45 Comments

Fantastic! My favorite guest contributors to this substack are the ones who do exactly this - reveal the plan, the strategy, and where it worked and/or failed. Brava!

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Aug 24, 2023·edited Aug 24, 2023Liked by Katherine E. Standefer

Thank you for sharing, Katherine. I found this inspiring and daunting and wise.

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Aug 24, 2023Liked by Katherine E. Standefer

'Daunting' is the word. My own lit mag research doesn't even qualify as 'slack and shoddy' by comparison. I must try to graduate to slack and shoddy.

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That made me laugh. Yeah, with a day job and writing and other reading, lit mag reading for research is what's daunting for me. But I think she's right about the need to research and find the place that most suited to what you're writing. Often, it feels like I'm creating the market for what I write and there aren't a lot of places already publishing the kind of stuff I'm writing. Par example, I got this a little while ago:

"We're incredibly sorry for leaving you waiting for so long! And thank you for submitting your story to [redacted]. Unfortunately, we are unable to accept it for publication. That said, we found this to be an exceedingly well-written piece, and we hope you will share your work with us again!"

Will keep plugging away ...

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Those who send these tiered rejections rise to the top of my list - also got one today!

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Aug 24, 2023Liked by Katherine E. Standefer

"Finding the right place", definitely. I write genre fiction and this applies too. And finding the right place comes with experience and multiple tries. And finding out where people that write "like you" get published. I also used to submit widely and my list has narrowed down somewhat, although I still try out new places when I believe a piece would fit their tastes nicely.

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Aug 24, 2023Liked by Katherine E. Standefer

PS: About a judge's taste. I won International Quarterly's Crossing Boundaries Award when the judge was novelist D.M. Thomas. I felt sure that my somewhat experimental memoir essay about my mother succumbing to dementia would be to his taste--and I was right. I not only had the pleasure of the prize and prize money, but also the delight thinking of *him* reading *me.*

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Aug 24, 2023·edited Aug 24, 2023Liked by Katherine E. Standefer

Bravo!

I got my start after Redbook in Jewish newspapers and magazines that took every short story I was writing as the son of Holocaust survivors, and that got me anthologized and a contract for a collection at St. Martin's Press--which won me an award--and all that garnered me a Jewish Book Council tour and p[aid speaking gigs at colleges and universities. I turned to Jewish publications after being turned down by every lit mag I admired and read. Not one of them.

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This inspires me to crack open the stack of journals on my nightstand and really examine what's there. I appreciate the strategy of longstanding journals. Thank you, Katherine!

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Great post--emphasizes the time and persistence it takes. I liked that you knew you weren't ready when agent #2 approached. That takes courage and belief in yourself and your work.

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Aug 24, 2023Liked by Katherine E. Standefer

I was impressed by that too! Turning down an agent takes guts!

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Aug 24, 2023Liked by Katherine E. Standefer

Thank you so much for sharing! This is extremely helpful and I hope to follow suit and remain positive; maintain my stamina, both towards writing and the publishing process.

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Aug 24, 2023Liked by Katherine E. Standefer

Super helpful! I have submitted to Lit journals a couple years ago after reading so many of them carefully and selecting the ones that seemed most aligned. They all got rejected - which is actually what prompted me to start a Substack! - but this encouraged me to give another go. It’s such a long game but you show that for some it’s worth it!

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Fascinating background. Thank you for sharing!

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Aug 24, 2023Liked by Katherine E. Standefer

Thanks so much for this great overview of your progress. It's inspiring and perspective-changing.

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Sep 1, 2023Liked by Katherine E. Standefer

Great advice. Thank you!

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Aug 29, 2023Liked by Katherine E. Standefer

I enjoyed this, great advice. As an undergrad, I won the AROHO Orlando Prize in 2014— was this the one you were shortlisted for? It jumpstarted my career locally— lots of readings, etc. I won this prize the very first time I ever sent an essay (or anything!) to a contest! It was wild!!! Here's the essay: http://aroomofherownfoundation.org/letter-to-my-sister-in-a-mental-hospital-by-julia-laxer/

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author

Yes-- I was runner-up for the Orlando Prize in 2013. Congrats on your success!

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Aug 31, 2023Liked by Katherine E. Standefer

Thank you! Congrats to you as well! I LOVED your essay that Wayne chose— wow! He's one of my favorites. His writing blows me away. I liked that you mentioned Sallie Tisdale. I studied with her and admire her work deeply.

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Incredibly helpful! Thank you for sharing.

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Aug 25, 2023Liked by Katherine E. Standefer

"Lightning Flowers"? I have that book out from the library right now.

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author

That makes my day, Glenn! Thanks for reading.

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Aug 25, 2023Liked by Katherine E. Standefer

Interesting post and comments. I find that I spend as much time looking for the right home for my stories as I do writing them in the first place. It can be daunting, especially when one of those “right homes” sends you a rejection.

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