WRITING FOR LITERARY MAGAZINES

163 Literary Magazines Accepting Reprints
http://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/2016/01/163-literary-magazines-accepting.html

The more I read the list the madder I got. Not at the blog and not at the author, but at the fact 123 of those 163 publications don't pay for reprints. But what you don't immediately see is most of them don't pay for original works, either. Look closely and you'll see that 11 pay token payments, three admit paying pennies, 12 pay semi-pro rates when pro is six cents/word. Some admit $1, $2, $5 and $8 flat rate. You could count on one hand the ones that pay double digits, with the highest admitting paying $10 to $100.  

I understand that the author of the piece attempted to help writers who wanted to resell material they'd already published. "Very few of them will pay you, but you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you have reached more readers." Sorry, that's still exposure, in my book - in lieu of payment. 

Why should you write for these publications? You shouldn't. The only way I'd write for a publication such as these is if their reputation is pretty darn big and can catapult your career. I don't mean 2,500 readers. I mean tens of thousands and their name is recognizable and respected. Otherwise, you're feeding their preference to pay writers nothing and the exposure promise is worth nil. Exposure to a small group is not exposure. 

Why do people submit to them? A wide range of reasons. Because they think it'll make them look professional. Because they think the exposure will do something for their career, not evening thinking what "exposure" means. Because they hate rejection. Many would rather publish quickly or for nothing than hold out. It's possibly ego or desperation to publish, or a combination of the two. It's so much more professional, and you'll respect yourself so much more, if you hold off publishing until you can climb the ladder a little bit and reach the paying publications. Yes, even in the literary world, they have markets that pay. One of the biggest myths out there is if you write for free or pennies, you are paying your dues. Um, no. You are proving to a higher calibre editor and publication that you settle for less. 

Most say they do not have the budget to pay. Many say they are nonprofit and cannot afford to pay. Some say they are university affiliated and, therefore, cannot afford to pay. The fact is, if you run a business (and a nonprofit or university press is a business), and you run it properly, you find the money to pay the people providing the raw materials that make it happen. The printer, the mailman, and all the players who put that publication together are getting paid. Which means you should be shamed into starving. 
 

To Niche or Not to Niche

By Johnny Townsend 
            
One of the comments I hear most often when I tell friends about my books is, "Your writing is too narrow. You need to broaden your appeal." And in a sense, they're right. There can't be that many people reading about disaffected Mormons. And it's not every Mormon who will pick up a book entitled Zombies for Jesus or Sex among the Saints.
            
I started my writing career with an MFA thesis, a collection of short stories about my two years as a gay Mormon missionary in Italy. Now that's specific. I was told at the time, "You need to appeal to a larger audience." But my professors weren't criticizing me for writing about Mormons. This was the 1980's. They were criticizing me for writing about gays.
            
Today there are so many gay novels being written that a writer would be easily lost amidst the crush of publications. And this is my beef with the criticism in general. My friends tell me to stop writing about Mormons and ex-Mormons and instead "just write about people." I assure them that it is hard enough rising to the top among a pool of fifty writers. It would be next to impossible even to be noticed among a pool of tens of thousands.
            
I have another beef with the criticism, too. No good author writes the sentence, "The woman put on her best dress, looked in the mirror, and knew she was ready for a fun evening." What in the world does the reader know about how that character looks? We need specifics. Details are what make a story interesting. William Faulkner created an entire career writing about the folks in small-town Mississippi. Those weren't just "people." They were from a very specific culture and environment. 
            
I'll go one further. Isaac Bashevis Singer wrote about ultra-Orthodox Jews in the shtetls of Eastern Europe. How's that for a niche audience? Especially since by the time he wrote those stories, that entire culture no longer even existed.
            
Need I remind anyone that both Faulkner and Singer won the Nobel Prize for Literature?
            
There's no guarantee that I'll ever sell more than four hundred copies of Mormon Underwear or Marginal Mormons, much less win any recognizable awards. But if I just write about generic "people," I'm even less likely to be noticed. There is simply too much competition out there. It's not a matter of being a big fish in a small pond. It's a matter of finding any water to thrive in at all.
            
I'm involved in the Mormon literary community, such as it is. I proofread for a progressive Mormon magazine (yes, there are a good three or four hundred progressive Mormons out there!). I proofread for a small Mormon publisher. I post on the Mormon blogs I follow and my own Mormon-themed blog. I help critique the work of other Mormon and ex-Mormon writers, and I financially support their work as well.
            
And I follow that age-old maxim: write what you know.
            
Yes, I have a niche audience, but the fact is, at least I have an audience.
 
BIO - Johnny Townsend earned an MFA in fiction writing from Louisiana State University. He has published in Newsday, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Glimmer Train, The Massachusetts Review, and in many other publications. His books have been named to Kirkus Reviews' Best of 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.  http://johnnytownsend.com/








 

 

 

RAGDALE FOUNDATION
http://www.ragdale.org
Location Lake Forest, IL. Residencies for visual artists, musicians, writers, dancers, media artists, and choreographers. Organization provides housing, meals, and studio space; artist responsible for residency fee ($35/day), deposit ($100/two weeks), travel and materials. Deadline February 20, 2016.



MILLAY COLONY FOR THE ARTS
http://www.millaycolony.org/apply
The Millay Colony for the Arts offers one-month residencies to six visual artists, writers and composers each month between the months of April and November. Nurturing the work of artists of all ages, from a range of cultures and communities, and in all stages of their artistic career, the Colony offers comfortable private rooms, private studio spaces, all meals, and ample time to work in a quiet, pastoral atmosphere. March 1 (Midnight, EST) deadline is for the August, September, October and November sessions. 



MARYLAND ARTIST IN RESIDENCE GRANTS
http://www.msac.org/artists-in-residence-roster?id4=207&id3=252&id2=363&id1=375&disc=IR
The Artist-In-Residence Grant for Schools opens March 1, 2016. The grant provides teachers opportunities for hands-on workshops with artists from the Artists-in-Residence Roster of Artists who work with small core groups of students over a number of days or weeks. The MSAC grant pays for half the total costs of the residency including travel. All schools must apply for the AiE Grant through the MSAC eGrant system. Applications must be submitted by Friday, May 13, 2016, by 5 pm.

(NOTE: Check your state arts commission for similar grants in your own state. These are common and give writers many opportunities. Apply for the roster.)



SIGNAL FIRE
http://www.signalfirearts.org/2016-unwalking-the-west/unwalking-the-west-call-to-artists
Signal Fire announces a call to artists of all disciplines, as well as activists, curators and researchers for Unwalking the West, our 8th year of retreats and residencies on the public lands of the American West. Applications for all trips are open January 1 through midnight on February 29, 2016. Signal Fire trips bring small groups of creative people to a wide range of wild places to inspire and inform their work.
 

HEALTHY FOOD WRITER
http://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=32aa7deae94facc5&q=Writer&tk=1ab1595k71prf90v&from=ja&alid=f586e6eedd9cabfc
New York Spirit is currently recruiting Freelance Writers to contribute thoughtful articles for our rapidly growing digital audience. We encourage contributors to pitch ideas as well as take assignments from our editor. We're looking for food bloggers to share recipes and food-centric articles that appeal to a wellness minded audience. Articles are encouraged to cover: Veganism, Vegetarianism, Clean Eating, Whole Foods, Locavorism, Sustainability and Seasonal Eating, Ayurvedic Diet. We're also recruiting New York-based writers with expertise in the following ares: Yoga, Sex and Relationships, Psychology and Therapy, Ecotravel, Retreats, and Responsible Tourism, Health and Medicine, Fitness.



WRITER-EDITOR
http://jobs.startribune.com/job/260450/writer-editor/
Innovative nonprofit has an opening for an experienced writer to work on a variety of materials, including newsletters, online postings, brochures, and more. Family members of children with disabilities encouraged to apply. Location Minneapolis. 



STAFF WRITER
https://careers-lrp.icims.com/jobs/1144/staff-writer/job
As a Staff Writer you will be responsible for writing polished, well-reported stories on commercial property and casualty insurance.  Our audience is risk managers, brokers and insurance executives charged with managing risk for Fortune 500 companies down into the middle market.  The Staff Writer will interview business leaders and other industry professionals face to face and over the phone.  You will also write weekly news pieces for the magazine’s website and at least one feature story for the monthly print issue.  Location in our Horsham, Pa. office.


 

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NONFICTION WRITERS CONFERENCE

The 6th annual Nonfiction Writers Conference returns May 4-6, 2016. This event is completely
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NonfictionWritersConference.com.  Click here to view more details










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