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!
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!"
"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.
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.*
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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/
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.
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.
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!
Thank you for sharing, Katherine. I found this inspiring and daunting and wise.
'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.
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 ...
Those who send these tiered rejections rise to the top of my list - also got one today!
"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.
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.*
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.
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!
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.
I was impressed by that too! Turning down an agent takes guts!
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.
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!
Fascinating background. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks so much for this great overview of your progress. It's inspiring and perspective-changing.
Great advice. Thank you!
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/
Yes-- I was runner-up for the Orlando Prize in 2013. Congrats on your success!
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.
Incredibly helpful! Thank you for sharing.
"Lightning Flowers"? I have that book out from the library right now.
That makes my day, Glenn! Thanks for reading.
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.