find a publication for their story?
How can new writers use Medium's enormous List of
Publications to find a publication for their story? Two ways to find the
perfect home for your story using this list
Welcome to the extensive publication submission list on Medium! By the end of this story, you’ll understand how to use this list to find the perfect home for your story.
The submission
guidelines for more than 400 publications that have informed us that they
welcome submissions from new authors can be found on this list. Even if you’re
brand new on Medium and you’ve never published anything, if you have a story
that could be a good fit for a publication, you have a high chance of being
accepted.
Why not just submit to any publication instead of following this procedure? A collection of themed stories about one or a few topics is known as a medium publication. Writing, data science, AI, and humor are examples. Your story will do better if you find a better fit for it. How this list functions, I'll go over two different ways to use this list. Choose your own adventure:
Method 1: You want to be inspired but do not yet have an idea or draft of a story. (Move over to that section.) Method 2: You have a draft or an idea and want to give your story a good home. (Jump to that section.)
Let's get started. What do these submission guidelines all mean? Over 400 publications' submission guidelines can be found on this list. On each submission guideline, you’ll see a few things. You can find out what the publication focuses on at the top.
You will be able to see the name of the
publication as well as the author of the submission guidelines, typically the
publication's editor. The golden star icon also lets you know if it's a
member-only story. Submission guidelines may be paywalled by some editors so
that only Medium members can view them. Keep in mind that you won’t be able to
read those guidelines if you’re not a Medium member.
Now you understand
what the guidelines are; here’s how to use the list.
Method 1: Browse
until you’re inspired.
No ideas? No problem.
Publications can act as writing prompts themselves! Just scroll through this list at your
leisure, opening up submission guidelines as they catch your fancy, or if
they’re in a topic you might have an idea for.
Scroll until you see
a publication that inspires you to write a story.
Read the submission
guidelines of that publication.
Take a look at a few
of the stories in that book. Make sure to adhere to the submission guidelines
as you write your story. For submission instructions, follow the editor's
instructions. Sometimes all you have to do is follow the publication; other
editors ask that you go through a more rigorous submission process.
Submit it!
You may get feedback,
or even be rejected — it’s a normal part of the process! Embrace it as best as you can, and keep
trying.
Repeat as often as
you like.
For example, say you know you want to write something — but inspiration hasn’t struck yet.
However, you recently
used a product and have some thoughts to share. If that's the case, Casual
Product Reviews might stand out to you as both a writing prompt and a place to
put that prompt after you've written it. Method 2: Come with a story or an idea
for a story.
Most publications
concentrate on a single topic. Before you start scrolling, decide what topic
you’re focusing on right now, either a story idea or a story draft you already
have ready.
Tip: If you’re not
sure what topic is the best fit, check out the Explore Topics page. Find out what the stories in that category
are about and whether or not they align with your concept by clicking on a
topic you think would work well. For example, the Books topic page tends to
have stories about books, book reviews, and book writing.
Scroll until you find
a publication that covers the topic of your draft or idea. You can also use
Ctrl+F to search for a specific topic.
Carefully read the
submission guidelines.
Read a few stories in
that publication.
If it’s a good fit,
feel free to submit your story to that publication based on their guidelines.
You should also make
sure your story meets the criteria the editors are looking for—many ask for specific
formatting or no AI usage.
Repeat as many times
as you have drafts or story ideas.
As an illustration,
suppose you are a nurse and want to write a nursing story. The
publication Nursing Notes, published by Barb Dalton
, and think it could
be a good home for your story.
Tips for onward
success using this list
Now you know two ways
to use this list! Here are a few more
tips to help you understand how to continue using this list to find the right
home for your story moving forward.
Your story will have
a greater impact if it is published. Even if you have no followers,
publications already have a built-in audience of their own followers who might
see your story.
The majority of
editors favor stories that have not yet been published to your profile, also
known as unpublished drafts. Expect feedback, rejections, or to be asked to
work on your story before having it accepted.
Read the submission guidelines thoroughly! Editors want your quality stories. Help them by making sure your story is a good fit for the guidelines they give you. You can try as many or as few magazines as you want. Over time, you’ll probably find that you work well with certain editors, or readers of a publication respond well to your writing. This can change over time! Do not feel restricted by a niche.
Happy submitting!
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