Glimmer Train: A Lucrative Short Fiction Market
January 25th 2012 23:55
A Print Market Worth Pursuing
Glimmer Train is an attractive quarterly print literary magazine, each issue of which consists of over 200 pages of “emotionally significant” short literary fiction. The publishers of Glimmer Train describe themselves as “two sisters who love reading.” Not insignificantly, they also boast backgrounds in language and linguistics (Susan) and psychology (Linda).
Magazine and Contest Submissions
Glimmer Train offers various monthly opportunities for writers of short fiction – opportunities which consist of a mixture of "standard" short story submissions (for which they charge no reading fee and currently pay $700 per story, plus 10 copies of the applicable issue – on acceptance) and a variety of writing contests (with reading fees ranging from $15 to $19 and generous prizes of a few hundred to a few thousand dollars).
A Solid Market for Emerging Authors
While the sisters do publish some works written by established authors, Linda explains that she and Susan “(k)eep a keen eye out for new voices, favoring pieces by emerging writers” – good news for those seeking to break into the short fiction market. Both are proud not only that every story they publish is unsolicited, but also that 86% of the stories published in Glimmer Train last year came directly from writers – more good news for freelancers working hard to break into this competitive market.
Convenient Online Submission
One factor that makes submitting work to Glimmer Train so convenient is the publication’s simple online submission process. After filling out the site’s free registration form, setting up a username and password, and reading the guidelines for the specific submission category, authors may instantly submit their work for consideration.
A Magazine Recognized for Quality
Glimmer Train is a prestigious publication – one that, happily, combines a welcome appreciation for fresh new voices with a balanced respect for seasoned literary luminaries. While not merely encouraging, but actually favoring, the work of emerging writers, the publishers have demonstrated their keen eye for talent, having seen six of their published stories listed as “Notables” in the 2010 Best American Short Stories,* coming in right behind The New Yorker. In fact, two of the six Glimmer Train writers who made the list were first-time published authors who made their debuts in the pages of Glimmer Train.
Isn't it Time You Received a Little Recognition?
If you write short fiction, this is a market I’d recommend that you look into. While it is a literary magazine and therefore would likely not publish most genre fiction, it would definitely be well worth your while to do a little research and find out whether something you've already written – or something you might be inclined to write – might turn out to be a good fit for this lucrative writing market.
Best of luck to you!
Jeanne
*The 2011 edition of Best American Short Stories featured one Glimmer Train tale.
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