How Do You Submit a Short Story to a Magazine?
Quick answer: How do you submit a short story to a magazine? Polish the story, format it to standard, match it to magazines, follow the guidelines exactly, then track and repeat.
To submit a short story to a magazine: finish and polish the story, format it in standard manuscript style, shortlist magazines that publish work like yours, read each one's submission guidelines and follow them exactly, then send the story with a brief cover letter through the channel they specify, usually a portal such as Submittable or an email address. Log what you sent where, expect to wait one to six months, and keep the story circulating until someone says yes.
The process rewards care because editors use it as a first filter. A story sent to the wrong magazine, in the wrong format, over the word limit, tells the reader what to expect before paragraph one. Getting the mechanics right does not sell a weak story, but it guarantees a strong one gets read fairly.
Before You Send Anything
The story must be actually finished: rested for a few weeks, revised at least twice, read aloud once, and proofread. Editors reject on page one, and most page-one rejections are stories submitted a draft too early. If you can find a beta reader first, use one.
Then format to the industry default, generally known as standard manuscript format: a readable 12-point serif font, double spacing, one-inch margins, your contact details on the first page (unless the magazine reads anonymously), a header with surname, title and page number, and word count near the top. Save as .doc or .docx unless told otherwise. None of this is bureaucracy for its own sake; readers work through hundreds of manuscripts, and the standard exists so nothing about the object distracts from the prose.
Small mechanical details are worth a final pass: name the file sensibly, surname and title, check the title page against the guidelines, and confirm the word count you state matches the manuscript, since a count that is visibly wrong reads as carelessness before anyone meets your first sentence. If the magazine reads blind, strip your name from the manuscript and its file metadata too.
Choosing Targets Sensibly
Fit beats prestige. Read at least a story or two from any magazine before submitting, and ask honestly whether yours belongs in that company: similar register, compatible length, subject matter they visibly welcome. Databases like Duotrope, Chill Subs and The Submission Grinder let you filter by genre, length, pay and response time, and NewPages keeps a wide directory of literary magazines.
Build a ranked list of eight to twelve realistic targets per story, mixing a couple of reaches with steadier bets. Check each magazine's stance on simultaneous submissions, sending one story to several magazines at once, which most now allow provided you withdraw immediately if it is accepted elsewhere. Note reading periods too: many literary magazines only accept work during set windows, and a perfect submission to a closed magazine simply vanishes.
The Submission Itself, Step by Step
The mechanics, in order:
Rejection Arithmetic and Alternatives
Acceptance rates at respected magazines commonly sit below two percent, so rejection is the default outcome of any single submission and means very little about the story. Persistence changes the odds: a strong story sent to twelve well-chosen magazines has a real chance somewhere. Watch for tiered signals, a personal note or an invitation to send more work is genuine encouragement, and resubmit to those editors quickly.
Contests run on the same manuscript-and-guidelines discipline and can be a faster feedback channel while magazines deliberate. Writory's monthly Short Story Contest takes entries of 100 to 2,000 words from the 1st to the 25th, judges them blind against a published rubric, and returns a five-part score out of 100 to every entrant with results by the 30th, so you learn something concrete about the story in weeks rather than seasons. Whichever route you choose, the habit is identical: professional presentation, careful targeting, relentless circulation.
What poets can take from this
- Follow each magazine's guidelines to the letter; compliance is the first test.
- Keep cover letters to three sentences; the story does the talking.
- Track every submission in one spreadsheet, including response dates.
- Send a rejected story back out within a week; circulation is the whole game.
- Treat personal rejections as invitations and submit to that editor again soon.
- Reread the story once in the portal preview; formatting sometimes breaks in upload.
Try it yourself
Take your best finished story and prepare a real submission package for one specific magazine: standard manuscript format, a three-sentence cover letter, and a log entry. Even if you do not press send tonight, you will have converted a draft into a manuscript, and the difference will teach you something.
Questions
Does it cost money to submit to literary magazines?
Often not; many magazines are free to submit to, while some charge small fees, commonly around three dollars, to cover portal costs. Fee-free windows and postal options frequently exist, so a careful writer can circulate widely while paying rarely.
Can I submit the same story to multiple magazines at once?
Usually yes; this is a simultaneous submission and most magazines accept the practice if you notify and withdraw promptly upon acceptance elsewhere. A minority forbid it in their guidelines, and those magazines mean it.
What word count do magazines want for short stories?
Most literary magazines prefer 1,000 to 6,000 words, with sweet spots around 3,000 to 5,000. Flash markets take under 1,000. Anything over 8,000 narrows your options sharply, so check each magazine's stated range before sending.
By the Writory editorial team, reviewed by working poets. Updated July 2026.
Enter a Writory poetry contest
Enter the August contest and have your own poem read and scored.