The thing that seems to be the most daunting to aspiring writers is how to go about getting their work published; where to submit it, how to submit it, what to expect. The first thing to ask yourself is this – what do you consider being published means? For some people being published means simply posting your work on your own blog, website, or on author sharing sites such as Wattpad. For others publishing means a contract and royalties. For me, publishing means having my work reach an audience, whether that is through print and online magazines, anthologies, pamphlets or books – and for me, money isn’t the main objective – exposure is. Over the past few years I have felt connected to a readership and haven’t felt so cut-off… after all, writing can leave a writer feeling isolated at times.
Once you have worked out what you intend to achieve through your writing (is it a hobby, or are you serious about it as a profession) you can set out to publish your work. In the UK, you as the author hold the copyright. When you send your work to magazines, they usually ask for first publication rights. If you republish the work at a later stage in a book collection, you’ll need to acknowledge the magazine where it first appeared. But before you do this, how to you find the magazines to send to?
One handy way that I tend to find new magazines to submit to is by reading the bios of fellow authors in magazines where my work appears. If you haven’t yet been published, a good starting point to find any magazines in the first place is through the publication links on my page here, or my writer hubby’s page here. Once you start submitting, you’ll soon find out about other magazines listed through those magazines and so on, and that way you’ll also find markets that publish whatever type of work you write. Keep writing, keep editing, keep submitting and keep positive – and you’ll soon reach your publishing goals. Good luck!
Leilanie Stewart 