Submitting Your Creative Writing: A Guide to the Process

The submission process sits between finishing a piece of writing and having it read by anyone other than the writer — and that gap is wider, stranger, and more procedurally specific than most new writers expect. This page covers how literary submissions work mechanically, what drives acceptance and rejection, where the classification lines fall between different submission types, and what the process actually looks like step by step.

• Definition and scope
• Core mechanics or structure
• Causal relationships or drivers
• Classification boundaries
• Tradeoffs and tensions
• Common misconceptions
• Checklist or steps (non-advisory)
• Reference table or matrix

Definition and scope

Literary submission is the formal act of offering a finished piece of writing to a publication, contest, agent, or press for potential publication or representation. The operative word is formal — even when the channel is a web form and the publication is a small online journal with 800 subscribers, there are conventions, expectations, and gatekeeping mechanisms that function almost identically to those at The New Yorker.

The scope of "submission" in creative writing covers short fiction sent to literary magazines and journals, poetry collections sent to presses, novel manuscripts sent to literary agents, creative nonfiction pitched to editors, and entries to writing contests and awards. Each channel has its own mechanics, but all share the same basic anatomy: a writer produces a manuscript, prepares supporting materials, identifies appropriate recipients, and sends the work according to the recipient's stated guidelines.

The Duotrope database, a subscription service tracking over 6,000 markets, gives a concrete sense of scale: the submission ecosystem for short-form creative writing alone involves thousands of active venues with wildly different acceptance rates, response times, and genre preferences.

Core mechanics or structure

Every submission, regardless of channel, moves through four structural stages: preparation, targeting, transmission, and response handling.

Preparation involves more than finishing the manuscript. A story sent to a literary journal typically requires a cover letter (usually one short paragraph identifying the piece, the writer's name, and any relevant prior publications), a properly formatted manuscript (standard manuscript format specifies 12-point Times New Roman or Courier, double-spacing, 1-inch margins, and a header with author name and title on each page), and sometimes a bio of 50–100 words.

Targeting is the research phase. The Writer's Digest Guide to Literary Agents and resources like QueryTracker, Poets & Writers' submission database, and the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) all function as targeting tools, helping writers match their work to appropriate venues. A story about grief and estrangement does not belong in a humor journal. A 12,000-word novella does not fit a venue that caps submissions at 5,000 words. Mismatched submissions are rejected before they are read — a mechanical, not aesthetic, failure.

Transmission now happens almost entirely through submission management platforms. Submittable dominates this space; the vast majority of literary journals and presses route submissions through it. Some venues still use email or postal mail, and a small number — mostly older prestigious journals — accept only physical manuscripts.

Response handling covers everything that happens after clicking "submit." This includes tracking submissions in a log (most active submitters use a spreadsheet or Duotrope's tracker), managing simultaneous submissions (sending the same piece to multiple venues at once), and responding promptly to acceptances, which typically require a reply within 48–72 hours.

Causal relationships or drivers

Acceptance rates at literary journals cluster below 5% (Poets & Writers Magazine cites rates as low as 1–3% at top-tier publications), which means the submission process is statistically a long game. The causal structure behind acceptance is not purely about quality — it is about fit, timing, and volume.

Fit refers to aesthetic alignment between a piece and a publication's identity. Tin House, Ploughshares, and One Story each publish literary fiction, but the aesthetic sensibilities differ enough that a piece rejected from one may be accepted by another without revision. Editors read with a particular audience in mind, and that audience shapes the selection criteria more than any universal standard.

Timing matters because editors build issues thematically or tonally. A technically strong piece arriving when an issue is already full of similar work may be declined simply for redundancy. This is not something a writer can control, which is one reason volume matters.

Volume — the number of submissions sent out — is the lever writers can actually pull. Writers who send work to 30–40 venues per piece over the course of months have meaningfully better odds than those waiting on one or two rejections before resubmitting. The drafting and revision process feeds directly into submission readiness: a piece that has gone through genuine revision is statistically more competitive.

Classification boundaries

Submissions fall into distinct categories with different rules, timelines, and expectations.

Simultaneous vs. exclusive submissions. Most literary journals accept simultaneous submissions (the same piece sent to multiple venues at once) but require immediate notification if the piece is accepted elsewhere. A small number — Poetry Magazine is a notable example — require exclusive submission, meaning the piece cannot be under consideration elsewhere during the review period.

Unsolicited vs. solicited submissions. The overwhelming majority of submissions arrive unsolicited. Solicited work — where an editor asks a writer directly for a piece — bypasses the slush pile entirely. Solicitation typically follows an established relationship, a prize win, or a notable publication.

Query letters vs. full manuscripts. Agents almost universally want a query letter before seeing a full manuscript. The query letter (typically 250–350 words) describes the book, its genre, word count, and the author's relevant credentials. Only after a positive response to the query does the full manuscript enter consideration. This is categorically different from journal submissions, where the full piece is submitted immediately.

Open submissions vs. contest submissions. Writing contests and awards charge entry fees (commonly $3–$25 per entry) and offer cash prizes or publication. Regular journal submissions are typically free, though a small number of high-profile publications now charge reading fees of $3–$5.

Tradeoffs and tensions

The simultaneous submission norm creates a genuine tension: it benefits writers by allowing wider coverage, but it creates logistical complexity for editors who invest time in a piece only to receive a withdrawal notice. Some journals have responded by closing to simultaneous submissions entirely, shrinking the pool of venues a writer can approach efficiently.

The rise of reading fees is contested. Proponents argue that fees filter out low-effort submissions and fund editorial labor. Critics — including positions historically taken by organizations like CLMP (Community of Literary Magazines and Presses) — argue that fees create economic barriers for emerging writers who cannot afford to pay for every submission in a high-volume strategy.

The query-first model for agents protects agents from drowning in full manuscripts but means that compelling novels are sometimes rejected based on a writer's inability to compress their book into 300 words. The query letter is its own genre, requiring skills that do not necessarily correlate with novelistic ability. Resources like QueryTracker and the online community AbsoluteWrite track agent preferences and response rates, providing at least some empirical grounding for this otherwise opaque process.

Common misconceptions

Rejection means the work is bad. Statistically, this cannot be the primary explanation given 97% rejection rates at top publications. Most rejections reflect fit, volume constraints, or timing. A story rejected 40 times has been rejected 40 times — that is different from having been evaluated and found lacking 40 times.

A personal note on a rejection means the editor liked it. It means the editor found something worth addressing, which is genuinely encouraging, but it is not a soft acceptance. The appropriate response is revision or resubmission elsewhere, not a follow-up email asking what revision would guarantee acceptance.

Agents are gatekeepers who control what gets published. Agents are intermediaries between writers and major commercial publishers. The literary magazine ecosystem, small presses, university presses, and self-publishing pathways all function independently of the agent system.

Multiple rejections from the same journal mean a writer should stop submitting there. Most journals do not track individual submitters across the slush pile. A new submission is evaluated on its own terms. The exception is personalized feedback that explicitly discourages future submissions.

Checklist or steps (non-advisory)

The following steps describe the structural sequence of a literary submission:

1. Manuscript completion and revision — the piece reaches a state where revision has addressed craft-level issues in point of view, dialogue, pacing, and structure.
2. Format standardization — the document is formatted to standard manuscript format unless guidelines specify otherwise.
3. Cover letter drafting — the letter names the piece, the submission type, the word count, any previous publications (if relevant), and a brief bio.
4. Market research — venues are identified by genre, aesthetic profile, word count range, and simultaneous submission policy.
5. Guidelines review — each venue's specific submission guidelines are read in full before submission.
6. Submission log creation — a tracking system records venue name, submission date, response deadline (if stated), and any personal notes.
7. Transmission — the piece is submitted through the venue's specified channel (Submittable, email, postal mail).
8. Simultaneous submission management — if the piece is accepted elsewhere, all other venues holding the piece are notified immediately via withdrawal.
9. Response logging — rejections, personalized notes, and acceptances are recorded; personalized rejections may trigger revision review.
10. Acceptance response — acceptances receive a timely reply (typically within 48–72 hours) confirming acceptance and any required rights agreement review.

The full creative writing submission ecosystem, from short fiction to book proposals, maps onto variations of this same 10-step architecture.

Reference table or matrix

For writers building a submission practice from the ground up, the creative writing resources at the home base provide orientation across the full range of forms — from flash fiction to screenwriting — each of which carries distinct submission conventions worth understanding before sending anything out.

References

• Poets & Writers Magazine — Researching Literary Magazines
• Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP)
• Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP)
• Duotrope — Submission Tracking and Market Database
• QueryTracker — Literary Agent Database
• Submittable — Submission Management Platform
• Poets & Writers — Literary Agents Database