5 Hacks To Getting Published In Literary Publications

Every writer should take the ample opportunity availed by literary mags and publications to bag a few publications. If you are a writer and haven’t started looking to get published in a literary publication, you may be missing out on many opportunities.

Most lit mags are constantly accepting submissions for short stories, poems, essays and other genres from writers who are interested in attracting agents, increasing their readership or gaining credibility.

Whether you have sent in a couple of submissions and earned a rejection or you haven’t tried at all, here are some hacks that are sure to earn you an acceptance in literary publications.

1. Research: there are a lot of notable literary publications; online and offline that are eager to publish writers. However, before submitting your submission, you should research which publications speak to your type of readers and are willing to publish writers from your country. Look out for whether they pay writers or not. Also, look out for the best publications that can represent you globally.
2. Read: When you have chosen the lit mags you are interested in submitting to, the next step is to read. Read other writers who have been published by your choice publications. Read all genres, and familiarize yourself with their writing style but do not plagiarize or imitate.
3. Follow Unique Guidelines: Every publication has its unique set of submission guidelines. Do not paste your work into the body of the mail where you have been asked to send a doc. format. Take note of the font, paragraph, query mail format and other peculiarities associated with your choice publications.
4. Be Professional: when sending in your submission, be as professional as possible. It’s not enough to send a piece, you also need to impress the editor with your perfectly crafted emails, responses and images. Most writers send shabby emails with poor punctuation and grammar. You must attach a high level of importance to your submission.
5. Don’t Give Up: getting a rejection from your choice lit mag is not strange. If your work is rejected, take note of the errors pointed out or the reasons the editor may have given for not publishing your work. As soon as the submission window opens again, send in another piece. Send to as many publications as possible and you will get an acceptance.

In conclusion, it is possible that your work is being rejected because you still have a lot of improvements to do or you simply did not follow the submission guidelines. It is also possible that you are a superb writer but the lit mag just doesn’t have extra space for your work.

Most writers want to write and be published but are not ready to put in the work to improve their writing. Some other writers kill their careers by indulging in dangerous writing habits. Whatever bracket you fall into, don’t stop writing. Don’t stop submitting and don’t stop improving.