Welcome to the lair of The Submission Wizard, your personal publishing guide. I find literary journals for you to submit to which are chosen specifically for your tastes and style of writing from the thousands of publications currently publishing creative writing.
Want to try publishing your writing but not sure where to start? Ask The Submission Wizard. Have a fresh rejection in your inbox and you want to send those pieces out again right away but don’t know what literary journal would be well-suited to your work? Utterly lost and need to talk to someone about the whole process? We have services for you! Think of me as a publication Sherpa, a lit mag soothsayer.
Do I guarantee acceptances? Absolutely not. No way in heck! Most journals only accept 1-5% of the work submitted out of sheer space limitations, which means inevitably good pieces will be ‘rejected’ (if the idea of your work being rejected is daunting, consider adding our practically-free ‘rejection counselling’ service where I help contextualize what being rejected by a literary magazine really means). But—I use my vast knowledge of literary magazines to help you narrow the field of thousands down to a number that I feel are up your alley, based on your response to a special survey I’ve concocted.
If you read the journals I recommend and think I’m completely off-base, let me know why and I’ll give you a free consolation recommendation with that additional information, and on the flipside, if you think I did an awesome job and tip even $1, tell me what you liked about the journals and I’ll add on thank you journal suggestion. I’m hoping to use this site to help propagate the written word and promote small publishers, all of the proceeds will go toward literary projects like my own Submittable fees, to hosting and paying writers for my journal Coastal Shelf, and developing educational games that propagate the art of creative writing.
How it Works
There are three tiers of recommendations costing a mere $3, $5 and $25. I’ve conjured up a survey of questions about your writing experiences, preferences and the pieces you’re planning on submitting that will help me get an accurate picture of journals which the crystal ball tells me you will enjoy reading and hopefully will have good fortune submitting to—
OK, Submission Wizard schtick aside for a moment, I take this very seriously and really want everyone out there to succeed, I’m just hoping that I can use some of my accumulated knowledge to help others. Since I waited tables my entire way through college I’m very familiar with the gratuity system and I’m pricing with an eye for helping as many as I can. In addition to the base package I’ve included optional add-ons like cover letter/author’s letter consultation, rush response (reply guaranteed within 48 hours), and I’m testing out individual poem workshopping. I really, really appreciate any tips you might care to give me if you’re satisfied with the service I provide, I just don’t want the cost to be an impediment to students and other young/struggling writers that simply can’t afford more but very much want to get their work out there.
Tier 1: Sample Size | 3 for $3
This is a great tier to test out the service and see if you think it’s worth it, $3 may only be the cost of a street taco, but to me it’s also the cost of a submission.
What does it entail? Fill out the quick survey and I will respond within a week (often sooner) with at least three (3) journals that are currently reading which I feel would suit your writing as indicated by the survey answers, as well as occasionally a writer or two I think you’ll enjoy reading.
Click here for the ‘Standard Submission Fee’-sized Tier 1 page.
Tier 2: A Fiver | 8 for $5
Only $2 more than the base price for more than double the journal recommendations? Heck yeah! This tier includes an option to include a snippet of your writing that you feel is indicative of what you’re submitting, and the survey is a bit more in depth.
What does it entail? Fill out the full survey and I will respond within a week with at least eight (8) journals that are currently reading which I feel would suit your writing as indicated by the survey answers, as well as occasionally a writer or two I think you’ll enjoy reading.
Click here for the ‘Tip-Jar Submission Fee’-sized Tier 2 page.
Tier 3: The Full Monty | 2-step 3/10 for $25
Have specific questions about the submission process you can’t find an answer for or want a little more detailed direction? Do you prefer the 2-step process for extra accuracy of journal selection? Do you feel reading the piece you’re submitting is vital to properly suggest journals? $25 is a single Ciroc and Red Bull at a bar downtown (or, was), but to me it is a contest entry or it extends my right to use this web domain for another year.
What does it entail? Fill out the extended survey with option to include a full piece (up to 3000 words/80 lines) and I will respond within 72 hours with three (3) online journals I think you’ll enjoy and might have luck submitting to as a first round, as well as answers any specific questions asked. After you check those journals out, respond to me with your impressions/reactions to what you’ve read and liked or didn’t like and I will suggest another ten (10) journals with that feedback in mind. I will also sometimes recommend a writer or two I think you’ll enjoy or offer a few notes about the writing included.
Click here for the ‘Contest Submission Fee’-sized Tier 3 page.
Add ons
48 hour response | + $2 to total (refers to first round for T3)
24 hour response | + $5 to total (refers to first round for T3)
Rejection Anxiety ‘counselling’ | +$2 to total
(requires Rejection Anxiety form, aimed to help quell anxiety over having your writing ‘rejected’)
Cover letter consultation | +$2 to total
(requires Cover Letter form)
Author’s bio consultation | +$2 to total
(requires Bio form)
Workshopping (Query first, subject to closing to avoid being overwhelmed)
Individual poem workshop | +$35 to total
(up to 50 lines—150-400 word response, 2 week turnaround, inquire about rush pricing)
Individual long poem workshop | +$50 to total
(up to 100 lines—250-400 word response, 2 week turnaround, inquire about rush pricing)
Individual flash fiction workshop | +$35 to total
(up to 1000 words—150-400 word response, 2 week turnaround, inquire about rush pricing)
Individual short fiction workshop | +$50 to total
(up to 3500 words—250-400 word response, 2 week turnaround, inquire about rush pricing)
Workshop edit response | +$15 to total
(when edits are done after a workshopping, I’ll look at the revisions and give feedback on how changes were implemented and give any additional comments)
Something else not listed? Try me.
About Me
It’s only fair that I tell you a little bit about myself so you know that I’m not just a nutter with a website, because I’m not just that. My name is Zebulon Huset. I am a publishing writer and artist who has been studying the landscape of literary magazines, journals, reviews and anthologies for almost twenty years. I received my MFA from the University of Washington where I was Assistant Editor at The Seattle Review. Since 2003 my creative writing has appeared in (or I have work forthcoming from) over 200 publications including The Southern Review, Meridian, Fence, The Texas Review, Portland Review, The Maine Review, Rosebud, Bayou, Permafrost, Louisville Review, Cutthroat, Collidescope, Main Street Rag, The Atlanta Review, North American Review, Unbroken, Otoliths, A) GLIMPSE) OF), Citron Review, Soundings East, Cortland Review, Spillway, Harpur Palate, Fjords Review, Maudlin House, Third Wednesday and Sugar House Review among many, many others—there are at least a few dozen online, if you’re curious you can google my name and read some of what I’ve published. I write in a vast array of styles which has forced me to research all sorts of journals—my piece in Portland Review is very different from my piece in Red Eft Review, which is very different from my piece in Blueppeper, which is very different from my piece in E·ratio which is very different from my piece in Journal Nine etc. I have also had my articles regarding publishing featured at The Review Review (under their editorialized title “An Extremely Helpful, Incredibly Comprehensive Guide to Flash Fiction Submissions”) and Authors Publish as well as on Notebooking Daily which I curate and where I publish new writing prompts every day and The Journal Submission Journal in addition to other publishing and craft related articles. I know literary magazines, and I’m here to help spread the good word among those who are interested for a tuppence, so even poor writers like me can further their art, and disseminate it widely and wisely. And, you know, if you dig the service and money isn’t an issue, I’m not too proud to encourage tips—I waited tables from before I started community college all the way through (and a bit beyond) graduate school to pay bills, so I’m no stranger to relying on the gratuity of happy customers.
Blog
Welcome to the lair of The Submission Wizard
I won’t post often in the blog, only when I get news that someone was published in a journal I recommended (if they remember to tell me), and once a month I’ll feature a publication. I think at least, who knows. It is a crazy, crazy year. I just hope I’m able to put my …
Continue reading “Welcome to the lair of The Submission Wizard”
Contact
Questions about the site or services offered? Want to donate a basketful of cash to me so I can forget the whole ‘day job’ thing and focus on writing and helping people publish full time? Email me: thesubmissionwizard @ gmail .com