Comments on: The Year I Gave Up Submitting to Literary Magazines

By: Lynette

Lynette — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 18:43:22 +0000

Thank you for this thoughtful, wise post! It is making me rethink and remake my submission strategy. I had suspected there was a particular funnel for lit mags, but had never been sure. Until now, perhaps.

It was very brave of you to examine and change your submission approach. I’m looking forward to seeing your 2017 workbook and reading your book!

By: Literary Magazines that Pay Writers (well) - MultiTalented Writers

Literary Magazines that Pay Writers (well) - MultiTalented Writers — Sat, 13 Jul 2019 14:03:31 +0000

[…] magazines have a bad rep for not paying writers (or paying them really poorly). But if your heart is really set on writing short fiction, essays, […]

By: Marge Phelps

Marge Phelps — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 15:47:35 +0000

In reply to cs. I was beginning to think I was the only one! There is a certain snooze factor in so many of them. The writers are clearly articulate but they are often so self-absorbed that I just don't relate. I do like Rosebud and Glimmer Train, however I am giving up pushing myself into markets that are not the right fit

By: The Submissions Challenge Month Six, during which I discover, to my happiness, a list of Free Submission Search Engines, and to my slight dismay, the Rejection Wiki – Susan Taylor Brand

Sun, 17 Feb 2019 23:55:13 +0000

[…] The Year I Gave Up on Submitting to Literary Magazines, in Women Writer’s, Women’s Books, by Annette Gendler. Gendler decided that literary magazines were to be given up on, because the acceptance rate was so low. She decided to concentrate on consumer publications and book publishing, which have worked well for her. […]

By: The Submissions Challenge Month Six, during which I discover, to my happiness, a list of Free Submission Search Engines, and to my slight dismay, the Rejection Wiki – Susan Taylor Brand

Sun, 17 Feb 2019 16:51:01 +0000

By: cs

cs — Tue, 07 Aug 2018 10:35:58 +0000

Amen. I found your piece by googling “why I don’t like literary magazines.” Actually I do like them, or at least the *idea* of them, and I’ve subscribed faithfully and submitted sporadically (about 30 times) over the past seven years. Then a well-published friend (I am also decently published… two books and many articles) asked me why I keep tilting at that particular windmill. “Face it,” she asked, “do you really *like* what they publish, or do you just like the idea of them?” And I had to admit it was the latter. That, and the fact that some of my well-regarded university colleagues publish there. On my shelf in the office (where I have to see it daily for “motivation”) sit copies of NER, Ploughshares, Boulevard, N+1, Zoetrope, McSweeney’s, the late, great Lucky Peach, Paris Review, Yale Review, etc… and not one acceptance among them over all these years. Meanwhile my work has appeared on NPR, in regional papers (I was once a reviewer of women’s books for a major newspaper under a particular editor), and I’ve received national attention for my books. Somebody suggested once that these magazines print a particular style of MFA product because no one else will, so they sustain a created market that is a pipeline to MFA professorships. Fair enough. I won’t deny anyone the right to a good job in a tight field by getting published by their network in an insider ‘zine sort of way. That isn’t offensive, it’s just reality. And after all, I didn’t even study writing in college or grad school… I was a historian. So why should I expect them to welcome me? They want to see that I walk the walk by doing Middlebury or Warren Wilson. Another friend got her first acceptance shortly after she went to Yaddo, or as we called it, Yadoo! They’ve been smart and strategic about creating their space, and I have no further mission to try and invade it. But get rid of the magazines? That would be harder. They look so arty in my office, and they make me seem like somebody cooler that I’m not, so (uh) for now I’ll keep them. 🙂

By: Annette Gendler

Annette Gendler — Sun, 07 May 2017 19:09:03 +0000

In reply to Karen Hugg. Glad to hear you found your markets, too!

By: Karen Hugg

Karen Hugg — Sat, 06 May 2017 04:49:19 +0000

Isn’t it amazing what happens when we follow our heart instead of doing what we think we “should” do? My story is similar to yours to a lesser extent. Thanks for sharing!

By: Annette Gendler

Annette Gendler — Thu, 02 Mar 2017 15:57:20 +0000

In reply to Karin Gall. Thanks for letting me know, Karin. It's always good to hear when your writing resonates. I wish you good luck with submitting your books; that's a whole other challenge!

By: Karin Gall

Karin Gall — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 20:49:04 +0000

I love your article. It really hits home. Since I’ve retired, I’ve spent the past two years sending fiction and nonfiction to literary magazines. While I’ve been published, I had many more acceptances when I wrote essays and creative nonfiction for magazines in the past. And, of course, I got paid more. I’ve written two fiction books and one memoir. I think it’s time to start submitting them for publication. As a former technical writer, I’m all about getting paid for my work. Thanks for this article.