A Few Tips About Submitting
by Julia Wilson
The world is filled with fantastic writers who would like to get published. You are one of them. There is nothing I can do to guarantee you will get published, but there are some tactics I, a reader at Baltimore Review, can suggest to avoid common pitfalls that could put you out of the running.
First, read the publication to make sure your piece fits the ethos of the publication to which you are submitting. You may have written a detailed world-building story but submitted it to a magazine that leans toward publishing flash fiction. This is especially tempting to ignore if you are using Submittable and sending your piece out in batches. My recommendation, though not great for efficient submitting, is to submit one by one to carefully chosen publications and restrain from submitting, even if you love the publication, if you don’t see your piece fitting into the general tenor.
Almost equally as important, carefully read the guidelines for each publication you are submitting to and follow them exactly. No two publications will be the same. Check for specifications about spacing, font, length, etc. If a publication says 5,000 words is the maximum allowed, don’t try to squeeze in 5,050. Cut your piece by 50 words instead. Don’t say “about 5,000 words.” That is a red flag to me that it is more than 5,000 words. And always proofread your work carefully.
This is a more personal dislike, certainly not universal, but I would avoid cutesy cover letters. My taste tends toward a concise cover letter that mentions publications you have been published in and some biographical details. I am less entranced by details of your mushroom-eating guinea pig. I will add that some readers avoid reading the cover letter until after reviewing the piece, to begin their review with a clean slate.
I do like to see a piece that starts with a magnetic first paragraph and has a strong voice and unique story arc. We read a lot of pieces, and we’re looking for something that really entrances us from the first word. It’s less about a genre and more about inventiveness, tight writing, and craft. However, there are a few topics that are so frequently written about it’s hard to find a fresh angle. Grandmothers, dementia, cancer, and COVID are a few of them.
I would be remiss if I didn’t end with some words of encouragement. Literary journals get thousands of submissions (over 12,000 for this journal over the past year). You will get more rejections than acceptances, if you are anything like the rest of us. That does not by any means signify that you are not an excellent writer. You may never know why your piece has been rejected by the publications and will often receive a formulaic rejection email. So does everyone else.
Keep writing if it’s enjoyable to you and submit when you consider your piece ready, if you’d like. It might take a while, but you will get published.