Submitting Creative Nonfiction with Katherine E. Standefer
"Put something in the world that's magnetic..."
Howdy, pals! I come with a brand-new information session, freshly wrapped!
Yesterday I had the pleasure of hosting Kati Standefer for a session on writing, revising, submitting and publishing Creative Nonfiction. I first met Kati in 2023, when she pitched and eventually published a piece with Lit Mag News: How Literary Journal Publishing Built My Career.
The piece opens,
I never had to query an agent. Agents queried me five times over four years before a young editor at Simon & Schuster read my work and connected me with two other top agents, one of whom helped me sell my book to a Big 5 publisher within six months. I know, I know: emerging writers shouldn’t put too much stock in the advice of people like me, because a lucky break is hard to replicate. But I maintain that hard work and publishing strategy put me in places luck tended to lurk.
In yesterday’s session, Kati shared just what that hard work and publishing strategy looked like for her, and how fellow writers can apply such strategies themselves.
Kati opened by asking attendees what they wanted from their writing careers. This, of course, will look different from everyone. We all define success in unique ways and all of our goals change over time. However, knowing what one wants from lit mag publishing is crucial in determining where to submit and refining one’s strategy.
Most of us may already know this. I certainly do. But no matter how often I hear these questions, I’m always grateful to be reminded of them. What do you really want as a writer? Why do you want it? How will you pursue and achieve these goals?
Kati’s talk was honest, compassionate, personal, at times hilarious, and overall full of great information and inspiration.
She emphasized the importance of researching literary magazines and knowing what certain journals offer writers at various stages of their careers. For instance, did you know that New England Review pays for one emerging writer that’s appeared in their journal to attend the Bread Loaf Conference each year? Or that Fourth Genre invites contributors to publish a companion craft essay? Do you know which lit mags invite their contributors to read at AWP?
Putting in that extra research toward not only the kind of work lit mags publish but what additional opportunities they provide contributors can help writers narrow the field and target their goals.
Of course, knowing what lit mags publish is priority number one. Kati attributes her many publication successes—including placing first in Iowa Review’s contest and eventually appearing in Best American Essays—to hours of dedicated lit-mag reading and studying which magazines would be the right fit for which sorts of essays.
In terms of essay craft, Kati also had some wonderfully fresh insights to share, including the importance of being “stubborn,” “out of the box,” honing your own voice and not worrying about “managing the perception” of one’s readers. If you’re not entirely sure who your audience is, Kati advised writers to “Put something in the world that’s magnetic,” which will show you “who your readers are.”
Kati’s presentation was one hour of great information, plus thirty minutes of Q & A. She covered essay writing for people who may be brand new to the craft, writing from a certain persona, researching MFA programs, creating a publishing strategy that’s right for each individual writer, and more.
To everyone who came out to participate—our biggest group yet! I love to see it!—thank you for showing up! Your faces are the sweet cool soul-saving blast of a/c on my thickly hot city-summer days.
And, of course, thank you to Kati to taking the time to share her expertise with us.
Happy viewing!
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