What Even is a Literary Magazine?

Hey, great question.

Have you ever come across a poem on social media that made your heart stop? A poem that you sent to your friend or sister or mother and said, Look at this. It reminded me of you. In school, did you ever have to read a short story about a bullied little girl stuck on a planet where it never stops raining or a woman who swears there’s voices in the yellow wallpaper? If you have, then you have come in contact with a literary magazine, even if it is through the transitive property.

Obviously, I have my own novel project. But as a writer, that is far from the only project I am working on at any given time. In fact, for me, the majority of projects are not novel length. Most of the time I sit down to write, and find the project completed within a few thousand words. And a 2000 word story isn’t going to be published by Penguin.

That’s where literary magazines come in. 

A literary magazine, journal, or press is a reputable site of publication where writers can send individual poems, short stories, flash fiction, creative nonfiction, short screenplays, comics, and sometimes even visual art and photography. There are thousands of them, all with different themes, subject preferences, and moods.

Here are some of the most common questions I’ve been asked in regard to literary magazines:

Who can submit to a literary magazine?

Anyone. If you’ve written a poem, short story, creative nonfiction essay, or any other creative genre, you can submit to a literary magazine. Now, some magazines have specific demographics they accept work from, with the most common restriction being age. Some only accept work from writers under the age of 18 (Guardian Angel Kids Online Magazine, Cast of Wonders, The Blue Pencil). Some only accept work from writers over the age of 50 (Passager, Thin Skin Magazine, BoomerLitMag). Some only accept work from military veterans (Oh-Dark-Thirty, Line of Advance, The Line Veterans Literary Review). Some look for work from writers with chronic illnesses (Cope Magazine, Flare Magazine, Wishbone Words). There are thousands of literary magazines to submit to, so there is something for everyone. 

Can they be cited?

What a fun professorial question! Yes, they can. Sort of. While there is an argument to be made that literary magazines are peer reviewed, they are not academic sources because the content is creative in nature. So, you’d probably only be seeing them cited within the context of English literature or creative writing courses. For my creative writing students? I would be overcome with glee to see a work cited from a literary magazine. For my first-year composition students? That’s a much tougher sell.

Are they separated by topic?

Many of them have specific themes they look for! For example, Taco Bell Quarterly (unaffiliated with Taco Bell) exclusively publishes work that mentions Taco Bell in some capacity. Some literary magazines are religious. Some exclusively publish creative nonfiction while others exclusively publish science fiction and fantasy. Some just want work that will make them feel.

Can they be purchased?

The days of finding a literary magazine in the check-out line at the grocery store are largely behind us, but they can still be purchased online! Most can be read for free digitally, but when you find a magazine or issue from a magazine you especially love, it’s worth purchasing to keep on your shelf.

Why would I buy a literary magazine?

If you enjoy poetry, short stories, or short creative nonfiction, then you would enjoy reading a literary magazine. Some of my favorite poems are sitting on my bookshelf in a literary magazine. It’s a way to be introduced to several writers at a time, and when you find a piece you love, you can seek out more of that writer’s work.

The question I get asked most: Do literary magazines pay?

Sometimes. If a magazine does pay their contributors, it will typically be somewhere between $15-50. Many magazines (like Mistake House Magazine, another fantastic publisher) will choose a prize winner in each genre to give a cash prize to. However, most do not pay because the reality is many literary magazines are housed by college English departments in order to provide the students with experience in the publishing industry. This means they are staffed by a team of unpaid readers and editors. Any funding these magazines receive most often comes from donations or a small reading fee (usually $1-3) that writers pay when they submit their work. Those funds typically go toward printing costs and website upkeep so the magazine can continue to exist. So, if anyone is expecting to get rich off of literary magazine publications, I’d prepare for disappointment.

Here are a few literary magazines that I have worked with in the past that I have absolutely adored:

Silly Goose Press: They publish poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and art. The editorial team are some of the loveliest people I have ever had the pleasure of working with. They took my short story and made it a hundred times stronger than it was when I was working on it alone. As I’ve learned, writing is social, and they display that same mindset through having a conversation with their writers about their revision suggestions. I cannot emphasize enough how absolutely wonderful they are to work with.

Gather Poets: They exclusively publish poetry that sort of feels like having a knife impaled in your chest and twisted, snapping every rib one by one. But… in a good way? I’ve received the kindest, most thoughtful rejections of my entire writing career from them. They genuinely handle their submissions with care, so even if you are rejected by them, you’ll have valuable, specific feedback and encouragement. 

Dogyard Magazine: A literary magazine that’s themed around the joy of canines? Shut up. I’m in. They publish poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and hybrid work including visual art. But make no mistake, the work featured in this magazine will make you cry, laugh, and contemplate your general existence. I think about “Oh no” by Corey Mesler at least once a day since encountering it on their website.

There are also magazines that are focused on filling some gaps in the literary community. 

For example, Last Syllable Lit is an absolutely sensational literary magazine (as the former managing editor, I’m biased) that specifically looks for work that is a bit too long for an average literary magazine, but still a bit too short for a traditional publishing press. While most magazines have a word count cap of about 5,000 words, that’s where Last Syllable Lit starts their word count. So, if you have a story or creative nonfiction piece between 5,000 and 25,000 words, they could be a good home for it. 

EXCERPT Magazine publishes exactly what it sounds like they would. Novel excerpts. They want a bite size chunk of an unpublished novel, and the hope is that these small pieces will either be seen by an agent, publisher, or build interest in readers who would want an ARC of the book. It’s a fantastic way to build up the literary community and spark some excitement for a larger project.

Stirling Review specifically publishes writers between the ages of fourteen and twentytwo. They provide a platform for writers who are at the earliest stages of their literary journeys. Personally, I was never brave enough to submit any of my writing until I was an MA student. Literary magazines like Stirling Review offer a home to writers who are braver than I was at that age.

So why should we care about literary magazines?

For writers, publications in literary magazines can be put in on a CV when applying to jobs in writing and publishing, and they are something to include in a query letter when submitting a novel to agents.

Literary magazines are also where many full length manuscripts begin. They are where the inspirations for many movies and television series first appear. “Brokeback Mountain” was a short story in The New Yorker. “The Yellow Wallpaper” was first published in New England Magazine. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” was originally published in Collier’s. That is just to name a few of my personal favorites.

Personally, I can’t imagine we’d have much of a publishing industry at all without literary magazines. In my humble opinion, literary magazines are one of the most overlooked components of publishing despite functioning as the backbone of the industry. Literary magazines often provide the first line of feedback and encouragement a writer will see on their work. Sometimes I’ll feel like I’m wasting my time trying to build a career as a writer, and then a few kind words from a literary magazine will reignite my drive. But alas, very few people know what they are or where to find them.

If you’re looking for a way to support a literary magazine, I suggest starting local. Every city houses a literary magazine. Sabr Tooth Tiger Magazine has a home base in both Chicago, Illinois  and Dublin, Ireland. Miracle Monocle is based out of Louisville, Kentucky. Pine Hills Review is based out of Albany, New York. Midsummer Dream House is based out of San Diego, California. If you search for a literary magazine in your town, you’ll find one. And if you can’t find one, maybe that’s a sign to create it. As the saying goes, “If you build it, they will come.”