Love this approach! Someone once told me they use money earned from their art to buy art. Reinvesting in your own art is the same concept and probably more compelling for my students.I will share this with my students in our sr. Seminar for creative writers.
Thanks, Bethany. I've been at the submissions numbers game (and I wholeheartedly agree that it is a numbers game) since 2010. The top magazines still elude me. But I'm inspired to connect more via social media and find just the right places for my work, including my full-length poetry manuscript.
Amazing, wise, practical advice, Bethany! I've come to understand that doing the work to become part of a literary community is as important as the writing I do (emerging writer waving his hand.)
Hi Bethany, today I wrote in my journal my goal for 2024: to have my flash published in the new year. I'm in the middle of my novel in progress and I also write flash. Then I looked at Becky Tuch newsletter and your snowball method reached out and pulled me in.
I see this as an example of “the teacher appears when the student is ready.” I have had a successful career in sales and your method aligns with how I found my path to exceeding my goals in business.
Thank you for sharing your brilliant strategy with aspiring writers like me. Congratulations on your success, May 2024 exceed your widest dreams!
This is super motivating & inspiring to read. I have a similar career trajectory (worked in marketing for 15 yrs before switching to more creative personal work). I'm currently running an indie publication while working on my own poetry. Finding the right literary magazines for my work has been overwhelming — it really does take so much effort and patience. Thank you for sharing your journey!
Bethany Jarmul has some useful advice here. I prefer to submit my work to the most prestigious publications first and then work my way down. If I don't start with the best magazines or presses, I worry that I may miss an opportunity to have my work in a well-known journal or published by a great press. Also, I believe in being patient and not rushing to get work in print. One poem that I wrote took me forty years to find an editor who appreciated it, but I found it was worth the effort to keep sending the poem out. Best wishes!
I’m a believer, first, in learning from the best; that is, reading the work of outstanding authors publishing in the genre that interests me, and paying attention to what those authors might say about writing. Two pieces of advice from Philip Pullman, when he visited my city years ago (paraphrased now from memory) are still guidelines for me for a story of any length: “The story starts when something goes wrong” and “If it doesn’t advance the story, leave it out.” Feedback is pure gold, so participating in writers’ critique groups has been the other great teacher for me. Actual classes, I never found very useful, except for the feedback they offered. I would say that submitting judiciously, as well as widely, is crucial. Some magazines just don’t publish the kind of story that I write.
Congrats on your forthcoming poetry chapbook. Your success in this highly competitive arena certainly has something to do with your dedication to craft, persistence, careful research, and even management of your own expectations (which is, I infer, a big part of the "snowball" approach). However, don't be too quick to dismiss another key independent variable: Talent. Perhaps the reason why you have a chapbook on the way and many poets older than you do not is because your work stands out. Another word for that: Distinguished. I'll keep my eyes peeled for your name in the coming years, as I assume this is not the last time I read Jarmul in excellent company.
Thank you for this Bethany Jarmul! Those are good pointers, and I'm happy for your success :) And guess what? We are press-mates---I have a poetry chapbook (Snowfire and Home) coming out early next year with Belle Point!
Thank you for sharing your wisdom. As a new writer who just had her third article published, I know all too well the thrill of seeing your work in a magazine! Now on to getting my short story and my novel out there. Thanks for the encouragement...😉
Love this approach! Someone once told me they use money earned from their art to buy art. Reinvesting in your own art is the same concept and probably more compelling for my students.I will share this with my students in our sr. Seminar for creative writers.
Thanks, Bethany. I've been at the submissions numbers game (and I wholeheartedly agree that it is a numbers game) since 2010. The top magazines still elude me. But I'm inspired to connect more via social media and find just the right places for my work, including my full-length poetry manuscript.
Amazing, wise, practical advice, Bethany! I've come to understand that doing the work to become part of a literary community is as important as the writing I do (emerging writer waving his hand.)
Thank you!
Joe
Thanks. Very encouraging and sensible advice.
Thanks so much. I signed up for it. Will you send a link?
Hi Bethany, today I wrote in my journal my goal for 2024: to have my flash published in the new year. I'm in the middle of my novel in progress and I also write flash. Then I looked at Becky Tuch newsletter and your snowball method reached out and pulled me in.
I see this as an example of “the teacher appears when the student is ready.” I have had a successful career in sales and your method aligns with how I found my path to exceeding my goals in business.
Thank you for sharing your brilliant strategy with aspiring writers like me. Congratulations on your success, May 2024 exceed your widest dreams!
This is super motivating & inspiring to read. I have a similar career trajectory (worked in marketing for 15 yrs before switching to more creative personal work). I'm currently running an indie publication while working on my own poetry. Finding the right literary magazines for my work has been overwhelming — it really does take so much effort and patience. Thank you for sharing your journey!
Thank you. This was so helpful, especially the section on chapbooks, which I was totally unfamiliar with as a path to publication.
Bethany Jarmul has some useful advice here. I prefer to submit my work to the most prestigious publications first and then work my way down. If I don't start with the best magazines or presses, I worry that I may miss an opportunity to have my work in a well-known journal or published by a great press. Also, I believe in being patient and not rushing to get work in print. One poem that I wrote took me forty years to find an editor who appreciated it, but I found it was worth the effort to keep sending the poem out. Best wishes!
Janet Ruth Heller
My website is https://www.janetruthheller.com/
Congratulations on your successes, Bethany! This is excellent advice. All the best!
I’m a believer, first, in learning from the best; that is, reading the work of outstanding authors publishing in the genre that interests me, and paying attention to what those authors might say about writing. Two pieces of advice from Philip Pullman, when he visited my city years ago (paraphrased now from memory) are still guidelines for me for a story of any length: “The story starts when something goes wrong” and “If it doesn’t advance the story, leave it out.” Feedback is pure gold, so participating in writers’ critique groups has been the other great teacher for me. Actual classes, I never found very useful, except for the feedback they offered. I would say that submitting judiciously, as well as widely, is crucial. Some magazines just don’t publish the kind of story that I write.
Congrats on your forthcoming poetry chapbook. Your success in this highly competitive arena certainly has something to do with your dedication to craft, persistence, careful research, and even management of your own expectations (which is, I infer, a big part of the "snowball" approach). However, don't be too quick to dismiss another key independent variable: Talent. Perhaps the reason why you have a chapbook on the way and many poets older than you do not is because your work stands out. Another word for that: Distinguished. I'll keep my eyes peeled for your name in the coming years, as I assume this is not the last time I read Jarmul in excellent company.
Thank you for this Bethany Jarmul! Those are good pointers, and I'm happy for your success :) And guess what? We are press-mates---I have a poetry chapbook (Snowfire and Home) coming out early next year with Belle Point!
I'd love to read your chap.
Good luck moving forward, and thanks again
Alexander Etheridge
This is great info Bethany! Can you share a bit more about your approach to social media and which platforms you've found most useful and why?
Good piece, Bethany. I think lots of writers will find this encouraging and helpful!
Thank you for sharing your wisdom. As a new writer who just had her third article published, I know all too well the thrill of seeing your work in a magazine! Now on to getting my short story and my novel out there. Thanks for the encouragement...😉