Easier Read Than Done: A Guide To Finding Your Publishing Niche

This is a blog post that I wrote as part of my final assessment for my publishing module. Read at your own risk.

Ross Barber suggests that 'good writers become good because they undertake an apprenticeship'. She likens writing to being a 'cabinet-maker', and to become successful you need to 'complete your apprenticeship'. Whilst rejection is frustrating, it is necessary to build a portfolio to be proud of, and as Barber says, 'you'll find it hard to make a good impression if the first thing anyone saw from you was that wonky cabinet with sticky draws' [1]. If your goal is to publish a short story collection, then you will most likely need to have an portfolio of previous publications, whether that comes from magazines, anthologies or competitions. It is very unlikely that you will be able to publish a collection without any previous work, as most publishers will want to make sure that you are good at what you do.

So... how do you build a portfolio?

One of the best ways to build a writing portfolio is through submitting your writing to magazines, anthologies or competitions. In order to find the best places to submit your work (and have a higher chance of having your writing published) it's important to find a niche. If you are a poetry writer, there is no use submitting to a short story magazine, or vice-versa. I have struggled for a while to find places that will accept my work. I mostly write horror short fiction, and it is difficult to find a place where my writing fits not only their theme, but also their 'aesthetic'. This led to a lot of rejections, and it is disheartening to receive them. However, even if you have a story rejected from one magazine, that doesn't mean it isn't a good story. It might just that the magazine you submitted to wasn't right for you.  This is why it is really important to find a niche, to narrow down your search to places that are looking for you and your work, whether it is your style, themes or content.

Look at what you read

In my own experiences of submitting to magazines, I found it extremely helpful to look at the writing that I like to read. My favourite writer, and the one whose style is similar to my own, is Shirley Jackson. I'm really attracted to the 'dark pessimism' of her work, which explores the 'evil and chaos just beneath the surface of ordinary everyday life'[2], and it would make sense that I emulate that style. A popular piece of advice that famous writers tend to give, is to 'read, read, read everything - trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it'[3], and the same applies for finding your niche. If you only read horror, for example, you're writing is less likely to fit in the pages of a gardening magazine. Looking at a writer like Shirley Jackson and the themes of her writing (such as death, witchcraft and the modern gothic), allowed me to narrow down my search and focus on magazines that work with these themes.

What Magazines work best for me?

From my search, I have found quite a few magazines that fit with my writing style. I was mostly looking for magazines that fit with the themes that I write about, and here are a couple that I am keeping a keen eye on.

The first magazine. that I found was Wild Hunt Magazine, who 'celebrate the weird, surreal and the other'. They open for submissions twice a year, but more importantly, they look for stories that 'encompass strange occurrences, mysterious places, the uncanny, folklore and folk horror'[4], which are themes that I write about a lot.

Another magazine, similar to the first, is Divinations Magazine, which is a witch-run horror magazine, that is for 'horror authors of the future'[5]. From reading their previous issues, they mainly focus on 'modern' horror, with their most recent submission theme being 'disco'. I think, given the theme, my writing would fit in well here.

Because I write about a range of topics, I found it important to also include a magazine that fit my writing style rather than the themes I explore. The Pomegranate London is a magazine that seek to 'publish and promote innovative, fresh and experimental new work'[6]. Stylistically, I think my prose is a great fit here. I recently sent them some poetry that was rejected, but when I have a suitable prose piece, I would like to try again.

Another anthology that I am keen on is National Flash Fiction Day, not only because I am having a piece published there in June, but also because they are frequently open for submissions, and take on work regularly.

I have found it works really well to keep track of pieces that I have sent out on a spreadsheet. As the magazines that I like tend to accept fairly similar things, if one of my pieces is rejected from one of them, it is likely that it could still fit the brief for one of the others.

Have I found any success?

In searching for magazines, I noticed an opening for the National Flash Fiction Day anthology, where they were looking for flash pieces to fit the theme of Air, Earth, Water and Fire, and I had recently written a piece that I thought would be suitable. It was a piece that I had spent a lot of time on, and I was very happy that they accepted it. I'm looking forward to sending them more work in the future. I also have a couple more pieces that are looking hopeful, but I will have to wait and see what comes of it.

What now?

I have started to build a portfolio of work to send out to those magazines in the future, when they are accepting submissions. If you write and read often, you will get a better sense of where is best to submit your work. No-one knows your writing like you do.

It might seem disheartening, but it is important to remember that there is no harm in a rejection. It is important to have a thick skin when sending out your work, but it is also a very vulnerable thing to do. If you look at what a magazine has previously published, and you can really see your work there, then getting a rejection feels like a punch to the gut. Rejections are a huge part of getting published, and you'll have to understand that you're writing isn't for every magazine. Finding your niche will help you to put your writing in a place that it will be noticed and truly appreciated. But, for now, keep writing.

[1] Ross Barber, 'For me, traditional publishing means poverty. But self-publish? No way', The Guardian, 21 March 2016 <https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2016/mar/21/for-me-traditional-publishing-means-poverty-but-self-publish-no-way> [accessed 29 April 2024]

[2] Britannica, Shirley Jackson (2024) <www.britannica.com/biography/Shirley-Jackson> [accessed 19 May 2024]

[3] Travis Elborough, Buy a cat, stay up late, don't drink: top 10 writers' tips on writing, The Guardian, 3 January 2018 <https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jan/03/top-10-writers-tips-on-writing> [accessed 29 April 2024]

[4] Wild Hunt Magazine, About, <https://wildhuntmag.com/about> [accessed 29 April 2024]

[5] Divinations Magazine <https://www.divinationsmagazine.co.uk/> [accessed 29 April 2024]

[6] The Pomegranate London, What We Publish <https://thepomegranatelondon.com/what-we-publish> [accessed 29 April 2024]

[7] National Flash Fiction Day <https://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/> [accessed 29 April 2024]