One of the first steps in publishing your stories is to familiarize yourself with the market to find the literary magazines that are right for your work. If you want to start with the big boys, here's the list for you. These literary magazines have been included in prize anthologies such as "Best American Short Fiction," "Pushcart," and "O. Henry," and have a large circulation, as far as literary magazines go. Pick up copies at your local bookstore, or order copies through the links below.
Founded in 1925 by Harold Ross,
The New Yorker continues to be one of the most venerated publishers of short fiction. As such, it has helped make the career of writers including John Updike, Haruki Murakami, Alice Munro, and Raymond Carver.
Begun in 1953 by Harold L. Humes, Peter Matthiessen, and George Plimpton, The Paris Review has published authors such as A.S. Byatt, Denis Johnson, Philip Roth, and Thomas Wolfe, becoming one of the most prestigious literary journals in the country (they receive 1,000 unsolicited mss each month). Submit to The Paris Review, 62 White Street, New York, NY 10013. Philip Gourevitch, editor. Circ. 10,000.
Tin House distinguishes itself from other, more academic journals by its colorful design, its willingness to address pop culture, and its ability to actually pay for the work they publish. The Oregon journal has published Jose Saramago, Francine Prose, Robert Olen Butler, and Dorothy Allison. Submit one story at a time to: Tin House, P.O. Box 10500, Portland, OR 97210. Pays $200 minimum for fiction. Mss are not considered from May 31 to September 1 (check the website for special themes and deadlines before submitting). Estab. 1998, circ. 10,000.
Granta publishes new writing four times a year. "
Granta does not have a political or literary manifesto, but it does have a belief in the power and urgency of the story...and the story's supreme ability to describe, illuminate and make real." Has published work by Martin Amis, Angela Carter, Nadine Gordimer, Gabriel Garcia Márquez, Jeanette Winterson, and Tobias Wolff. The Editor, Granta, 2/3 Hanover Yard, Noel Rd., London N1 8BE, UK. Estab. 1889, re-launched in 1979. Circ. 80,000.
While Glimmer Train is not intellectual or avant-garde, it outstrips many of the other journals on this list in terms of circulation. "We especially appreciate work that is both well written and emotionally engaging." Past contributors have included Andre Dubus III, Alberto Rios, and Catherine Ryan Hyde. They accept standard submissions in January, April, July, and October. Submit stories online. Estab. 1991. Circ. 16,000.
Founded by Dave Eggers, McSweeney's aimed to publish work being rejected elsewhere (though contributors have included David Foster Wallace, Rick Moody, and Heidi Julavits). McSweeney's has a very distinctive voice, described by The New York Times as "quirky, whimsical and slightly Victorian," so be sure your work fits. Submit by mail: 849 Valencia Street, San Francisco, California 94110, or email: printsubmissions@mcsweeneys.net. Estab. 1996.
In 2005 the Missouri Review celebrated its 20th anniversary with a redesign, a shift to four issues per year, and a "continued quest to publish the best fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction that comes through our doors." Issues have included Joy Williams, Bharati Mukherjee, Bret Lott, Naquib Mahfouz, and Amy Hempel. Submit to: The Missouri Review, 357 McReynolds Hall, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211. See their site to submit electronically. Pays $30.00 per printed page. Circ. 5,500.
Published three times a year, each issue of Ploughshares is guest-edited by a prominent writer. However, a certain percentage of the work published must be unsolicited to discourage cronyism. Recent editions included work by Ann Beattie, Ron Carlson, and Cynthia Weiner. Mail submissions to: Ploughshares, Emerson College, 120 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02116-4624. They read from August 1-March 31. Estab. 1971, circ. 6,000.
StoryQuarterly seeks "great humor, serious and literary stories of any type or style (nothing gimmicky)," and has published T.C. Boyle, Richard Ford, Alice Hoffman, and Romulus Linney. They accept submissions year-round; submissions accepted online. Pays 10 contributors copies plus a lifetime subscription. Estab. 1975, circ. 6,000.
"The appeal of the magazine lies partly in its offbeat combinations of the tried-and-true with the deeply unexpected." Recent issues have included work by Dagoberto Gilb, David Mamet, Kenzaburo Oe, and Lynne Sharon Schwartz. Submit to: The Editors, The Threepenny Review, PO Box 9131, Berkeley, CA 94709. Pays $400 per story. They do not read in the autumn months. Wendy Lesser, Editor. Estab. 1980. Circ. 9,000.
Founded by Francis Ford Coppola in 1997 to support the brightest young voices in fiction, Zoetrope has published Adam Haslett, Melissa Bank, Gabriel García Márquez, Don DeLillo, and Cynthia Ozick. Send all submissions to Zoetrope: All-Story, 916 Kearny St., San Francisco, CA 94133. Does not accept submissions between September 1 and December 31. Circ. 20,000.
