What makes you reject lit mag submissions?
When you’re reading for lit mags, do you reject pieces when you don’t like the title?
I definitely don’t reject pieces when I don’t like the title!
I struggle to come up with titles myself. I notice the title when I’m opening the piece, but unless it stands out in an obvious kind of way (very long, overly formal or stilted, or crude/gross are a few examples of what I mean here), it passes out of my mind pretty quickly.
If I love a piece but not the title the writer has chosen, I will see if they’re open to changing it once I’ve accepted the piece. But title alone isn’t a deal breaker for me.
So what is a deal breaker?
The most obvious ones are pieces that are too long for the publication, that don’t fit the aesthetics of the publication or conform to submissions guidelines, that hew too closely to work that was published in the last issue, and that have the feel of being unfinished.
This last criteria is the hardest for writers to spot since they’re so close to the work. A writers’ group can help, as can time away. Don’t send something out the day you finish it. Give it a week or two to have some distance, then you can edit it with fresh eyes.
The first three are fairly easy fixes when writers read the publication in advance....I know, I know....who has time for that? But here’s a quick example of how it can help.
For Atlas+Alice, we did a whole special issue on nonfiction Covid pieces. In subsequent issues I’m tending to steer clear of Covid stories unless there is something very remarkable about that experience (spoiler alert: in the issue I’m reading for at present, none of the Covid stories have that “remarkable” angle). Time spent reading or skimming the magazine would help a writer understand that we probably don’t want their Covid story and find a better outlet, ideally helping the story get a home while avoiding the sting of a form rejection.
Reading even 2-3 stories in a journal can give you a sense for the magazine’s style. You’ll notice the themes they like. The style of writers they publish. You can get a sense for what work of yours might be a fit and what might overlap with recent publications, thus get a rejection on that basis. And if the journal doesn’t seem like a good fit for your work....well, now you know before you formatted and sent in a submission!
Writers understand that reading the journal first is a best practice, but in reality, it doesn’t always get done. A journal might be print only and hard to find without paying for a copy. Even with an online journal that’s free to read, it isn’t always a priority. Submitting to journals is unpaid labor that, much of the time, isn’t going to bring in revenue since few journals pay writers, though there are some that do.
Erika Dreifus’s newsletter creates lit mags that pay so it’s a great place to check if you want paying opps only.
A shortcut can sometimes be to check the journal’s social media page. Editors can call out what they’re looking for or share recently published pieces and you may be able to skim some sensibilities from these excerpts.
If you could use some accountability and support in sending your work out, consider signing up for my free monthly meetup, Submission Cafe. I’ll hold space in a Zoom to come together, talk briefly about the opportunities that interest us and where we’re heading as writers, then spend an hour submitting to lit mags, working on grant applications, or whatever you need with community support. We’ll close it out with an accountability share. To get on the email list ad be notified of the next meeting, sign up here