If you write short literature, such as fiction or poetry, submission of your work can be very positive. It is a way of sending yourself a powerful signal that you think enough of your work to let the world see it. And, if your work is published, it all adds to your resume. Lots of new writers still have many questions about the submission process though, and the same five questions come up constantly.

Where Do I Find Journals or Magazines That Are of Similar Taste to Mine?

To get some sort of idea of the publications that are going to be best for your kind of work, you should read as many magazines and journals as you can, all different genres. When you are new to all this, everything is going to be somewhat intimidating. Searching on Google might even leave you more confused than ever and you do need a little context to push your search in the right direction.  Have a look at these sites to help you sort out the market.

Writer’s Market – a full guide on the internet on how to get your writing published. It costs $5.99 per month on subscription and provides fully detailed guides on where you can go to sell your work, be it a full-length novel, a poem, or a short fictional piece.

Duotrope – Subscription-based again, Duotrope has a database of non-fiction markets, poetry markets and fiction markets that you can tap into.

Poets and Writers – this is a free website offering information and has a full database of all the literary magazines, contest lists and lots more.

Do look at each of the journals or magazines you choose very carefully. Look to see what they publish the most of – is it fiction? Poetry? Something else? Different publications have different tastes and different preferences and it will be clear what this is in the type of work each chooses to publish.

In time, it will become more of a natural process to pick the right journals or magazines but, for now, if you find one that publishes work you love and that is like your own work, submit to them. You can’t know that yours will be selected but you will be on the right track.

What Should I Avoid Doing as a Writer?

Provided you follow the submission guidelines for your chosen publication, you don’t need to worry too much about doing anything wrong. These guidelines are important and are there for a reason. Don’t send anything in that goes against them; for example, if a publication asks for work that is no more than 5000 words, don’t send in a 10000-word novel.

Don’t miss deadlines and don’t send your work in under a different genre or category. If a publication is only looking for poetry, don’t send in a short fiction story. Also, check the submission portal. If your publication wants submissions via an online portal, don’t email it.

Keep to these guidelines and you’ll be on the right track. Read part 2 to find out what’s next.