How to Submit to Literary Magazines: What Editors Really Want—Becky Tuch | Ep 97

Join the Buildwriting newsletter for writing prompts, publishing opportunities, practical advice, and behind-the-scenes notes for creative writers: ⁠Subscribe to the Buildwriting Newsletter⁠ How do you know which literary magazine is right for your writing? What are editors actually looking for—and what should you do when the rejection letters keep arriving? In this episode, I speak with Becky Tuch, a fiction and nonfiction writer and the founder of Lit Mag News. Becky previously founded The Review Review, where she spent years reviewing literary magazines, interviewing editors, and helping writers better understand the submission process. We explore how writers can research literary magazines without becoming overwhelmed, decide whether a publication is the right fit, and build a submission strategy that reflects their goals. Becky also explains why rejection letters often mean far less than writers assume. Whether you are preparing your first literary magazine submission or trying to recover from another round of rejections, this episode offers an honest and practical guide to navigating literary publishing. Connect With Becky Tuch Read Lit Mag News:⁠https://litmagnews.substack.com⁠ Visit Becky’s website:⁠https://www.beckytuch.com⁠ Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:52 How Becky entered the world of literary magazines 03:17 Why writers should read literary magazines 04:59 What causes a promising submission to miss the mark 06:26 What editors want from creative nonfiction 07:21 Can writers avoid the work of researching publications? 09:28 Should you write first or target a magazine first? 12:24 Using themed submissions as a writing exercise 13:44 Why writers should submit in batches 15:07 How to determine whether your work fits a magazine 16:45 Researching literary magazines efficiently 18:35 Making submissions less stressful and more social 19:56 What editors mean when they ask for voice 22:28 Why rejection letters mean less than writers think 24:42 Becky’s Chicago Quarterly Review acceptance 25:51 Do famous writers receive special treatment? 27:53 Matching your publication strategy to your goals 30:24 The 100 Rejections Challenge 32:49 AI, magazine closures, and changes in publishing 35:17 The end of NaNoWriMo and what writers can learn from it 36:11 Creating more specialized writing challenges 40:00 What excites Becky about literary magazines 42:10 Opportunities writers may be overlooking 43:05 What every writer should understand about publishing 45:34 Advice for writers receiving constant rejections 47:57 Why Becky continues to write 49:39 Where to connect with Becky 50:21 Closing