At my monthly writers group meeting, as I discussed some prior successes and places I was sending off more stories to, I was asked about where I find these publications. I was able to give a general and probably not very helpful answer, but it got me to thinking about how I go about searching for projects to consider writing for. More to the point, I realized that many writers likely have the same question. Now there are tons of resources available out there, and weeding through all of them can be a hassle. So as I prepared a list for my writers group, I thought it would be a good idea to post it here as well. For now, I will simply update and re-post this list as I make substantial changes. I am working on adding a new page to my website (GASP!) that will be a resource for writers, but I will have to figure out how to do that first. It will probably take me a few weeks of trial and error and a lot of supplications to the gods to help keep me safe from botching up my entire website. I will announce it here when I get it done.
WARNING!: Whenever you are looking for potential places to submit work, beware of any publisher that wants you to pay for the privilege of having them publish your work. No legitimate publisher will EVER ask you for money up front. This is not the same as a writing contest that charges a submission fee (there are some of these on the lists as well); while some contests are free to enter, others charge a small fee to cover the costs of running the contest. Use your best judgement. There are many reputable contests that charge an entry fee, and there are some questionable ones that are free. Do your research before you submit your work anywhere!
Anyway – here are seven websites that have lists of different publications and publishers seeking submissions. They are in no particular order, but I summed up each one to help guide you. Some also have extra features that are worth investigating.
Published to Death – This is a fantastic website for writers. There is a plethora of useful information here. I highly recommend bookmarking this one and taking the time to read through anything you can here. But since this post is about submissions, I am starting you in that section. The page is updated monthly and there is a long, long list to read through. This is the first place I go. A great place to begin, but it is not a comprehensive list, as some small publishers can slip through the cracks.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association – now I don’t always write in these genres, but I enjoy them so this is often a place I check to see if there are any new or upcoming markets. Typically it is updated monthly but I noticed there was no market report for May; hopefully, that is not a sign that this site won’t be as useful. (Update: A Market post for May and June was published on June 3rd, so it does seem that this site is still a viable resource.)
Community of Literary Magazines and Presses – many of these can found on the PtD website, but I do find a few that did not make that list. I have found some vanity publishers on here, so be careful.
The Submission Grinder – This site has a very long list of small presses in any genre you might be looking for, but they are organized alphabetically with only the ones with recently submitted reports appearing on the short list, which means a lot of work on your part to read through the extensive lists. Also, this does have a nice feature where they track success, failure, and response rates. Of course people have to volunteer that information, but you can get a general picture of how reliable some of these small presses are.
Submittable – this is another site that has a solid list plus a bonus – many publications use Submittable as a platform for authors to submit their work as well. It is free to sign up and to use their lists. You can also find things like workshops and classes here. You will also find that a great many here charge a fee.
Authors Publish – this is a nice resource, but you do need to sign up. It is free to sign up, plus they only list “traditional” publishers so there are none here that charge fees. Their list is not as long as some other sites, but it is well-maintained and updated. They also have some free lectures and others that must be paid for.
Poets & Writers – another very long and frequently updated list. A big plus here is that they have a permanent list of magazines and publishers that accept submissions year-round.