Finding A Place To Publish

  1. Offline Resources: Books
    There are several books that can help. Here, I'm going to focus on a few general directories published annually. (A bigger listing is in the Getting Published Library.)
    • The Writer's Market.
      From the publishers of Writer's Digest Magazine. There is an electronic version that is updated throughout the year. Writer's Digest also publishes genre specific directories: Novel and Short Story Writer's Market, Poetry Writer's Market, etc.
    • The Writer's Handbook
      From the publishers of The Writer Magazine.
    These books have indexes to help you find magazine or book publishers specializing in certain subjects. The entries themselves can give you a lot of information:
    1. A note from an editor explaining who they are and what kind of work they are looking for.
    2. If they pay, how much and when.
    3. If they are okay with receiving unsolicited material or if they want you to send a query first.
    4. Their usual response time.
    5. If email submissions are acceptable.
    6. Their contact information.
      • If there is a website, visit it. Magazine and book publishers usually have more detailed (and up to date) submission information on their websites. If there is an email contact given but no website, write to them and ask to be sent a copy of the guidelines.

  2. Online Resources
    1. Subscribe to Writers' Mailing Lists or E-Newsletters
      The internet has made it much easier for people with the same interests to share information. People on mailing lists usually share calls for submissions and other announcements.
      • General writer lists or newsletters are fine, but you should also look for ones concentrating on your specific genre(s). For example:
    2. Websites For Writers
      From the example above, you see that websites for writers can help you find mailing lists and newsletters. The websites themselves may have a page dedicated to the announcement of calls for submissions.

  3. After finding a place you want to submit to, make sure you follow their guidelines for manuscript preparation and submission.
    • Not following the guidelines may guarantee that your work is not read at all.
    • If the guidelines do not give you any specifics about manuscript preparation, use an acceptable format.

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