eduify | write faster

By Julia H. Jackson

You’ve just written an award-winning, life-changing short story. At least, you’re pretty sure you have, but you haven’t shared it yet, so you can’t be quite sure when the awards start rolling in, or when your life starts changing.  You want to share what you’ve written, and maybe get some feedback, but the idea of sending your little manuscript to the big wide publishing world is a little like feeding a minnow to a shark. Just what does it mean to submit one’s work? Today, we’re offering 5 Tips for Submitting Your Work because we’d love to see your name in print just as you would.

1. Do Your Research

Choose your contests and intended publications carefully. If you are submitting to a publication, reflect on its title, major themes, and choice of work. Dog Fancy magazine probably wouldn’t want your 20-page vampire story, nor would The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction go for your Shakespearean sonnet. Magazines and journals rely on subscribers, and it is always a good idea to give them the impression that you’ve taken the time to read an issue or two. What kinds of pieces do they normally publish? Do any themes emerge? Do they publish poetry, fiction, nonfiction, art?

2. Follow the Directions

At the risk of sounding like your English teacher, following directions is always key for any writer. Many publications receive a disproportionate amount of submissions compared to the time they have to read, so editors might set aside a list of submission guidelines. These guidelines serve not only to weed out the incomplete submissions, but also to streamline the selection process. Pay attention to details such as word and page count, typeface and size, genre preference, deadlines, number of submissions, and method of submission. Although digital submissions are increasingly common, there are still some publications or contests that may require paper submissions sent via snail-mail.

Here’s an example of submission guidelines, taken from The Atlantic Monthly’s annual student writing contest:

“SUBMISSIONS should not exceed three poems or 7,500 words of prose. No entrant may send more than one submission per category, and entries must be postmarked by December 1, 2009.

MANUSCRIPTS should be typewritten (one side only, please) double-spaced, and accompanied by a cover sheet with the following information: title, category, word count, author’s name, address, phone number, e-mail address (if available), and academic institution. Of this information, only the title should appear on the manuscript itself.”

3. Don’t Submit Your First Draft

Remember that award-winning, life-changing short story? Remember how it started? Part of being a writer is finding your own writing process. Regardless if you’re the next Ernest Hemingway or Jhumpa Lahiri, your work can always benefit from a little feedback. Before sending your story off, share it with a trusted friend, teacher, or classmate. Double check to see that the piece you have meets the contest’s criteria, and that its topic or themes are relevant. Take pride in your hard work, and eventually others will too.

4. Cast a Wide Net

There is definitely an element of luck that goes into the world of publishing. But one trait all writers must posess is an almost die-hard persistence. Set realistic expectations, and try not to limit your options. Want to submit to The New Yorker? Great, but don’t forget the plethora of smaller, independent publications that might be searching for a new voice.

5. Try, Try Again

In an interview with Poets and Writer’s Magazine, poet and frequent contest-winner Gregory Loselle commented that rejection is tough, sometimes a real dedication to the piece at hand pays off: “Another positive experience I’ve had more than once this year is that two poems which had consistently not won awards—after many, many tries—and which I was thinking of ‘retiring’ from submission, turned out to be prize winners. I would suppose that it’s just a question of the work finding its destined reader—and of not giving up hope.”

Loselle brings up an important idea: audience. Remember that many times, the best writing is not written for an intended person or publication, but for the sake of storytelling itself. Take your rejections and acceptances with a grain of salt, and try to get something from the experience either way.

Whatever happens, don’t be afraid to take a chance.  In the words of Sylvia Plath,“And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”

Have you been published before? Want to share some advice? Keep us posted! Let us know when we can read your award-winning, life-changing short story.