How to Review for Litmags

Step 1: Read your favorite literary magazine.

Step 2: Jot down this information:

Magazine title

Address for submissions

Website

(if any)

When to submit

(if they say)

Description of the magazine

If you had just flipped through this magazine at a bookstore, what would you note down for yourself or a friend? It may help to imagine a hip edgy writer and a romantic sentimental writer, and write a description that would clearly say "check this out" or "forget it" to each.

Content

stories, essays, poems, reviews, artwork, etc.

Story length

Length= words/line x lines/page x pages (Just pretend all lines and pages are completely full.)

Issues/year

Number of pages, anything unusual about the paper, size of the magazine (or is it online only?)

Topics covered in issue reviewed

List the stories and give a quick summary for each, not of what happened but what it's about.

Writers' Credentials

Flip to the Contributors page and make a count of each category:
First-timers
Published other poems or stories (and how many also published books?)
Won prizes (and how many also published books?)
Are writing instructors (and how many also published books?)
Are editors/publishers (and how many also published books?)

Sign it if you like, and send it off to

sarapeyton@sfo.com