“Why Do Lit Mags Fold? And How Do Writers Spot Lit Mags With Staying Power?"

A Chat with Lauren Hohle, Managing Editor of Conjunctions; Benjamin Davis, Co-Founder of Chill-Subs; and Erik Harper Klass, Founder of Submitit

Ahoy, friends! I come with an all-new roundtable discussion, freshly wrapped.

Today I had the great fun of speaking with Lauren Hohle, Managing Editor of Conjunctions (and former Managing Editor of Gettysburg Review); Benjamin Davis, Co-Founder of Chill Subs; and Erik Harper Klass, Founder of Submitit. The subject of this conversation was “Why Do Lit Mags Fold? And How Do Writers Spot Lit Mags With Staying Power?”

We heard first from Lauren, who I happened to interview last year around this time, shortly before Gettysburg Review was closed by its host institution, Gettysburg College. The closure was abrupt, mostly unforeseen, and led to massive outcry from both the staff and the public.

Lauren has since moved on to be Managing Editor of Conjunctions, which is based at Bard College. Conjunctions was also poised to close several years ago. In this instance, the college responded more favorably to the public pushback, agreeing to host the journal for another three years. At present, Conjunctions is seeking a new publisher and the staff feel hopeful about its longevity. Lauren emphasized, “Conjunctions is not folding. We’re transitioning.”

Taking a broader view, Ben spoke about the state of the lit mags generally. Are more closing now than usual? As someone who has helped build the massive Chill Subs database (with listings for over 3,000 journals), he’s been able to see the rise and fall of hundreds of magazines over the years. So many lit mags started during lockdowns in 2020, he observed, and while it might seem like more magazines than usual are closing, we also saw more open.

Ben also spoke about lit mag tiers—not the prestige tiers we’re all used to contemplating, but funding tiers that many of us are entirely unaware of. Ben sees lit mags as belonging to three categories: housed and supported by universities, funded by patrons, and funded independently (through out-of-pocket payments, contest fees, etc.) Are any of these a predictor for a magazine’s longevity? Ben shared insights there as well.

With Erik, who runs the submissions service Submitit, we got to hear about the criteria for a lit mag’s viability. What does Erik look for when submitting clients’ work? How does he assess whether a lit mag is worth submitting to? Erik took us through his process.

Erik also addressed the question of what a writer should put into their bio when a lit mag has gone defunct. How should we list those precious successes which are no longer actively publishing work? And does it matter how well-known the magazine is? Come to think of it, how much do our bios matter at all when submitting to journals?

All the panelists had helpful and truly thoughtful answers to these questions. They also had terrific advice for writers and editors alike, plus thoughts on gate-keeping, communication, readership, and more.

Tune in to catch it all.

To everyone who came out to participate today, thank you! Your faces are the much-needed calming cool breeze on my sticky humid city day!

And, of course, huge thank you to Lauren, Ben and Erik, for taking the time to share their knowledge and experience with us all.

Happy viewing!

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