Why Submit Your Memoir Writing to Literary Journals?
Why should you submit memoir writing to literary journals as opposed to consumer magazines? You can certainly do both; you’ll just need to consider the pros and cons. Consumer magazines, often referred to as “the glossies,” are the periodicals you’ll find readily at newsstands, bookstores, supermarkets, and drugstores. Their circulations often reach into the millions, and they generate a ton of ad revenue, so they can afford to pay you a decent rate for your memoir writing.
By contrast, literary journals often have circulations around 1000. Your local chain or independent bookstore probably has a tiny selection of literary journals, tucked away on a bottom shelf in the magazine section. These periodicals are kept afloat (barely) by grants and donations, subscriptions, and some ad revenue. The more established literary journals might pay you a few hundred dollars for a short piece of memoir writing; the majority pay only in copies.
So why on earth would you want to send your memoir writing to literary journals if you’ll be paid little or nothing at all, and you’ll reach a far smaller audience? This depends in large part on your long-term goals and the nature of your memoir writing. Say you eventually hope to publish a book-length literary memoir-that is, a book in which the quality of the prose, and not the sensationalist aspects of the life or the “angle” of the story, is front-and-center. If this is your goal, then placing a short piece of memoir writing in a high-quality literary journal is paramount to getting an agent or publisher’s attention. Agents and book editors will be more inclined to take a chance on you if your memoir writing has already met the high standards of literary journals.
Publishing memoir writing in consumer magazines is also a way to attract the attention of agents and publishers. However, it’s much more difficult to find large-circulation publications which accept literary memoir writing. A consumer magazine is more likely to want very brief personal essays (under 2000 words) which make a clear point: this is how I survived cancer, this is my stance on combining motherhood and a career, this is why I became a Buddhist, etc.
When you’re given such a small amount of space, it’s hard to cover subjects in any kind of depth. Literary journals tend to accept much longer pieces of memoir writing. Most have an upper limit of between 5000 and 8000 words, which should allow plenty of room to create detailed scenes, include your present-day reflections on the past, and explore the complexities of the topic at hand.
Again, it’s all about your goals. If you see yourself primarily as a magazine writer, or if you want to publish a book-length memoir with a clear-cut “angle” like those listed above, consumer magazines are a great way to build your career. If you’re more concerned with the possibilities of thought and language in memoir writing than with landing on the bestseller lists, literary journals are the way to go.
If you’re not sure whether your memoir writing is more commercial or literary in nature, or if you don’t want to have to define it in these terms, try reading examples of personal stories in as many different magazines as you can find. Some consumer magazines do feature memoir writing that could be categorized as literary; some literary journals have a downright snobbish tone, while others are more experimental and open to fresh voices. Any book or article on freelance writing will insist on the importance of studying a publication before you submit your work, to be sure the fit is right. This is as important for submitting memoir writing as it is for any other genre.
One downside of submitting memoir writing to literary journals is that your piece needs to be in publishable form-as polished and nuanced as you can make it-before you submit it. A consumer magazine editor gets a regular paycheck for her efforts, so she may be more inclined to work with you if your writing needs changes. But most editors at literary journals aren’t paid; for them, editing is a labor of love, as well as an impressive addition to a professional resume.
They read hundreds of submissions per month while juggling teaching jobs and their own projects. They simply don’t have the time to help you flesh out your memoir writing. If you don’t think your work is ready, you may want to seek feedback from a critique group or workshop, preferably one that’s focused on memoir writing, to help you develop your craft.
