Writers seeking publication for their short stories have a tendency to quickly give up after sending it out to a few of the more well-known magazines like The New Yorker. The largest fiction magazines--ones that pay the most for contributions--receive thousands of good submissions and hundreds of great submissions, without enough room to publish them all.
But there are alternatives for writers who are willing to contribute to markets that aren't paying professional rates (very few do anymore, anyway) but still garner a significantly large audience both online and in print.
Tin House - A great print magazine that is always looking for fiction and poetry and is generally open for submission throughout the year. The magazine also features essays, which means non-fiction writers also have an opportunity for publication. The site itself also includes a number of writing contests that can be entered throughout the year.
The Modern Review - Lots of room for poetry, but also includes some fiction and prose. There is also some room in the magazine for drama and interviews. The layout of the site is a little askew, however all of the contributions are of a very high quality. The magazine itself is a part of Parsifal Editions, and includes a link for writers to submit longer works (novels) for publication under their imprint as well.
Black Warrior Review – Allows for fiction, poetry, comics, art, chapbooks, and other features. This is a print magazine with a very liberal spread of literature, really allowing writers of any specialty to submit. In addition to the print format, every contributor gets a bio blurb. Also has occasional fiction and poetry contests and links to a variety of writers’ resources.
Ward 6 Review – The site layout is somewhat simplistic and hard on the eyes, but the editors involved are very passionate about keeping the magazine running, which means it will probably be around for a long time. And since it’s online-based, there are no printing costs, no costs to view any of the writing, which means anyone can happen by and read any of the fiction and other features. Also includes an archive of all the previous issues.
Vestal Review – This site isn’t well-known by a lot of writers, but it’s been around a long time. The format is easy to follow, and it draws in a lot of readers based on the information given on its main page. Given the number of submissions, there are specific reading periods, so be sure to check the guidelines section very carefully. The space between reading periods, however, is only a couple months, so it’s easy to come back and submit in the near future if they’re not currently accepting. This site is almost entirely fiction.
