This event took place on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022
The first step in your life as a publishing writer is submitting your stories, poems, and essays to literary magazines and journals. This presentation will show you how to approach the submission process and the pitfalls to avoid.
Takeaway Resources
Speakers: Cathy Day
Link to PDF of presentation slides
Literary Magazines at Ball State
Ball State is the home of a national literary magazine, The Broken Plate.
Ball State subscribes to many literary magazines.
- You can check out the physical copies in “Current Periodicals” in 1 East
- You can log into your library account and view them online.
Why are literary magazines important?
Read this take on the value, and the unfortunate value of literary magazines.
How do I research where to send my work?
Check out anthologies based on
- literary genre (poetry, fiction, nonfiction, screenplay, drama)
- form (short story, flash fiction, essay, sonnet, etc.)
- commercial sub-genre (YA, fantasy, sci-fi, etc.)
- aspects of identity, subject matter, or geographical region
Best American Mystery and Suspense
Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy
The Year’s Top Robot and AI Stories
30 Incredible Young Adult Anthologies You Need to Read
Best American Nonrequired Reading
Best American Science and Nature Writing
Not Like the Rest of Us: An Anthology of Contemporary Indiana Writers
City Anthologies by Belt Publishing
Or check out various lists
Matt Bell’s list of literary magazines
BISAC Codes (Book Industry Standards and Communications)
How do I submit?
How to use Submittable to send your work to magazines, journals, contests, and other opportunities.
Lincoln Michel, Lit Mag Submissions 101: How, When, and Where to Send Your Work
Michelle Richmond, How to Write a Cover Letter for a Literary Journal Submission
How do I keep track of where my work has been submitted?
Writing Cooperative, Spreadsheets for Beginners
Writing Cooperative, Online Submission Managers
Can I publish the same piece of work in multiple magazines?
No. Here’s how first North American serial rights work