36 | The Writer • November 2019
promotion, and more, Baker notes.
Paying expenses is a sound argu-
ment for charging fees. But ...
The downside to submission fees
has become a greater concern as liter-
ary magazines work to expand their
contributor lists.
“Submission fees with lit mags are
prohibitive, full stop, and adds a bar-
rier for those who (a) cannot afford
fees (especially if it means they may
not get compensated if they are pub-
lished) and (b) if the literary magazine
isn’t very representative,” Baker says.
“Why should I as a Black woman pro-
vide money for you to, potentially, be
less inclusive or continue not being
inclusive? Submission fees, to me, are
an accessibility issue, which is a long-
standing one in the publishing arena.”
For many of those reasons, Apogee
Journal has never charged submission
fees. “We’re hoping to make it more
accessible to publish,” explains Execu-
tive Editor Alexandra Watson.
Shashi Bhat, editor of EVENT, says
the magazine briefly instituted a sub-
mission fee to address the twin costs of
rising submissions and the adoption of
Submittable, the cloud-based submis-
sions manager. However: “We removed
[the fee] out of concern that it would
be too much of a barrier and would
skew the population of writers pub-
lished towards those who could afford
it,” she says.
Some magazines waive reading fees
for subscribers (and, bonus, you get a
better feel for what the editors want
when you read what they publish).
Occasionally, workarounds can be
found. Tahoma Literary Review
recently partnered with an instructor
in New Mexico who runs a creative
lab for inmates. Many of them lack
internet access and, further, can’t
afford submission fees. TLR waived
the fees and will review hard copies of
their work.
“We’re really excited about this
chance to hear these voices. This is a
group we haven’t heard from,” says Jim
Gearhart, the magazine’s managing
editor. At press time, the TLR staff
HOW COOL: INNOVATIONS AT
LITERARY MAGAZINES
We all know the “innovate or perish” philosophy has both up-
and downsides (look no further than the whole catalog of DC
Comics movies for evidence). Often trying something new
paves the way for another innovation you can implement
down the road. Here are a few ideas literary magazines have
tried out in the past few years that appear promising:- Kenyon Review: Expanded
its translation offerings by
adding a translation work-
shop and hiring two trans-
lation editors. - EVENT: Hosts an annual
event called “Aboriginal
Voices: An Evening of
Poetry and Prose” to pro-
mote local Indigenous
writers’ work and broaden
engagement with the
community. - Barrelhouse: Offers a
yearly grant to emerging
literary organizations to
encourage new voices.
Past recipients include an
organization encouraging
young girls who write in
Pittsburgh and Fiyah,
which publishes specula-
tive fiction and horror by
black writers.- Apogee Journal: Runs
community workshops
that cost $20 per class,
underwritten by groups
like the New York State
Council on the Arts and
Brooklyn Arts Council.
Workshop teachers often
encourage participants to
submit their work to Apo-
gee, getting new voices
into the magazine.
eagerly awaited the first batch arriving
in the mail. If the New Mexico part-
nership works out, editors hope to
implement similar programs with pris-
ons in Michigan and California.6
EVERYONE AGREES:
IT’S ESSENTIAL TO PAY
WRITERS (BUT NOT
EVERYONE CAN)
Emily Everett, managing
editor of Amherst College’s The Com-
mon, sighs when the topic of paying
writers comes up. “There’s such a big
gap between how much we appreciate
and love our writers, and how much we
can pay to support them,” she laments.
Every magazine that pays wishes it
could pay more. Every magazine thatdoesn’t pay hopes to be able to pay
writers one day.
Some magazines offer little more
than an honorarium, though they see it
as a critical distinction between paid
and unpaid work.
Since SmokeLong Quarterly, a jour-
nal devoted to flash fiction, began in
2003, it has been largely in the hole
financially. The magazine didn’t pay
writers; it could barely cover online
hosting and other essential costs.
But editors always listed paying
writers as their top priority. A 15th
anniversary contest helped generate
the funds to begin doing so.
“It’s always been our goal to be able
to pay writers for their work, but it’s
sad that it took so long to get there,”
says SmokeLong Quarterly co-editor