Have any of you anons ever had any luck getting published in literary magazines? I have three short stories of varying lengths (8000, 3000, and about 1000 words) that I am looking to publish, but am worried that some slight mistake will prevent me from being taken seriously. I know that many magazines don't even bother giving unpublished writers a sideways glance, and it generally takes a long time before a rejection is made known, so I want to do everything I can to make sure I am taken seriously.
My questions are as follows:
How important is it that I read the magazine before sending in my story?
Is submitting to multiple magazines simultaneously a good idea, or would I do better to submit to more prestigious publications first and be patient?
Are footnotes generally acceptable? Does it vary by magazine or should I make efforts to remove them from my story?
How important is a cover letter for an unpublished writer? If it is important, how can I make mine stand out?
Getting published thread, I guess.
>>7712683
>Have any of you anons ever had any luck getting published in literary magazines?
No one here is an actual writer.
>but am worried that some slight mistake will prevent me from being taken seriously.
You will never be a writer with this attitude.
>I know that many magazines don't even bother giving unpublished writers a sideways glance
They don't.
>How important is it that I read the magazine before sending in my story?
Zero. And any magazine that believes that is fucking retarded or just trying to get more people to buy their shitty magazine.
>Is submitting to multiple magazines simultaneously a good idea, or would I do better to submit to more prestigious publications first and be patient?
Submit to anyone and everyone all at the same time and fuck anyone that tells you otherwise. But again, if you're unpublished, the most prestigious publications are literally going to toss your shit in the trash. They have national and internationally known writers to publish instead. Submit to them, but know it's never going to happen until you have a history/resume of being published. It's like any other job. You have to work your way up.
>Are footnotes generally acceptable? Does it vary by magazine or should I make efforts to remove them from my story?
Ew. No. Get rid of them. They're only a meme because of DFW.
>How important is a cover letter for an unpublished writer? If it is important, how can I make mine stand out?
It's important but not important. Don't try to stand out. You'll look like a fucking hack and be thrown in the trash. Even the meme master DFW was almost tossed in the trash because the editor said he had the most arrogant cover letter he'd ever seen. No flowery prose. Don't tell them your mom thinks you're the greatest writer ever. Just state your business. Keep it simple, stupid. If they like the story, they'll publish it.
>>7712784
Thanks
>>7712830
>How important is it that I read the magazine before sending in my story?
>Zero. And any magazine that believes that is fucking retarded or just trying to get more people to buy their shitty magazine.
I'll add an addendum to this. Don't submit your lit fiction about - a hipster faggot who sits in a coffee shop all day and dreams about his perfect pixie dream girl who goes to the library with him for the rest of his life - into a Sci-Fi zine. Conversely, don't submit your epic space opera or magic middle age elvish fantasy with its own language, to some place that publishes brooding lit fic. Do like, bare bones research before you submit, but you don't have to read the whole thing. Most of them will tell you exactly what they're looking for.
>>7712683
As soon as I finish my project--the longest sentence in the English language--I plan to be.
>How important is it that I read the magazine before sending in my story?
You need to be sure that it's the right sort of story for that particular magazine.
>Is submitting to multiple magazines simultaneously a good idea, or would I do better to submit to more prestigious publications first and be patient?
More important than reading the magazine is reading their submission guidelines. They'll tell you if they're okay with simultaneous submissions or not.
>Are footnotes generally acceptable? Does it vary by magazine or should I make efforts to remove them from my story?
That would depend on the story and the magazine.
>How important is a cover letter for an unpublished writer? If it is important, how can I make mine stand out?
Read the submission guidelines.
I got my first short story published last December and I can tell you that Duotrope is a tool you almost definitely need. Get the week free trial, write down a shit ton of info about Magazines that actually accept work, that have reasonable response times and DO NOT charge, and then cancel your subscription.
>>7712683
Wassup. Got published in The Missouri Review. Haven't been published since.
Footnotes will not go over well. Just put it in the body.
You can submit to multiple mags simultaneously ONLY if they don't specify you have to submit to them alone. If they decline it, then you're off the hook and can send it wherever. But definitely check to make sure, because that shit don't fly.
A cover letter is a waste of their time. Give them a SHORT introduction about yourself in the submission and move on.
>>7712784
>No one here is an actual writer.
You're wrong there champ
>>7712913
That's your idea? A story as a a run on sentence.?
>>7714427
Tao Lin gb2 Bed.
