Friendly advice: As you evaluate possible homes for your work, you may find some useful guidance in this piece that I published over on Literary Hub: “13 Questions to Ask Before Submitting to a Literary Journal.”
If you’re primarily interested in publishing short fiction, poetry, essays, and/or book reviews, you’ll find the following resources especially helpful.
- The monthly newsletter I launched way back in 2004
- Weekly “Markets & Jobs” posts on the Practicing Writing blog
- Where to Publish Flash Nonfiction/Micro-Essays
- Where to Read (and Publish) Work on Jewish Themes
- Calls for Submissions (Facebook group)
- Cathy’s Comps & Calls (U.K.-focused)
- Chill Subs
- Creative Writers Opportunities
- Galleyway (BIPOC-focused)
- Heavy Feather Review’s extension of the Entropy-established Where to Submit resource.
- NewPages.com
- Poets & Writers Literary Magazine Database and List of Open Reading Periods
- Trish Hopkinson’s “Where to Submit” resources (for poetry)
- (I recommend the popular Duotrope site with a caveat: It’s no longer a free resource. I do not currently subscribe to it, but I do follow @Duotrope on Twitter, which allows me a sort of limited access.)
If you’re interested in freelancing more broadly (and keeping in mind that “creative” works, especially essays, often find homes in publications beyond those that are typically labeled “literary”), you’ll want to check out the following market-focused resources:
You may also consider subscribing to the following free newsletters:
- The Practicing Writer
- Authors Publish
- FlashFictionFlash
- Freelance Writing Jobs (U.K. focus)
- Funds for Writers
- Poetry Bulletin
- The Writer’s Job Newsletter (TWJN)
- Winning Writers
- WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter
If you aren’t going the agent route, and you plan to pitch your book (or proposal) on your own, here are some links to help you identify some appropriate potential publishers.
- Association of American University Presses Membership List
- Association of Canadian Publishers Note for U.S. writers: In my research, I’ve found that many Canadian publishers who will consider unagented work will also consider work only from Canadian writers.
- Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) Directory
- NewPages.com Independent Publishers and University Presses Online Guide
- Poets & Writers Database of Small Presses
If you are going the agent route, or if you simply want to learn more about the process, you’ll find lots of useful information and resources via these sites.
- Association of American Literary Agents
- Manuscript Wish List
- Nathan Bransford
- QueryTracker
- SlushPile Hell (This one tells you how not to approach an agent!)