Top Reasons Why Poets & Writers Get Declines + Rejections When Submitting To Literary Magazines
some of the main reasons writers get declines in the lit mag world
#1: Not Reading the Submission Guidelines
You may have submitted 5-10+ poems when, e.g., they only permitted one or up to 3 for the contest or call.
Some lit mags and journals are lenient and may not instantly disqualify you or only consider the first poem or short story, and some places do allow up to 10 poems, 3 short stories, etc., but not all, so read very carefully 2- 3 times.
You’ve submitted a poem that does not follow the theme of the call whatsoever and is devoid of connection to the required prompt.
Length Requirements Out of Bounds:
A lot of places online and print have maximum line requirements—if you go over at all, they’ll decline it. If there’s no defined limit, then you’re in the clear.
Too long—going over their word counts, you shouldn’t be submitting an essay to a flash fiction call.
If your manuscript is nearly 100-300 pages and they’re asking for a chapbook, remember it's supposed to be a bite-sized collection, and most chapbook calls require each one to have a distinct focus or be themed overall. There’s a point where something wouldn’t be considered a chapbook anymore.
Putting your name and contact deets inside your submission file or on the file name is a big NO-NO, when they specifically tell you not to for concealed and blind reading practices, especially on contests—only until the final round or official acceptance do they reveal names to make it fair amongst reading team scoring and votes.
Contests are much stricter on this, sometimes if it’s a general submission, you may just get a warning for future submissions, too
Adding Unnecessary Visuals:
If they did say no to photographs or artwork, do not include it.
A visual poem or concrete poetry in a particular shape can be cool, though you should think about your poem’s word choices first and foremost, then circle back to line spacing and formatting, and look at the publication closely, are all poems left-aligned—do they not permit screenshots, etc?
Location & Eligibility: Plenty of lit mags accept work from writers around the world, however, not all, sometimes they only accept within where they’re based e.g. their state or country so be sure to ask if you’re not 100% sure or scan their website closely for those deets or even Chill Subs and other publisher directories.
Age Restrictions: Some accept work from writers and artists of all ages, whereas others may have under-18 or over-18+ requirements
Are you part of the LGBTQ+ community, BPIOC, or do you have a disability—some lit mags and journals only focus on writers from underrepresented voices
Frequency:
Some publishers will tell you that you must wait for the next open window or the following year until you can submit again, whereas others may not have that restriction or have a minimal readers’ fee for doing so.
#2: Lack of Creativity
The work consists of barely any unique lines or word choices across the board from start to finish.
Example: “I felt angry and fell asleep—I missed her eyes—they were like the sky” is far too flat and obvious
Example: “We ate breakfast in bed and found heaven” is too bland
You should not have a predictable ending for short stories—there should be development in your work that surprises the reader, no matter the length of it.
#3: Not Enough Cohesion or Clarity
While poems and short stories can be abstract and consist of multiple cryptic meanings, they should have a focal point—think about what is the end goal of your work is?
Does it strive to showcase healing?
Is it to highlight overcoming grief or a memory of lost love?
Are you hoping to raise awareness on a particular topic or expand upon your feelings regarding a current event in the world?
Your poem should not feel like a Frankenstein poem or chop shop one, where it feels disconnected in some stanzas or groups of lines or jumps around all over the place—think about a map when writing your work—getting the reader from Point A to Point B.
#4: Rush Hour Road
You’ve submitted a half-baked poem or short story that’s filled with potholes, road bumps, and a ton of grammatical errors, making it not neither smooth nor enjoyable to read because you were rushing to meet the window deadline.
It’s ok to have a few typos here and there, as most journals do copy editing and proofreading before publication or permit corrections. However, not every single line should contain typos that can decrease the overall impact and bog down your work.
When you submit at the very last minute without reading the guidelines closely, you have a much higher chance of getting a decline or missing items, or submitting beyond the allotted amount of photos, poems, etc.
#5: Full Capacity Reached
Sometimes your work may be super strong, but the lit mag or journal may only publish, e.g., 14 poems, 32 poems, etc., in each issue, so slots fill quickly in most cases for their layout.
#6: Opposite Days
What you’re submitting does not match the vibe, mission, or core subject matter, or focus of the lit mag, for instance:
Sending a graphic narrative horror poem to a lit mag or journal that publishes work solely on true love. [REJECTED]
Providing a short story about your first restaurant purchase to a lit mag or journal that is centralized solely around motherhood [REJECTED]
Submitting a sad Humpty Dumpty poem based on true events to a lit mag that publishes humorous and funny work [REJECTED]
#7: RATED-R Content
Overkill on cursing, e.g., swear words in every single line, is a bit much. It’s ok to swear now and then, but it should have a purpose and be done so in moderation so that it does not distract or eat away at the poem.
Some lit mags are geared toward children, so obviously, you should keep your poem closer to RATED G if that’s their specified audience.
Attacking in nature or name-calling towards public figures, politicians, celebrities, individuals, groups, communities, etc., can land you in hot water. You can write a poem or story about bullying and have jokes, but you shouldn’t become a bully in your own writing. Some publications do focus on political events, though; again, read the publication carefully to learn what topics are acceptable and screen their guidelines multiple times before submitting.
Take caution when writing about religion, some lit mags and journals are ok with brief mentions of God and Jesus, etc., but again, your lines should not be violent, aggressive, stereotyping, or attacking anyone again.
You shouldn’t shy away from sex or erotic poetry, though some lit mags and journals may not be geared towards those XXX themes, and others might be—so read through issues and past online publications if possible.
8#: Previously Published
A majority of lit mags and presses in existence typically DO NOT accept previously published work or that's been posted on e.g. Instagram, but some out there DO permit work that’s appeared in another magazine or a piece posted elsewhere typically if it’s just in a personal blog, or social media account space—they may request you take it down before publication too. Just ensure you specify where and are honest about that if it’s been in a print issue already, online, on your Substack, etc., or just on one of your social media accounts. There are exceptions listed for some lit mags, which you can find when you, for instance, hover over the Accepts Previously Published work section if it’s not crossed out in Chill Subs or read their submission site guidelines FAQ page.
9#: ERROR404 on Style
If you’re stating a poem is a haiku, then it better have 5-7-5 not 9-2-2
When following a specific form or style of poetry e.g. senryu, limerick, go over your lines, syllables etc. a few times
10# Plagiarism Detected
Your submission is discovered to be a copycat of another writer that was out on social media, online or in print already published somewhere.
NEVER PLAGIARIZE a poem or mirror word for word on any lines, be careful about doing “after” poems, blackout poems, quote-based ones or borrowed-line styled cento poems, ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS credit pieces that inspired your work After [ First Name Last Name ] and the poem name, artist or song name etc.—you should list or share which work(s) and the writer(s) that inspired your piece(s) in submission.
Changing a few words and giving it a new title is PLAGIARISM, please be 100% original, create completely from scratch and write from the heart—epigraphs to kickstart your write are ok, just be upfront about quotations.
You can have a unique title, but either after the title or at bottom of the poem credit names in full, poem titles, spoken word pieces, books, artworks etc. inspiring your submission if you were drawing from it in any way or form—not being honest will without a doubt land you in hot water.
ADDITIONAL TIP: Not all poems need to be titled, but most places do require one. Take the time to come up with a unique and distinct title for your poem(s) or (short stories). An irrelevant or pretty random title can throw off readers or confuse them—its the first thing that hits our eyes. A fun way to think about it—is that you’re basically coming up with a movie or film title for your popcorn poem.
Ultimately, your work could be phenomenal but just not suitable for the publication or upcoming issue in the editor’s eyes, and oftentimes you may find a home for it elsewhere if you keep trying—it may take a bunch of submissions and rejections, but there are thousands out there. I haven’t covered all the reasons here, so be sure to listen to the podcast audio coverage of these points EP5: What Tips Do You Have For Getting Literary Magazine Submission Acceptances? and EP18: What Are Some Of The Biggest Mistakes Writers Make When Submitting to Lit Mags? on Spotify, Apple and elsewhere.
QUESTION: Anything Else You've Run Into?
The Lit Mag Lab is brought to you by Dipity Lit Mag & dipity.press founded by Vevna Forrow (Jazz Marie Kaur). You can support this series by pledging your support or buying me a coffee or pizza below if you’d like, but not required to by any means. As always, keep writing and reading poetry. Have awesome days ahead!