As a reader, one of the things I love about literary
magazines is that they are all so different, each with their own particular
aesthetic and editorial style. Perusing the shelves at a bookstore or looking online,
I’m always pleasantly surprised by the breadth and depth of different voices
out there, and by all the different packages they come in.
As a writer, one of the things that is so daunting about literary magazines is that they present an ever shifting and varied landscape, where a writer with work to submit can easily get lost. Each magazine, with it’s own quirky voice is looking for a particular type of writing. But that’s no reason to be discouraged! You, dear writer, have your own unique voice.
Anyone would be hard pressed to keep up with the thousands of literary magazines out there. What writers (and readers) need is a kind of speed dating service where you can meet a whole bunch of them in order to find the ones you click with. One of the best resources for both readers who want to find their particular flavor of magazine, and writers who are looking to place their work is The Review Review, run by Becky Tuch.* I’ve been getting their newsletter and using their website for market research for a while, and now I’m reviewing for them.
In the about page Tuch says:
As a writer, one of the things that is so daunting about literary magazines is that they present an ever shifting and varied landscape, where a writer with work to submit can easily get lost. Each magazine, with it’s own quirky voice is looking for a particular type of writing. But that’s no reason to be discouraged! You, dear writer, have your own unique voice.
Anyone would be hard pressed to keep up with the thousands of literary magazines out there. What writers (and readers) need is a kind of speed dating service where you can meet a whole bunch of them in order to find the ones you click with. One of the best resources for both readers who want to find their particular flavor of magazine, and writers who are looking to place their work is The Review Review, run by Becky Tuch.* I’ve been getting their newsletter and using their website for market research for a while, and now I’m reviewing for them.
In the about page Tuch says:
“Here, writers can get a deeper sense of the journals by reading reviews of the latest issues. This is not intended as a substitute for the actual journals, but merely a way to guide writers toward the journals that most interest them.”
The
site includes a listing of literary and creative nonfiction magazines (with
brief descriptions for titles that don’t yet have reviews), a searchable
database of reviews, informative interviews with editors from literary
magazines, and publishing tips.
But it’s the newsletter that I find most useful. I peruse it and note one or two literary magazines that I want to investigate further, either to read or to put on one of my “submit to lists.”
So, if you write stories that defy genre, or just want to check out the rich landscape of literary magazines, check out this great resource.
But it’s the newsletter that I find most useful. I peruse it and note one or two literary magazines that I want to investigate further, either to read or to put on one of my “submit to lists.”
So, if you write stories that defy genre, or just want to check out the rich landscape of literary magazines, check out this great resource.
* For more about Tuch and her work, check out her interview over on Bustle.
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