Getting published in a literary magazine is a great way to break onto the writing scene. It builds your writer’s platform, hones your writing style, and can even be a source of revenue. Getting started is always a little intimidating, so read on for some tips to query smart.

Literary magazines are organized by tiers. Tier one includes The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, and others of the same status that seem out of reach to most of us. To be published in a tier one literary magazine, you generally have to know someone, be published and fairly successful, or plain lucky—I personally have my doubts that a writer’s talent weighs in as much as we’d like to think. (As one exception, David James Poissant, one of those wonderfully talented (and lucky) youngsters fresh out of college won a Playboy fiction competition and was published in October, 2007.)

Tier two publications are generally more accessible to new writers. Glimmer Train, for one, has monthly writing contests and often encourages new writers to enter. Magazines like Ploughshares, The Paris Review, and The Yale Review make it clear that not all their writers started out big, and have even devoted entire issues to emerging writers.

Tier three magazines—McSweeney’s, Mississippi Review, Black Warrior Review—are still gorgeous publications showcasing writers of enormous talent, but the competition, though still formidable, isn’t generally thought be as stiff as with tiers one and two. There are fourth and fifth tiers, but the majority of literary magazines are unrated. This is more a product of the sheer number of new publications and not a reflection of their quality. Finding a suitable publication for your story is more important than prestige, especially to new writers.

Tip: Start at the bottom. It’s unlikely that you’ll get accepted to Harper’s without some sort of publication history. So if you’re trying to place your first short story, compile a list of lower tier or unrated literary journals and work your way up from there.

Choosing the right magazine for your work is key. Submitting an experimental, abstract piece to a traditional publication is probably a waste of time. Read through a magazine’s previously published stories in your genre and see if your story would fit right in—there are usually sample articles on the website. For example, Swivel concentrates on humorous stories written by women, Cranky Literary Journal and Thieves’ Jargon are more edgy and experimental, and McSweeney’s is hilariously random. Also consider what’s important to you: getting paid for publication, simultaneous submissions, online versus paper publication, artwork, etc.

Narrow your hit list to about five different literary journals per round of submission. Make sure all five magazines accept simultaneous submissions, are currently accepting submissions, and publish work along the lines of your own. Explore their websites and find the name of the editor that you are submitting to. It’s important to make your query as personalized as possible—it shows that you’re serious about making it into their publication.

It can almost go without saying that the golden rule in any submission process is to follow instructions to a tee. Most literary journals have a web page devoted to specific submission guidelines, and you’d be doing your query a disservice if you ignore any of them. Your cover letter should be clear, concise, and well-organized in its effort to provide whatever information is required, including bio, contact information, and introduction. If you have doubts about a magazine’s stated guidelines, call or email the editor for clarification.

Most magazines ask for a short bio attached with the submission. This can be a little intimidating, but don’t fret, you only need one. Take this opportunity to list or highlight your past writing credits, schooling, or city of residence. If you don’t have any relevant experience, wing it:

Adriann Ranta is Managing Editor of Between the Lines, an e-zine for publishing professionals. She is also involved in the agent-matchmaking and editing aspects of The Editorial Department, a freelance editorial firm in Tucson, Arizona. She graduated magna cum laude at the University of Arizona in Creative Writing and World Literature. She lives in Tucson with her 40 cats.

Or:

Adriann Ranta has previously published fiction and creative nonfiction in Redivider, Spectrum, and Between the Lines. She is also the author of a popular blog, Ad Nexus, for a freelance editorial firm. She lives in Tucson, Arizona, with her irritating multitude of cats.

The general format for your submission is as follows: Name, address, and email address on the top left, word count on the top right, and title, centered. The body text should be Arial, Times New Roman, or Courier, 12 point font, double-spaced, standard margins, with all pages numbered. Some journals have an uploading tool on their site or a preference for electronic submissions, but if you’re submitting a hard copy, include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for a reply. Enclose everything in the smallest envelope you can and address it to the appropriate editor. If you don’t have a specific name, use “Fiction Editor,” “Nonfiction Editor,” etc. If submitting poetry, keep it to one poem per page, single spaced.

Tip: Mind your document title. If you’re submitting electronically, match your document title to the title of the manuscript—it’s disconcerting to be the editor that uploads I_Hate_This_Story.doc. Some servers don’t like blank spaces in filenames, so an underscore between words (underscore_between_words.doc) might be a good idea.

Be sure to keep track of which literary magazines you’ve submitted to. Most responses can take months so keep a scrap of paper somewhere to mark off the rejections. Since the querying process can take so long, this might be a good opportunity to work on another story. Biting your nails for 3-5 months will leave you with nothing but cuticle.

Tip: With each break in the querying hit lists, read over your story and see if you can’t raise the bar one step further. There’s nothing like a little time away from a manuscript to help you see any flaws, excesses, or plot potentials more clearly.

Once you do get the good news that you’ve been accepted for publication, dig around for that scrap of paper with all the literary magazines you’ve queried on it. Contact the magazine editors with a brief email to let them know that your piece has been accepted elsewhere. This should be short and sweet, not a bitter snark-fest:

Dear Mr. Fiction Editor,

Thanks so much for considering my short story, “The Life and Times of My Dog Spot.” I am pleased to report that it has been accepted for publication elsewhere and must therefore withdraw my submission. I look forward to submitting again to you in the future.

Thanks again,

Adriann Ranta.

Entering writing contests might be another method to consider. Get a few writing credits under your belt and enter a competition or two—winning something will stroke your ego and look good on your bio! (Remember that one paragraph thing you struggled with earlier?)

Tip: Keep a list all the contacts you’ve made during your querying processes—reminding an editor of a story they almost accepted last year might warm them to the thought of your latest creation. This might be a handy angle if you get a glowing rejection or any sort of personalized response.

With the hundreds of literary magazines out there, odds are that intelligent persistence will pay off. Don’t be fazed or dismayed by the rejections you’re sure to get along the way. Rejections are a part of being a writer—see it as an opportunity to continually improve a rejected work. It’s important to recognize how many variables play into a work being accepted for publication, many of which a writer has no control over and has nothing to do with a story’s quality.

Check out the links below for a pretty comprehensive list of literary magazines, as well as the interview with David James Poissant, a short story writer who did it right.

Literary Magazine Directories:

ZEROLAND Literary Ezines and Journals - Includes a brief sypnosis of content

New Pages’ Literary Magazines - Includes blurbs and cover art from most magazines

Mary Anne Mohanraj's Literary Markets - Includes payment details and submission information