is important to be intentional and to match effort to goal. What do I want to achieve this year, this month? How much do I want to spend writing new material, submitting material, and organizing my writing/subs? I probably go overboard in tracking my subs, but I like it that way. I track in Duotrope and have an Excel workbook organized with a sheet per piece and each row a lit mag. Another master sheet where each row is a lit mag and I plan which piece to submit and record results (this is usually a ranked lit mag list, so I can start submitting to the top stuff first and work my way down.) I use colors to keep track of what's next, what's urgent, what's awaiting response. All of this is standard stuff that most people do, I think. The more unusual thing I do that I have never heard anyone else do is to use Scrivener to keep track of my submission materials, responses, etc. (I use Scrivener for residency/fellowship/etc. applications, too. And if I get accepted, for the workshops and whatever else, so in the end I have one file with a record of everything that happened.) And then I have a folder system that organizes all submissions, exactly what I submitted (which I do not recommend if you don't have space on your computer or cloud accounts...) Of course, Submittable keeps all of this for you, so it's another place things are sort of tracked. (Oh, and I have labeling system in my email to mark rejection emails, personalized rejection emails, etc.)
That is some mind-blowing attention to organizational detail. Impressive! And here I am ... delighted I've set up a standard titling system for my batches / submissions in Word that allow me to easily check what I subbed to who and when. Whatever trait that signals an aptitude for spreadsheets, I am missing it.
I think I go overboard because I enjoy striking things off lists, filling out databases, so a bit of OCD tendencies here. That you are "missing" this "aptitude" isn't really a bad thing :) I've seen people use many different ways, but at the end of the day I think the BEST way is the way that works for you. You can have all the spreadsheets in the world, but if you find yourself not using them, then it's useless. A simple Word doc with a sub record sounds good to me :) (A more narrative approach, I like it!)
I admire people who use & understand spreadsheets. But yeah, I think if I knew I had to open a spreadsheet doc every time I submitted something, it would take the fun out of it - & I'd end up submitting less! I'll be sharing my more old-school method in another comment - and praying you don't see it!! ;) Happy submitting to you!
Nice article. Informative with some humor thrown in. My favorite. I'm a "Baby Boomer, eh?" Pardon me while I take off my "toque." Chips and gravy, anyone?
My mechanisms and tools are prehistoric. Definitely no spreadsheets have yet been harmed. Honestly, the way I’ve gone about it has been a little ridiculous. Like I only send to places that allow simultaneous subs, but then I sub a piece to only one place at a time? Also, I seem to have contracted a disease called “You accepted me once and now I don’t want to sub to you again, because if you reject me, it will feel even MORE personal, because you know me.” Or something like that. I got I think 6 rejections last year and wanted to crawl under a rock. But part of that I think is also being aware, more than ever, of how much good work is already out there. Like it’s trickier to put my head down and just do my thing. But I’m so glad to have found Write or Die! It strikes such a great mix of tone and in depth info that I haven’t found anywhere else.
Hi Lorri, I find you immediately feel more part of the journal's community when you get past one publication in a journal. Last year, I had 4 pieces in 4 consecutive issues of a journal (well one was under my semi-retired pseudonym) & The Ekphrastic Review has accepted 3 pieces in 2023. It's like suddenly the newsletters feel like they are actually addressing / including you - lol! And yes, as Shannon says, it increases likelihood of future acceptances & maybe other opportunities down the track.
Laughed out loud at “definitely no spreadsheets have yet been harmed,” haha. Aside from honoring if a journal won’t publish repeat authors for a certain period of time or at all, I’d definitely go all in on subbing the same mags again. It works. You will get more acceptances than rejections. And if anything, you’ll probably strike up better connections/friendships with the editors!
I've had a myriad of experiences that are negative and positive lol. I was fortunate enough to have my first CNF and photography get published in supportive journals! I have made the mistake of submitting work to places that clearly afte a few glances, do not fit my style. I've also had alot of rejections these last 6 months so I'm thinking about fit more than anything!
Hi Lena, yes it’s amazing how just a tiny bit more of looking into a journal’s style can help make subbing more fun and less rejection-y. Weird sentence, but you get what I mean!
In answer to the discussion questions:
SUBMITTING STORY
In 2023 I committed to submitting 52 submissions (roughly one per week) after several years of not submitting, & a few journal credits pre-2018. I achieved my goal, gaining 15 acceptances of poetry, prose poetry & fiction across 9 journals /presses, including 2 anthologies - giving me an acceptance rate of roughly 31%. I'm thrilled with this outcome, given I was testing the literary waters. It wasn't an overwhelming goal to achieve, and helped me be productive, getting my work out there every month Also, it’s great to know that every two years, I'll have sent out (at least) 100+ submissions.
MISTAKES:
1. Sending out my 1st-ever attempt at a chapbook with every poem previously published bar one & all of those p.p's were the equivalent of blog pubs, not journal pubs (groan). This was late 2022. I learnt fast & starting in Jan set the above goal. My next chapbook will have a mix of journal-published poems & unpublished work!
2. Early on, I'd send the same (or similar) batch of poems to high-tier journals with 4-6 month wait-times AND small indie journals with response times of 24 hrs to a month. I soon realized if I got acceptances to lower-tier journals, I'd be in a bind. LEARNING: Send out different batches to high-tier journals & lower-tier. I did a lot of reading about the submitting game in early 2023, & because I wasn't a complete newbie didn't make too many other massive faux pas (at least none that have come back to bite me).
MORE LEARNINGS:
1. Goals are good. Set something numeric that works for you, rather than simply setting a vaguer intent to “start submitting more.”
2. My acceptances (and where) taught me more about what sub-genres I was actually writing, which made it easier to find more potential journals that might like my work (Kudos to Ben in one of his lessons which discussed this idea of matching your work to journals) I now know some of what I write (rather than just thinking "dark") is feminist horror / feminist gothic.
3. Ekphrastic writing & prose poetry are possibly my strengths. 5 of my acceptances in 2023 were ekphrastic or partially ekphrastic in genesis & 5 more were prose poems (some were ekphrastic prose poems!) I also enjoy using surrealist techniques / surrealist imagery, so journals with this aesthetic are good homes for me. One surrealist journal published me 4 times last year. Another surrealist journal (Aurora) with low acceptance rates was my first prose poem acceptance.
4. Acceptances for 2 feminist reimaginings affirm an audience (& journals) for them exists. Before last year, I was lost with where to submit them. The acceptances show I should keep working at this genre.
5. I learnt to value my work better from a high proportion of paid acceptances. I believe artists should get paid for their work as much as possible (submitting to no-pay but award nommers is my acceptable trade-off) & almost always there's a paying journal alternative to no-pay if you're patient.
6. Previously, I thought I had to write "realism" to get journal acceptances, which only applies to about 30% of my work (partially due to Australia's journal scene & its parochial obsession with realism - up until very recently). It's liberated me to know there's literary homes for work that explore my other (stronger) interests. So don't try to be "everyone else" - spend time understanding your voice, interests & aesthetic - it makes choosing where to submit so much easier.
And Shannon - totally agree - aesthetic sympatico is often more important than exact genre matches. A journal with that aligns with your aesthetics instantly ups chances at an acceptance. That's a gem of a tip! I'll answer #3 in a separate comment. (How are these answers turning into frigging essays?)
Hi Shannan - thanks so much for sharing your insights into the submitting game. We share some common threads -the prose poem thing, & Fairy Tale Review is on my dream-list to be published in, as I write feminist re-imaginings of myth & fairy tale. I also had a former "secret life" as a published erotica writer under a pseudonym between 2012-2018, blogging and also publishing poems & fiction in around a dozen anthologies & even Cosmopolitan UK. Fun times!
I've retained my interest in exploring sexuality as a theme (especially in reimaginings) rather than writing straight-out erotica. So, I've a few "love & sex" pieces myself! I had 2 questions (For context, I started subbing seriously in 2023, with a few journal creds to my own name pre-2018):
1. Bundles / batches: I find I almost never submit exactly the same batch to any 2 journals., I definitely find having different bundles as a starting point is a time-saver ... but firstly there's variations in numbers of poems / flash permitted per journal. Secondly, there's journal preferences ie no form poetry or adhering to line limitations & thirdly I tend to pull out /add in due to (my sense of) aesthetic differences between journals. Is this normal, or am I over-thinking it?
Also, I don't think I've ever made a submission in 5 minutes! Maybe 10 when it's one piece only & I don't need to revise it or update / send a bio. Even the fact so many journals have different formatting preferences stretches preparing a sub to at least 15 minutes.
2. I'm curious how much time you spend on new writing monthly. Sometimes the biz of submitting gets in the way of me writing new material. One thing that helps when I'm in this state is writing something new specifically for a sub call, but a) they're accepted about 50% of the time & b) it can be hard to re-focus from researching /submitting mode back to new writing / generation space. At present my cache of unpublished pieces is less than 10, but I have a large number of "reprints" to try & place from a lengthy, thoughtless time publishing creative work on Medium (the equivalent to blog publishing by many journal's definition).
Forgive my rambly questions - I'm no longer a newbie submitter, but sometimes feel I have even more questions now!
Swearing AND spreadhseets? I think I've found my people!
Haha yay! High-five!
I like "Yes", "Not Sure", and "Not my focus" as multiple choice answers. In no way a downer, which is a nice approach.
Thank you Mark!
Wonderful walk through. Another lesson of how to spend More Time Writing and Less Time Organizing; which seems like a common thread in the last few lessons. THANK YOU!
Does anyone use Submittable to track submissions along with the spreadsheet? I just started logging my non-Submittable submissions on that platform. (can I please stop using the word submissions? Oops there it is again....) Of course, it doesn't provide the level of detail the spreadsheet does, which I need.
Hi Beth, I used to just go by Submittable but yes it misses out on all the subs non-submittable based and also I feel I have more control on a spreadsheet or the Chill Subs Tracker
Great article. I do think it is important to be intentional and to match effort to goal. What do I want to achieve this year, this month? How much do I want to spend writing new material, submitting material, and organizing my writing/subs? I probably go overboard in tracking my subs, but I like it that way. I track in Duotrope and have an Excel workbook organized with a sheet per piece and each row a lit mag. Another master sheet where each row is a lit mag and I plan which piece to submit and record results (this is usually a ranked lit mag list, so I can start submitting to the top stuff first and work my way down.) I use colors to keep track of what's next, what's urgent, what's awaiting response. All of this is standard stuff that most people do, I think. The more unusual thing I do that I have never heard anyone else do is to use Scrivener to keep track of my submission materials, responses, etc. (I use Scrivener for residency/fellowship/etc. applications, too. And if I get accepted, for the workshops and whatever else, so in the end I have one file with a record of everything that happened.) And then I have a folder system that organizes all submissions, exactly what I submitted (which I do not recommend if you don't have space on your computer or cloud accounts...) Of course, Submittable keeps all of this for you, so it's another place things are sort of tracked. (Oh, and I have labeling system in my email to mark rejection emails, personalized rejection emails, etc.)
Ahhhh I loveeee this! The sub-nerd in me is going crazy haha. Well done, seriously!
That is some mind-blowing attention to organizational detail. Impressive! And here I am ... delighted I've set up a standard titling system for my batches / submissions in Word that allow me to easily check what I subbed to who and when. Whatever trait that signals an aptitude for spreadsheets, I am missing it.
I think I go overboard because I enjoy striking things off lists, filling out databases, so a bit of OCD tendencies here. That you are "missing" this "aptitude" isn't really a bad thing :) I've seen people use many different ways, but at the end of the day I think the BEST way is the way that works for you. You can have all the spreadsheets in the world, but if you find yourself not using them, then it's useless. A simple Word doc with a sub record sounds good to me :) (A more narrative approach, I like it!)
I admire people who use & understand spreadsheets. But yeah, I think if I knew I had to open a spreadsheet doc every time I submitted something, it would take the fun out of it - & I'd end up submitting less! I'll be sharing my more old-school method in another comment - and praying you don't see it!! ;) Happy submitting to you!
Nice article. Informative with some humor thrown in. My favorite. I'm a "Baby Boomer, eh?" Pardon me while I take off my "toque." Chips and gravy, anyone?
Haha, thanks Bob!
My mechanisms and tools are prehistoric. Definitely no spreadsheets have yet been harmed. Honestly, the way I’ve gone about it has been a little ridiculous. Like I only send to places that allow simultaneous subs, but then I sub a piece to only one place at a time? Also, I seem to have contracted a disease called “You accepted me once and now I don’t want to sub to you again, because if you reject me, it will feel even MORE personal, because you know me.” Or something like that. I got I think 6 rejections last year and wanted to crawl under a rock. But part of that I think is also being aware, more than ever, of how much good work is already out there. Like it’s trickier to put my head down and just do my thing. But I’m so glad to have found Write or Die! It strikes such a great mix of tone and in depth info that I haven’t found anywhere else.
Hi Lorri, I find you immediately feel more part of the journal's community when you get past one publication in a journal. Last year, I had 4 pieces in 4 consecutive issues of a journal (well one was under my semi-retired pseudonym) & The Ekphrastic Review has accepted 3 pieces in 2023. It's like suddenly the newsletters feel like they are actually addressing / including you - lol! And yes, as Shannon says, it increases likelihood of future acceptances & maybe other opportunities down the track.
Laughed out loud at “definitely no spreadsheets have yet been harmed,” haha. Aside from honoring if a journal won’t publish repeat authors for a certain period of time or at all, I’d definitely go all in on subbing the same mags again. It works. You will get more acceptances than rejections. And if anything, you’ll probably strike up better connections/friendships with the editors!
I've had a myriad of experiences that are negative and positive lol. I was fortunate enough to have my first CNF and photography get published in supportive journals! I have made the mistake of submitting work to places that clearly afte a few glances, do not fit my style. I've also had alot of rejections these last 6 months so I'm thinking about fit more than anything!
Hi Lena, yes it’s amazing how just a tiny bit more of looking into a journal’s style can help make subbing more fun and less rejection-y. Weird sentence, but you get what I mean!