I wrote several children’s short stories when I was a teenager. My mother tried to help me find ways to get them published in magazines and even submitted one for me. A kind editor sent me a rejection letter but had also taken the time to write a message of encouragement on the form as well. While this motivated me to keep writing, we still didn’t know how or where to submit for publication. We lived in a rural area and seldom ever went to larger cities where we might find information to guide my way to publication.
In 1994, I began writing novels and short stories with a more serious outlook and wanted to become a full-time author. Yet, again, I was faced with not knowing how or where to submit my work. One day while at the Gadsden Mall in Alabama, my wife noticed Writer’s Digest on the magazine rack. We purchased the magazine and scoured it when we got home.
In the Index, I found listings for literary agents, magazines seeking submissions, and even some publishers looking for new authors. At the time, Writer’s Digest also had a book club with books I found useful, like Writer’s Market, which listed literary agents and publishers by genre with contact information.
This was before Internet search engines used readily, so I found a treasure trove of vital information within this magazines and the books I had been able to purchase.
Writer’s Digest has been beneficial over the years and the interviews with authors and how they were able to find success are always interesting. Articles helped me learn new techniques and how to improve my writing. For new writers this is a great magazine (currently 6 printed issues/$19.96), or the digital format for Kindle (6 issues/14.99). Click here—>