Print Markets
Since the founding of the Sewanee Review in 1892, literary magazines have groomed and nurtured thousands of emerging writers. Today there is something like 600 magazines published annually. Far too many for any writer to know and research. Our student-researched market sheets for bound journals might help you narrow down your search for a home for your stories. Our students research glossy, genre, specialty, and literary prose magazines, plus a few good zines. (For more on the history of the literary journal visit the clmp.org.)
Below you’ll find links to market sheets that give a brief overview of each publication, along with a ranking of that magazine's willingness to consider emerging writers. The ranking is based on the quality of work, experience of contributors, quantity of prose published, guidelines, design, etc. (Based on those criteria, most glossy magazines have a low rating, while an electronic magazine like Toasted Cheese is awarded a higher rating.) Once you review our two-cents you can click right to the journal's home page and make your own decision. We also advise, as all editors do, that you read back issues to get a sense of what each magazine publishes, and closely follow its submission guidelines.
It goes without saying but we’ll say it anyhow: the views expressed in our market research are those of the student reviewers and do not represent the opinions of the Fiction Writing Department, or Columbia College Chicago.
34th Parallel - Values the emerging writer above all else
PDF Market Sheet
Annalemma - Very sexy, professional magazine by a Columbia student
PDF Market Sheet - Issue 5
Another Chicago Magazine - A taste of Chicago's rocking lit scene
PDF Market Sheet - Issue 49
Avery Anthology - Sleek, sassy, and open to emerging authors
PDF Market Sheet
Black Clock - Edgy and modern venue for a range of voices
PDF Market Sheet - Issue 10
Boulevard - High class magazine out of St. Louis University
PDF Market Sheet
Greensboro Review - They love great stories (and emerging writers!)
PDF Market Sheet
The Handshake- A fantastic magazine edited by Columbia's very own alumni.
PDF Market Sheet
Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet - More substance than flash in this bi-yearly journal
PDF Market Shee
PDF Market Sheet
Midwestern Gothic - A literary portal into the Midwest.
PDF Market Sheet
NOON - Annual journal more appetizing than the lunch truck.
PDF Market Sheet
Open City - This top-notch journal is tough to crack but worth a read
PDF Market Sheet - Issue 2
Redivider - A man, a plan, a fun and colorful journal
PDF Market Sheet
Tin House - Top notch lit mag will be hard for newbies to break into
PDF Market Sheet
TRNSFR - Everything you could ever hope for from a literary magazine.
Other Markets We Like:
American Short Fiction- Professional-looking quarterly magazine
Ballyhoo Stories - Offers a mix of veterans and newbie writing
Bust Down the Door & Eat All the Chickens - Absurd and surreal
Calyx - Pretty. Glossy artwork. Literary fiction published from Oregon
Electric Velocipede - Got something quirky and unusual?
Fence - Beautiful mag that highlights bold and fresh emerging writers
Fourteen Hills - Both emerging and veteran writers find a home here
Inkwell - These folks are looking for emerging writers
McSweeney's - Show Dave Eggers your own staggering genius
Monday Night - Stunning print journal is a solid choice for newbies
Oxford American - Well-respected Southern mag may be tough to crack
Oyez Review - Small lit mag from Columbia's neighbor, Roosevelt Univ.
Phoebe - Prestigious writing program looks to highlight emerging writers
Portland Review - Three issues a year, but a who's who of authors
Quarterly West - Prestigious journal known to publish upcoming writers
The Rejected Quarterly - Each submission must come with 5 rejections
Swink- Quirky, professional-looking magazine with a rad Web site
Water~Stone Review - Gorgeous and prestigious mag of Hamline Univ.
Zoetrope All-Story - A giant of a journal begun by Francis Ford Coppola
