LITERARY OUTLETS
Look up the word literary and you discover a two-part equation: “fictional,” “mythical,” and “legendary” make up the first part; “erudite,” “scholarly,” and “literate” make up the second. I believe the dual explanation captures exactly what we all aim for in our most important, most personal writing: magic mingled with intelligence; the real blended with the fantastic; and unique, unforgettable characters rendered in relatable, familiar ways.
It’s this transcendent chemical reaction literary publications seek, too. They embody our highest collective writing aspirations and demonstrate the limitless ways in which words can be put together to produce wondrous results. Great literature moves us as nothing else can. It produces feelings we don’t get from any other form of art. And the journals that exist to publish such writing are the vital conduits allowing us that possibility again and again.
The Landscape
Of all the questions writers ask, the most common may be, “Is there still a place to publish serious literature?” The answer is, as always, yes. Generations of readers have shown that fine writing will always have an audience, and dedicated publishers have shown that it will always have a place to be read. Literary journals and periodicals maintain an exclusive, irreplaceable presence in the writing world because the people who run them are devoted to the ongoing search for great manuscripts and nothing else.
Most literary journals are university-run endeavors, labors of love, or both. They’re run largely on blood, sweat, and tears and survive mostly because of the efforts of the small staffs who maintain them out of a pure love of good writing. Pay rates are typically on the low side, with many offering nothing more than contributor copies. Some literary markets pay healthy rates in line with magazines, and a few pay quite handsomely.
Of course, your chief purpose for getting published in literary outlets shouldn’t be money, anyway. It should be to accumulate credits and build your profile. You may not get a big check from having your short story published, but keep in mind that literary journals are the places book editors and publishers tend to look in the search for new literary talent. Having one or two of them as credits in your resume goes a long way.
As such, competition for space in literary journals and periodicals can be intense, but believe editors when they tell you a rejection slip isn’t a rejection of your work, just a statement that it doesn’t happen to fit their particular needs at that time. Every editor I know has to turn down many pieces worthy of publication every year based strictly on space. So don’t stop submitting. Ever.
Strategic Searching
You’ll see numerous spots in this book in which I advise you to use the subject index in your copy of Writer’s Market to find publications suitable to the market you’re investigating. Don’t forget the critical supplemental tool that is Writer’s Market’s online site, www.writersmarket.com. There you’ll find reams of information to assist in your searches. Or maybe the Web site is the primary tool and the print version secondary. These days, who knows? Anyway, my point is: Use both!
SHORT STORIES
People love stories; they always have. Why did our ancestors feel compelled to depict their buffalo hunts on cave walls? Because we, as human beings, want a record of our existence and our perceptions of the world. It’s why all forms of art attract us. We love impressionist paintings because they show us what we already see, but in an unexpected form. We love sculpture because it presents us to ourselves in a slightly different but thoroughly familiar fashion. And we love stories because we recognize ourselves, and those around us, as the characters in them.
The history of short literary fiction is long, rich, and varied. Tennessee Williams wrote gorgeous stories. Mark Twain wrote hilarious ones. Edgar Allan Poe wrote a bunch that still make me shiver in my boots. Why do so many authors who hit it big with novels feel the need to publish short story collections? Because short stories are probably the literary tool they started out with, and the one for which they still have the deepest affection.
Short stories still offer the best way not only for writers to sharpen their teeth but also for those same writers to have their talent showcased. Look at the current edition of Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market and you’ll find venerable journals like The North American Review, going strong since 1815, new kids on the block like Notre Dame Review, which came on the scene only in 1995, and every type of short story outlet in between. There will always be a place for stories because a good short story is like a glittering gem—precious, beautiful, and lasting.
| 34 SHORT STORIES | Golden rule number one: Always maintain a steady flow of story submissions. Golden rule number two: Always maintain a detailed log of what you’ve sent where. |
Get This Gig: Short Stories
Where Do I Start?
Researching short story markets is, for most writers, an enjoyable exercise because there are so many. Crack open your copy of Writer’s Market or Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market and start listing story markets. Don’t make it a single list, however, or you’re liable to feel overwhelmed in short order. Create a few different lists according to certain criteria, like story length, pay rates, specific genre needs, and response time. This will enable you to be more considerate in your submitting and will also help you keep track of what’s been sent, and where.
Whether you’re sending your manuscript to a small-circulation periodical or a big consumer magazine, make sure it’s polished internally and externally. That means make sure the story itself is as good as you think it can be, and also make sure it’s packaged exactly as requested. If they want it via snail mail, don’t e-mail it. If they want one-inch margins, don’t use inch-and-a-quarter because you think it makes the pagination more appealing. They want to see your creativity in the story: Everything else is just to show that you can play by the rules.
Who Do I Contact?
Look in your copy of Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market or in the masthead of the journal itself for the name of the person who reviews short story manuscripts. Typically this person will have the title fiction editor, story editor, or literary editor, though depending on the size of the publication their role might be less specific—editor or senior editor, for example.
The Editors of Two August Literary Magazines
ANSWER THREE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
Q What, for you, makes a manuscript sing?
Linda Landrigan, editor, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine: I look for writing that is tight, yet has a musicality and rhythm. I like to see a fully imagined world of the story, with strong characters and logical plotting that is evenly paced. I like to be surprised by a story, but I don’t like surprise endings; like most mystery readers I enjoy the process of arriving at a solution as much as the final unveiling of the truth.
Janet Hutchings, editor, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine: It is so many different things. There are different kinds of appealing stories: those I buy because of a clever plot, those that have an unforgettable voice, those with characters I can’t shake, those with special atmosphere ... it goes on.
Q Do you react the same way to a great story now as when you first started?
Linda Landrigan: I think I have a deeper appreciation and love for the art of the short story now.
Janet Hutchings: I’m still thrilled by a great story when I come across it, and that will never change.
Q How much of a manuscript do you have to read before you know if it’s a winner?
Linda Landrigan: I know how difficult it is for writers, so to be as fair as possible I try to read the entire story, unless it’s obviously wrong for us.
Janet Hutchings: You can usually tell within the first sentence or two whether the author has control. Then you’ll either be taken in by the actual story or not. Of course, even if the author has the knack for storytelling, there may still be problems. And as Linda said, some stories, no matter how good they are, simply aren’t appropriate for the magazine.
SHORT SHORTS
You’ve probably heard a zillion times to vary the length of your sentences so your story doesn’t stagnate. That’s true, you should. The shake-it-up principle applies in many other areas of life, too. If you do the same workout over and over, your fitness level plateaus. Go to the same restaurant with your significant other every week and the relationship starts to feel stale. Read nothing but the sports section of the newspaper and you box yourself in conversationally and socially.
Editors, too, heed this principle when considering their story lineups. As you read through an issue of your favorite literary journal, notice the variation in narrative length. That’s no accident. One of the ways in which this variation is sometimes achieved is through the inclusion of short shorts (also called microfiction, flash fiction, or sudden fiction): stories of no more than 1,000 words, or, depending on the publication, a few hundred. Short shorts aren’t meant to be snapshots, vignettes, or excerpts suggestive of something larger; they’re complete, fully realized stories that merely happen to occupy less space. And they aren’t just poor second cousins to traditional-length short stories. Writer’s Digest’s Short Short Story Competition, for example, or Grain’s Short Grain writing contest, offer great ways to get noticed.
| 35 SHORT SHORTS | As haiku are to longer poetry, short shorts can be to longer stories—unexpected pearls that take hardly any time to read yet are nearly impossible to forget. |
Get This Gig: Short Shorts
Where Do I Start?
Do a Google search for short shorts, flash fiction, or microfiction to get a taste for its structure and cadence. Visit www.wingedhalo.com and www.kennesawreview.org, the Web sites of Flash Me Magazine and Kennesaw Review, online magazines that publish flash fiction. Also, get your hands on copies of print publications that run short shorts, like The Cream City Review and Isotope. Then give it a whirl. Don’t get down on yourself if, like children’s writing, you find it harder than anticipated. When you finally create a short short that works, you’ll feel like you’ve fashioned a diamond out of thin air.
Who Do I Contact?
Scour Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market for two types of markets: those that clearly indicate they consider short shorts, and those that indicate length needs as low as 500 words. Either type is fair game.
Three Prominent Literary Editors
ANSWER THE QUESTION, “WHY ARE
STORIES IMPORTANT?”
Ben Metcalf, literary editor, Harper’s Magazine: It’s one of the things we can offer the aliens as justification for not destroying us. You look at a well-made short story like you look at a beautiful painting or wonderful piece of music. If a human being did this, the entire race can’t be that bad.
C. Michael Curtis, senior editor, The Atlantic: I think we tell stories because they teach us how to be. They give us examples of people making choices and discovering the consequences of those choices. Before we were ever able to write, storytelling provided explanations for things.
Adrienne Miller, literary editor, Esquire: Fiction is essential for our emotional survival. Telling a good story is the most beautiful thing any person can do.
POETRY
Unfortunately, poet-philosopher no longer counts as a job title—Aristotle sure did have it good—but that doesn’t mean the world has lost its appetite for poetry. Quite the opposite, in fact. The busier we get and the faster the wheels of industry and technology spin, the more we appreciate a beautiful piece of verse that can carry us momentarily away. Poetry has the same magic-dust effect on us it always has. It just tends to be harder for most of us to find time to read it.
Nonetheless, the market for poetry remains healthy and diverse. Poet’s Market lists no fewer than one thousand potential poetry markets, from Crab Orchard Review to The New Yorker, including over sixty poetry-related contests and awards. Yes, poetry is alive and well, and just as much a salve for our souls as it has ever been.
| 36 POETRY | Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t any harder to publish poetry today than in the past. It’s always been a challenge to publish poetry. But the markets are out there, and they’re hungry for great poems. |
Get This Gig: Poetry
Where Do I Start?
Read a lot of poetry and write a lot of poetry. Like a painting or sculpture, there is no purely objective way to decide whether a poem is poor, adequate, or phenomenal, but ask ten people what they think of Wordsworth’s “Daffodils” and you’ll probably get a consistent response.
Once you’ve got some poems you think might be publishable, consult your copies of Writer’s Market and Poet’s Market. Match your poem—its format, length, and theme—with the criteria indicated by the literary outlets listed. Some avoid rhyme; others favor sonnets; others publish only haiku. Pay attention also to which publications ask you to submit no more than a single poem and which invite groups of three or five poems at a time.
Who Do I Contact?
Certain publications have a poetry editor. If you don’t see one, simply use the contact name provided in the listing. If there’s no contact name listed, call and get one.
Performance Poetry
Most anywhere, there’s a community of poets, or readers of poetry, who gather regularly to soak in the beauty of verse. Often these groups hold poetry slams, open mike evenings, or special readings. Sometimes prizes are given out. I used to receive a monthly phone call from a wonderfully boozed-up fellow named Christian inviting me to a poetry slam a few evenings later. I could seldom make out the particulars because he always sounded like he’d just been hit by a wrecking ball, but a couple of times I detected enough information to make it to one of his events. Christian’s evenings would be organized in a fun way—everyone paid a three-dollar cover to share their poetry with the crowd, who, at the end, would vote for the top three, and those people would split the money 60-30-10. One of my poems, “Accidentally Considering My Penis,” even took top prize at one of Christian’s poetry slams—though I still haven’t been able to get the darn thing published. Too niche, I guess.
PERSONAL ESSAYS
The personal essay, that self-contained piece of reflection, meditation, or inspiration, has always had an important place in literature. Essays are like a bridge between stories and poetry, combining the two forms into one. A well-spun essay has the power to transport us briefly, like a poem, but can also deliver the satisfaction of narrative, like a story. Essays appear in literary publications large and small, new and established, local and national.
| 37 PERSONAL ESSAYS | A personal essay should be written spontaneously but submitted tactically. Pick up a copy of The Sun, Tin House, and The Georgia Review. Would you send the same essay to all three publications? |
Get This Gig: Personal Essays
Where Do I Start?
First, write about what moves you, then figure out where to send it. While essay subject matter can of course be timely, there’s no such thing as an “essay trend” or a particular type of essay being sought by editors at a given time. Boundaries for personal essays hardly exist, so just make it real and make it good.
Place yourself in the shoes of an editor or a reader and work that story over as pitilessly as you would a piece of fiction. Remember that just because a given event was meaningful to you doesn’t automatically make it meaningful to a reader. People tend to resist editing their essays because they don’t want to remove material about things that actually happened to them. Even if you delete some of the prose, the experience still occurred. Remember the elements of strong storytelling technique: focus, pace, and precision.
Who Do I Contact?
Refer to your copy of Writer’s Market and make a note of all the essay markets. (There are tons!) Most of the time you won’t see anything like an essay editor for a given publication, so get in touch with the contact individual they give you. If you want, you can always call them and ask them for the name of the editor who accepts essays.
Never Stop When You
THINK IT’S GREAT
Whenever you read through a manuscript and pronounce it ready for the mail, place it aside and come back to it a few days later. At that point commit to making it just a little better, even if that improvement amounts to tightening a single paragraph or replacing one almost-right word with a more exact one. You owe it to yourself to set your own standards high.
Once a manuscript is done, get it out there and don’t worry if another edit occurs to you three days later. There is scarcely a writer in existence who looks back on a manuscript and believes it’s perfect. Or, to quote Anthony Burgess, “You don’t say, ‘I’ve done it!’ You come, with a horrible desperation, to realize that this will do.”
WRITING-INSTRUCTION PIECES
No doubt you have a lot you could share about writing—the craft, the business, the writing life. And no doubt other writers, established, aspiring, and not sure whether they’re established or still aspiring, would be interested in those thoughts. Sandwiched among the stories, poems, and essays in most literary journals and periodicals are articles about the world of writing and publishing. Such pieces tend to be highly valued by the readers of these publications, since the readers are, of course, writers, and all of them realize that writing is an ongoing journey and an endless progression. None of us, after all, has learned everything there is to know.
| 38 WRITINGINSTRUCTION PIECES | What particular writing tricks have you gathered over time? List a bunch of them and see which ones might lend themselves to a full article. |
Get This Gig: Writing-Instruction Pieces
Where Do I Start?
Check out publications like Byline and Writers’ Journal to see the kinds of instruction pieces they use amid the more traditional literary substance. Then think about what your strengths are when it comes to writing. Take one of these topics and craft a query. Remember that the purpose of an instruction piece is to help people write better or publish more, so in your query, don’t just describe the proposed article; explain why readers of the publication will be better for having read it.
Who Do I Contact?
The person listed as the contact in Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market is often the story editor or fiction editor—not the individual to whom you want to send an instruction piece. If the main editor is listed, send it to that individual. If not, call to get her name.
INTERVIEWS
Though interviews and profiles aren’t the heart and soul of literary publications, they are often important appendages. The Paris Review, for example, runs a Writers at Work interview series featuring important contemporary writers discussing their work and the writing craft. Many other literary journals do something similar either on an individual basis or as part of ongoing series.
The question you’re naturally asking yourself is, “How do I get access to prominent writers?” The answer is often simpler than you might believe: Ask. I’ve interviewed quite a number of renowned publishing types. The first was Scott Turow, not long after Presumed Innocent had skyrocketed up the best-seller lists. You know how I got to him? Went to his Web site, got a phone number, called his assistant, and asked. It hasn’t always been so simple, of course. Frequently I’ve had to ask more than once, or go through multiple people, or remind them three times that they said yes weeks before. Sometimes it just won’t work out, of course. But you can only find out by trying.
| 39 INTERVIEWS | Never operate under the assumption that you can’t get to someone for an interview. Always assume you can until proven wrong. |
Get This Gig: Interviews
Where Do I Start?
Find out which publications use interviews by going to the subject index in Writer’s Market. Then check the listings of each of those publications to see what kinds of interviews they run. Are they straight Q&A or more open-ended profiles? One-on-ones or roundtables? Hard-hitting or soft touch? Focused on up-and-comers or veteran bestsellers? Once your reconnaissance is complete, pick a writer each publication would love an interview with. Then try to get to that writer. Usually you can find an access point via the writer’s Web site or through the publisher of his most recent book.
Avoid promising an interview before you know you can get access to the writer. People have done this before, sometimes with success, but it’s an awfully risky proposition for one simple reason: Word gets around within publishing circles, and if you tarnish your status with one editor, you might just find that others aren’t so quick to assign you things. Be willing to do the grunt work up front and you’ll carve out the kind of reputation editors love—as someone resourceful, reliable, and, above all, willing to go the extra mile.
Who Do I Contact?
Interview queries should be sent directly to the publication’s main editor or, if there is one, the features editor.
Ten Burning Questions
WITH WILL ALLISON
Will Allison has been around the literary block and back— he’s taught creative writing at The Ohio State University, served on the staff of the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley, worked as executive editor of Story, editor-at-large for Zoetrope: All-Story, and been a freelance editor and writer for more than a decade. His first novel, What You Have Left, was published in 2007 by Free Press. Here, Will shares his thoughts on the writer-editor relationship, the thrill of a great story, and the irrepressible writing bug.
Q You’ve been both writer and editor. Which is harder, and why? Does having experienced each side of the coin make you appreciate the other more?
For me, it’s harder to create a fictional world from scratch than to try improving on one that’s already on the page. I believe that being a writer makes me a more sympathetic, if no less rigorous, editor. And certainly editing, which involves getting at the DNA of other writers’ work, has informed and benefited my own writing.
Q Give me your top three tips for short story writers trying to get published.
Number one, read a lot of short stories. Number two, write a lot of short stories. Number three, keep revising those stories. I’m not trying to be glib, but this is what it boils down to—understanding what makes a good story and pushing your own work until it reaches that standard. If those aren’t your top priorities, no other tip is going to help you get published.
Q What is the most challenging part of freelancing?
Striking the right balance between freelancing and my own writing. It’s hard to turn down work, especially in such a hand-to-mouth business, but for me the point of freelancing, as opposed to a more steady and lucrative career, is having the time and flexibility to write what I want to write.
Q What do you find the most enjoyable or exciting part?
I get a lot of satisfaction in seeing my work pay off for clients, especially when a writer I’ve edited gets a story or book published, wins a contest, is accepted to a writing program or conference, etc.
Q When did you realize you had the writing bug, and what did you do to feed it?
I first started thinking of myself as a writer in high school, working on the school paper, but I didn’t write anything I’m still proud of until many years later. Along the way, I fed the writing bug the only way I know how: by writing and reading a lot.
Q What are writers’ biggest misconceptions about editors?
That an editor is going to ruin their work, or that their artistic integrity will somehow be compromised as a result of being edited. I’m always surprised at the number of writers I meet—newer writers mostly—who don’t want to be edited. I want to be edited—edited well, of course, but definitely edited. Nothing has been more valuable to me than the editing I’ve received from my wife, from my former teachers, and from the book and magazine editors I’ve had the good fortune to work with.
Q When you begin a story, are you thinking about specific publications, or are you just trying to write the best story you can and worry later about where it might end up?
With nonfiction, I almost always have a specific publication in mind, but with fiction, I almost never do. Anyhow, most literary magazines are looking for pretty much the same thing: great stories.
Q What’s most important: plot, character, or dialogue?
I think the elements of a successful short story are so interrelated that it’s impossible to separate them out and hold up one as being more important than another. Everything has to work, and everything has to work together.
Q What do you tell people who become frustrated at the difficulty of getting published?
For short story writers, I remind them that a lot of getting published is luck. It’s a matter of finding the right editor at the right magazine at the right time. Just because your story gets rejected doesn’t mean it’s not publishable.
Q Is the feeling you get as a writer having finished a great story similar to the feeling you get as an editor receiving one?
One is a sense of accomplishment; the other is a sense of discovery. Though of course discovery is also a big part of writing, and there’s a strong sense of accomplishment to be had in editing someone else’s story well.
DRAMA
Certain literary publications apportion space for dramatic prose, like excerpts from plays or stories written in play form. For an example (a gut-busting one), read Woody Allen’s one-act play “Death,” which appeared in his 1975 collection Without Feathers. Even if you haven’t written this kind of piece before, don’t discount it. Imposing dramatic structure on otherwise traditional narrative can make for plenty of interesting and unexpected creative possibilities. And it might just produce the kind of manuscript that stands out from the pack.
| 40 DRAMA | Though publications rarely specify dramatic pieces among their needs, many are willing to consider them. Even if you don’t see it spelled out, don’t make assumptions; call and ask the question. |
Get This Gig: Drama
Where Do I Start?
You’ll notice in your copy of Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market that many publications indicate no specific need other than “quality writing” or something similar. This vagueness is deliberate; they’re keeping themselves open to anything that might turn their fancy, including successful forays into drama. If you aren’t sure, call and ask if they consider dramatic pieces such as play excerpts. Also, look in your copy of Writer’s Market under the section entitled Playwriting, which lists over one hundred markets.
Who Do I Contact?
Most of the time, the main editor is the person you should send dramatic pieces to. If you aren’t sure, or if no main contact is listed for the publication, call to get a name.
EXPERIMENTAL PIECES
Writing is fluid, not static, over time. Read the top novels of a century ago and they’ll sound considerably different to you from those of today. Editors know this, so they appreciate writers who throw off the chains of convention, push the boundaries, and explore new horizons—as long as those writers do it successfully. Experimental writing, like anything alternative, is risky only insofar as it can stand out for better or worse. But by and large, editors are open to attempts at new forms and will give them a fair shake. A few years ago I asked Gordon Van Gelder, editor of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, whether a story has to follow certain conventions to be publishable. He said this: I stay away from the word “publishable.” We ran one story a few years ago that consisted entirely of footnotes. But a common flaw I see is stories that are fragments—pieces in which the feeling or mood is the highest priority, and once that emotion is evoked, the author drops the rest of the story. There’s no interest in completing the narrative arc as long as the epiphany is deeply felt. That doesn’t often work for me.
In other words, feel free to create new worlds, explore new possibilities, and use language in new ways, but don’t just experiment for experiment’s sake. The experiment must still be a vehicle for the story.
| 41 EXPERIMENTAL PIECES | Many writers have found success pushing the envelope of convention. Research properly and submit strategically, and your experiments stand a good chance of finding a home. |
Get This Gig: Experimental Pieces
Where Do I Start?
Open your copy of Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market to the category index and look up Experimental. Then review each of the publications listed to see if you can ascertain whether they might be open to your newfangled literary approach. Sometimes you’ll hardly be able to tell, because you’ll hardly know how to define your own experiment. If nothing seems to rule out the type of piece you’ve written, give it a shot.
Who Do I Contact?
The editor. If he isn’t listed, go the publication’s Web site or call to get the name—and remember to ask for the right spelling.
Three Big-Time Writers Answer
ONE VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION
Q What’s better, sex or nailing a sentence?
David Rosenfelt, author of Bury the Lead: I don’t think anyone would consider me an expert on either, but I don’t know anyone who has a sentence drive.
Raelynn Hillhouse, author of Rift Zone: Compare the number of people writing books and the number having sex and you know which is more fun.
Lawrence Block, author of All the Flowers Are Dying: I’d say it depends on your audience.
TRANSLATIONS
Publications will often include stories translated from other languages as counterpoint to the English stories that occupy the bulk of their pages. Do you speak in a tongue other than English? Are there writers in that language you admire, or whose work you think might translate in an interesting way? It never occurs to most writers to translate others, but doing so can add an appealing wrinkle to all the other writing skills you offer.
| 42 TRANSLATIONS | Do you speak multiple languages? Are there writers in other languages you particularly admire? Literary translation is a special skill—one you may be able to put to use. |
Get This Gig: Translations
Where Do I Start?
Find authors who write in a language you speak and whose work you enjoy. If you find a particular story by that author that you think might transfer effectively to English, get in touch with the author and make a request to do the translation for the purpose of submitting to an English publication. Be sure to iron out potential payment splits up front in the case of acceptance—for example, you get half for doing the translation and the author gets half for, you know, writing the story in the first place.
Who Do I Contact?
The story editor if there is one, the fiction editor if appropriate (you may be translating nonfiction), or the general editor.
REVIEWS
Freefall Magazine, published out of Calgary, includes reviews under its needs. Landfall, from Otago University in New Zealand, seeks reviews of Kiwi books. Both the South Carolina Review and The Southeast Review list reviews among the types of writing they look for. So, while you’re doubtless spending most of your waking hours trying to create your own publishable work, should the mood strike you to provide an opinion about someone else’s efforts, go for it.
A good review needs to satisfy three requirements. First, it has to be well written. Second, it has to be timely. Third, it has to be fair. The first shouldn’t be a problem, since you’re a writer. The second demands only that you contact a publisher ahead of the release date to request a review copy. The third is, for many writers, the most challenging, because, frankly, it’s hard to be objective about someone else’s success in the area of our own passion—or, as Stephen King put it, once you decide you want to become a writer, “You read everything with grinding envy or weary contempt.” Both of these feelings must be put aside when you sit down to properly review others’ work. It’s okay not to like or recommend a book, but don’t get personal or nasty. Stay professional, stay detached, and remind yourself that this review is above all a piece of writing that you are preparing to be submitted to, and considered by, an editor for publication—thus it deserves to be the best piece of writing you can make it.
| 43 REVIEWS | Journals and periodicals from across the literary spectrum consider it part of their natural responsibility to appraise the writing that’s out there, or about to be. |
Get This Gig: Reviews
Where Do I Start?
Reviews aren’t one of the more obvious or frequent needs listed by most publications, so to find those that do consider them, you might have to examine the listings one by one. If the information is vague or you’ve seen a review in the publication before even though such a need isn’t indicated, call to get confirmation and details.
Who Do I Contact?
Unless you see a reviews editor listed—and most of the time you won’t—call the publication’s offices and ask for the name of the editor who works with reviews.