I really appreciated this lesson, Ben. I wanted to ask if you have any kind of go-to ranking method when you're between lit mags. I just received an acceptance from one magazine but am expecting to hear something in the next few days from another. The one I'm waiting on pays an honorarium (not a huge factor for me) while the one that has accepted the piece does not. The two seem equally active on socials (the one that has accepted me has more of a presence on non-X platforms than the other one) and equally prestigious. I care most about giving the piece a good home and then, to a slightly lesser degree, about using this publication as a springboard for building an audience. I don't want to keep the editor that has accepted the piece waiting, but also don't even know if it's worth reaching out to the magazine I'm waiting on (because it may be that I end up going with the one that has already accepted the piece anyway). Sorry for dumping this digital sludgepile in your lap, it's just that you seem to be the resident expert in navigating such quagmires. Would you just take what's already on the table or see what develops? Really appreciate any thoughts you might be able to provide on things I might be overlooking.
One more quick note on Notes v. Messages in Submittable. Mentioning because I got confused once on this and thought I was withdrawing one poem from a batch--but of course the editor of that journal never saw my note (which led to some embarrassment). From Submittable Help: "It is important to know that the Note tab is intended for you to create notes to yourself pertaining to a specific submission. For example, you might leave a note that indicates the other organizations to which you sent the submission, or make some remarks on the version that you sent. Submission Notes are not a communication tool, and will never be seen by anyone else but you." And: "If you wish to send a communication to the organization that has your submission, use the Message tab to send communications that will be sent to the organization."
This is the order I usually assess by: first impression of the overall look (I know it’s not the best indicator but it’s right there!), then submissions page (to find out if they are even picking up what I’m putting down), then the About page (for the masthead and to find out, hopefully, but not always, argh, If they are print only/online only/combo, because it matters for timeline and chances), and then a few stories for the vibe.
This is invaluable, and it's duly bookmarked for future use. Thank you!
Possibly too-obvious point: I've run into a bunch of lit mags that are a complex blend of gold star and red flag. One of my very favorite places to publish has an acceptance rate of 50 percent, yet it's been around a long time, it's clearly a labor of love for the (sole) editor (who is very responsive), and many of the writers who publish there have excellent credentials. This pub occupies a very specific market niche, and it's not easy to find places to publish that sort of thing elsewhere.
Maybe the lesson for me is, absorb everything you've said in this lesson, and when I deviate from that, know damned well why I'm deviating and that my reasons are solid. Make sense?
thank you so much Ben! i love your distinctive style and humor. i think that some newsletters and workshops stand out among others not because of what they are covering but rather how they are covering it and you're doing a great job here💕
I think a green flag I'd add for me - or really a gold flag - is lit mags that honor their contracts, and specifically with payment. But how do you know? I'll share the following places have honored their contracts with me payment wise: Dipity, just femme & dandy, Consequence, Olit, Poetica (which actually went belly up as far as continuing, but is still online and did honor their contract). I might be forgetting one. Two have not honored their contracts, and of that one has never responded to me once after I sent my payment information. I won't name them as I am still hoping they will follow through, but...you know. The remaining were non-paying, but I can say they followed through on other things.
Of the ones that honored their contracts there were a few hiccups, but what mattered is the communication. Lit mags that communicate are gold. Hold onto them and hug them forever to squishies.
Ah this is a such a good one. I have been thinking a bit about this sort of thing and have an idea coming together I will share soon either here or in my sub club newsletter.
Omg, this is so random. I was looking at Erika Dreifus' list of places that publish flash and micro, and the first one I (randomly!) clicked on was The Good Life Review. I clicked on Micro Monday and then a story near the top of the queue and thought, wow, this sounds a little like my childhood. In fact, I have an old story (not published) called Bones in the Backyard. So, yes, I'm talking about YOUR Pet Cemetery! I know it's weird, but I didn't notice your name until the bio at the end,. I loved your story!
Haha aw, thank you! I'm glad you liked it. The Good Life Review is so nice. They were super on the ball and communicative and I love how it was presented.
Ah no. If a lit mag reads year round I love that. Haha saves me the trouble of scheduling around their reading periods. So long as they are actually reading and don't randomly go on hiatus. That bugs me a bit. Or saying 'Always open except here, here, and here" it's like--OK so not always. But lots of lit mags are always open and consistently respond respectfully.
When I see that lit mags don't list reading periods or have a "when we get around to it" vibe, I take that as a sign they're not so serious. Especially if they are loosey-goosey with their reading periods.
That's TBQ. Ha!! I submitted to them in July...and IDK, porch light is on, but the car is gone.
hahaha me too! Still waiting. No idea what happened there. Maybe they got too popular and din't realize the amount? I think they write personal rejections to every person
With MM it's more like, tend to all your other weekly subbing, and when it comes to them, just pass the popcorn because there's always some madcap hijinx going on. I say this in the spirit of "whatevers-we're cool". But will TBQ last? Lemme ask my 8-ball. https://magic-8ball.com/
I keep meaning to address this so far as percentage acceptances go. I don't know if I have this right but, I'm pretty confident Duotrope counts each publication individually as an acceptance... even in the case of poetry. That's not necessarily bad or wrong but it'll skew the numbers. If a journal accepts a partial (or full!) batch/bundle of 3 or 6 poems... well, then, it's going to look like their acceptance rate is far higher. This is more of a poetry problem compared to other genres (though micros and flash I could see having a similar issue). Also, of course, we know that people are more likely to input acceptances than rejections. (It feels good so...)
My sense is that the only way to get truly accurate data on this is from the journals themselves. Hoping that Chill Subs will prove to have a sufficient sample size as time goes on to provide much more reasonable statistical data compared to Duotrope.
Ooo yes, very good point and we have factored this in to our revamp plan for our tracker. And yes! We increased a lot since allowing imports but still way behind. I mean, they have like 12 years on us.
You've pointed out some intresting red flags that I realized were things that I find 'yeah nope' as well, but thought I was just being too picky.
Lately my biggest beef is places that claim to read everything, are open to publishing everything, so you submit a few pieces and keep getting turned down because it's not a good fit. Um, ok then. I'll just unbookmark you and won't submit ever again.
This is a really solid list. Well written!
I really appreciated this lesson, Ben. I wanted to ask if you have any kind of go-to ranking method when you're between lit mags. I just received an acceptance from one magazine but am expecting to hear something in the next few days from another. The one I'm waiting on pays an honorarium (not a huge factor for me) while the one that has accepted the piece does not. The two seem equally active on socials (the one that has accepted me has more of a presence on non-X platforms than the other one) and equally prestigious. I care most about giving the piece a good home and then, to a slightly lesser degree, about using this publication as a springboard for building an audience. I don't want to keep the editor that has accepted the piece waiting, but also don't even know if it's worth reaching out to the magazine I'm waiting on (because it may be that I end up going with the one that has already accepted the piece anyway). Sorry for dumping this digital sludgepile in your lap, it's just that you seem to be the resident expert in navigating such quagmires. Would you just take what's already on the table or see what develops? Really appreciate any thoughts you might be able to provide on things I might be overlooking.
Thank you for writing this! It has been difficult ton sift through the online black hole of choices and always know how to assess quality.
One more quick note on Notes v. Messages in Submittable. Mentioning because I got confused once on this and thought I was withdrawing one poem from a batch--but of course the editor of that journal never saw my note (which led to some embarrassment). From Submittable Help: "It is important to know that the Note tab is intended for you to create notes to yourself pertaining to a specific submission. For example, you might leave a note that indicates the other organizations to which you sent the submission, or make some remarks on the version that you sent. Submission Notes are not a communication tool, and will never be seen by anyone else but you." And: "If you wish to send a communication to the organization that has your submission, use the Message tab to send communications that will be sent to the organization."
This is the order I usually assess by: first impression of the overall look (I know it’s not the best indicator but it’s right there!), then submissions page (to find out if they are even picking up what I’m putting down), then the About page (for the masthead and to find out, hopefully, but not always, argh, If they are print only/online only/combo, because it matters for timeline and chances), and then a few stories for the vibe.
This is invaluable, and it's duly bookmarked for future use. Thank you!
Possibly too-obvious point: I've run into a bunch of lit mags that are a complex blend of gold star and red flag. One of my very favorite places to publish has an acceptance rate of 50 percent, yet it's been around a long time, it's clearly a labor of love for the (sole) editor (who is very responsive), and many of the writers who publish there have excellent credentials. This pub occupies a very specific market niche, and it's not easy to find places to publish that sort of thing elsewhere.
Maybe the lesson for me is, absorb everything you've said in this lesson, and when I deviate from that, know damned well why I'm deviating and that my reasons are solid. Make sense?
thank you so much Ben! i love your distinctive style and humor. i think that some newsletters and workshops stand out among others not because of what they are covering but rather how they are covering it and you're doing a great job here💕
Thank you! That is so nice to hear. Doing my best
Read this as both a writer and lit mag founder. Really well done.
I am very happy to hear that. Thank you
What are you trying to imply about Santa, Ben? Don’t go there with me.
Haha what? Me? Nothing, nothing. Hey, what's that over there?!?
I think a green flag I'd add for me - or really a gold flag - is lit mags that honor their contracts, and specifically with payment. But how do you know? I'll share the following places have honored their contracts with me payment wise: Dipity, just femme & dandy, Consequence, Olit, Poetica (which actually went belly up as far as continuing, but is still online and did honor their contract). I might be forgetting one. Two have not honored their contracts, and of that one has never responded to me once after I sent my payment information. I won't name them as I am still hoping they will follow through, but...you know. The remaining were non-paying, but I can say they followed through on other things.
Of the ones that honored their contracts there were a few hiccups, but what mattered is the communication. Lit mags that communicate are gold. Hold onto them and hug them forever to squishies.
Ah this is a such a good one. I have been thinking a bit about this sort of thing and have an idea coming together I will share soon either here or in my sub club newsletter.
Omg, this is so random. I was looking at Erika Dreifus' list of places that publish flash and micro, and the first one I (randomly!) clicked on was The Good Life Review. I clicked on Micro Monday and then a story near the top of the queue and thought, wow, this sounds a little like my childhood. In fact, I have an old story (not published) called Bones in the Backyard. So, yes, I'm talking about YOUR Pet Cemetery! I know it's weird, but I didn't notice your name until the bio at the end,. I loved your story!
Also, thanks for another great lesson!
Haha aw, thank you! I'm glad you liked it. The Good Life Review is so nice. They were super on the ball and communicative and I love how it was presented.
Yup, they're going on my list!
Outstanding & so much to think about as we submit. Thank you!
Yay! Glad it helped. Thank you
Benjamin, when you mention ill-defined reading periods as red flags, are you including pubs that read year-round?
Ah no. If a lit mag reads year round I love that. Haha saves me the trouble of scheduling around their reading periods. So long as they are actually reading and don't randomly go on hiatus. That bugs me a bit. Or saying 'Always open except here, here, and here" it's like--OK so not always. But lots of lit mags are always open and consistently respond respectfully.
When I see that lit mags don't list reading periods or have a "when we get around to it" vibe, I take that as a sign they're not so serious. Especially if they are loosey-goosey with their reading periods.
That's TBQ. Ha!! I submitted to them in July...and IDK, porch light is on, but the car is gone.
hahaha me too! Still waiting. No idea what happened there. Maybe they got too popular and din't realize the amount? I think they write personal rejections to every person
With MM it's more like, tend to all your other weekly subbing, and when it comes to them, just pass the popcorn because there's always some madcap hijinx going on. I say this in the spirit of "whatevers-we're cool". But will TBQ last? Lemme ask my 8-ball. https://magic-8ball.com/
I keep meaning to address this so far as percentage acceptances go. I don't know if I have this right but, I'm pretty confident Duotrope counts each publication individually as an acceptance... even in the case of poetry. That's not necessarily bad or wrong but it'll skew the numbers. If a journal accepts a partial (or full!) batch/bundle of 3 or 6 poems... well, then, it's going to look like their acceptance rate is far higher. This is more of a poetry problem compared to other genres (though micros and flash I could see having a similar issue). Also, of course, we know that people are more likely to input acceptances than rejections. (It feels good so...)
My sense is that the only way to get truly accurate data on this is from the journals themselves. Hoping that Chill Subs will prove to have a sufficient sample size as time goes on to provide much more reasonable statistical data compared to Duotrope.
Ooo yes, very good point and we have factored this in to our revamp plan for our tracker. And yes! We increased a lot since allowing imports but still way behind. I mean, they have like 12 years on us.
You've pointed out some intresting red flags that I realized were things that I find 'yeah nope' as well, but thought I was just being too picky.
Lately my biggest beef is places that claim to read everything, are open to publishing everything, so you submit a few pieces and keep getting turned down because it's not a good fit. Um, ok then. I'll just unbookmark you and won't submit ever again.
Hahaha yeah. I get annoyed by that too. The whole, "Show us something we've never seen! Now read the mag to see what we like!" A bit of whiplash there