Thinking about testing the publishing waters? Start here!

By Maya B.

I talk a lot about books. A lot. I stay away from the topic of writing, though. 

Don’t get me wrong – I love to talk about other people’s writing, just not my own. However, I have been considering my writing as of late. Rebecca has been instrumental in leading and encouraging me to write, but I have apprehensions.

The fears I possess, which I assume any budding writer has too, are more around publishing. It’s rare that someone sits down, writes a book, gets published, and has success. When you enter the writing world, though, it seems that these are the expectations, and frankly, they’re scary.

Many aspects of society today push the expectation of success, fame, and fortune. Somehow, subconsciously, we are taught that we must be successful in our chosen profession. 

The narrative that you should get a job and be happy regardless of the monetary compensation is very new and unfamiliar to many of us. 

Think about it: We hold medical and law professions in high regard, 

not because doctors and lawyers enjoy their jobs – but because we measure the value of success according to income.

So, if you want to be a writer, you’re programmed to think that you should do it, as long as it comes with wealth and success.

Zero to 100, this is what we expect of ourselves. But what about 1 to 99? What happens in the middle of the road?!

Recently, I’ve been introduced to literary journals and magazines. 

Publications that issue volumes full of works from individuals who love to write. Short stories, poetry, essays, and flash fictions are some of the pieces you can find there.

Now, this is not a new concept to me, but for the first time, I have been diving into a pool of brilliant prose that is not available on any other platform. This abundance of amazing work is out there for anyone to explore and take part in.

The selections are infinite, so I thought I’d help sort it out. Online literary magazines can be filtered in many ways: by genre, location, culture, gender, etc. This article and this list were a good jumping board for me, when I was looking for Canadian publications that promoted submissions from enthusiasts and/or novices like myself. 

Many of these are founded by university organizations or writers’ foundations, both of which are faculties that endorse creativity and individualism. These lists also conveniently itemize how often each publication comes out and what they are looking for in submissions. 

It’s a bonus that some journals also pay for accepted submissions, though that was not on my criteria.

After sifting through these, I found some that stood out to me:

Paperplates only comes out once a year, but the quality makes up for the quantity. Essays, reviews, poetry, and fiction submission are accepted year-round for a coveted spot along with amazing artists. Paperplates reads as a PDF file, and its latest issue has 25 individual pieces, but on the website it also has stand-alone pieces for screen reading only.

Geist is the recipient of six national magazine awards, and on top of creative writing, it also has a visual arts component. Geist has published quarterly for over 30 years. On its website, Geist also has a blog, contests, and newsletters available for readers and writers.

Carte Blanche hails from Quebec and requires paid submissions. Published three times a year, each issue centres around a theme selected by the publisher. Carte Blanche also runs a blog on its website and is a non-profit run by volunteers. It has its own prize reserved for Quebec-based artists. Translations and comics are on the list of written works accepted.

Chapter House Journal is founded and run by the IAIA Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing program. It is focused on Indigenous artists and writers but accepts poetry, fiction, and non-fiction submissions from a diverse range of backgrounds. They publish on a rolling basis and accept screenwriting submissions, as well. Their blog can also be found on the website.

All these and most of their counterparts accept unpublished pieces only, which means not only are the works original and unique, but such publications open doors for beginners and amateurs to test the waters of publishing.

The idea that any type of written work can be submitted for publishing has opened an uncharted territory full of possibilities for myself and anyone starting on a literary journey, one that can be driven leisurely at about 40km/h. I hope you can join me in enjoying the view!

Have you read any good literary magazine pieces lately, or have you ever been published in one? Share with us at info@rebooks.ca.