If you are just starting to submit your work to literary journals, or perhaps you just want to avoid rejection, this list is for you.
All of the literary journals in this list accept around half of what is submitted to them. So the odds of your work being accepted just went up.
These are not the most prestigious journals; publication in them will in all likelihood not change your writing life in any way, but they are not a bad place to start if you are new to submitting or writing.
Make sure you read the guidelines before submitting to know if your work fits. Just because they are approachable, doesn’t mean that they will accept angry poetry when they only publish nature poetry!
Not all literary journals in this list are currently open to submissions, but most are. It is also important to note that this information is subject to change. Sometimes a journal that was once easy to get into no longer is, so if you are seeing this list long after it was published, please keep that in mind. The list is in no particular order.
All of the information used to ascertain if the market is approachable or not was found through research done at the websites Duotrope and The (Submission) Grinder.
They only publish poetry about nature and ecology. They publish a little under half of the work they receive.
They publish poetry, nonfiction, and fiction online. Every issue is themed, but they read for several themes at once.
As their name suggests, they publish only 50-word stories. They read submissions every month between the 1st and the 15th. They publish over 50% of what is submitted to them.
Down in the Dirt publishes fiction and poetry. They have an acceptance rate of 70%.
If you are a poet who really hates rejection, submit to this online literary journal. They accept almost 100% of what is submitted. They only publish poetry.
Anti-Heroin Chic publishes poetry, fiction and nonfiction. As they put it,
“Send us your observations.
Send us your heart.
Send us your honesty.”
Page & Spine is an online literary journal that focuses on publishing the work of emerging authors. They accept poems, limericks, micro flash fiction (under 150 words), flash fiction (up to 1,000 words), short stories, articles, essays, and poems. They accept approximately half of the work they receive. They pay.
This is an online journal of upbeat and warm fiction, poetry, art, and essays. They accept over half of their submissions.
Literary Yard is an e-journal that aims at widening literary horizons. They publish well over half of what they receive.
They publish a wide variety of writing and visual art. They have a well-designed website and a rather high acceptance rate.
An Ekphrastic work is writing or art about another work of art. The Ekphrastic Review publishes fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry.
They publish a poem a day by a different poet exploring and responding to the US’ political reality.
They publish one piece of flash fiction in the science fiction or speculative fiction genre, every day.
An online journal that publishes fiction, non-fiction, analysis, and poetry.
They publish fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, but it must be 100 words or less.
They publish poetry electronically.
