How to Navigate Our Listing Pages

Note: Features marked (Better-only) require a Better subscription to access

Header:

• Managed by: Shows who runs this publisher's listing page (Editors or Chill Subs)

• Submissions: Number of open calls currently accepting work - click to redirect to Calls tab

• Updated: Date the listing was last verified/updated

• Type: Category of publication (Literary Magazine, Academic Journal, News Outlet, etc.)

• Logo: Publisher's visual brand identifier

• Publisher's name: Official publication title

• Issue cover: Latest or featured issue artwork

• Bookmark: Save this magazine to your personal list

• Note: Private notes created by you (and only visible to you)

• Rate: Add your rating/review of this magazine

• Website: Direct link to magazine's homepage

Footer (Better-only):

• Writers who love [publisher] also bookmarked: Similar magazines based on user preferences

• Writers who submit to [publisher] also submit here: Magazines with overlapping submitter base

• You might also like this collection: Curated lists featuring this magazine

Navigation Tabs:

• Overview: Main dashboard with key information

• Calls: Active submission opportunities

• Guidelines: Detailed submission requirements

• Stats: Data and analytics

• Read: Sample works and past issues

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Overview Tab:

Three Top Boxes:

Ratings Report:

Community satisfaction scores and recommended tags. If you click "rate" you may recommend, or not recommend, this publisher. If you choose to recommend them, you may award them up to 3 tags (e.g., "Voice Driven Gold," "Dream Publication," etc.). If you choose not to recommend them, it will reduce the percentage of writers who recommend them. For example, if 9 people recommend a magazine and 1 person does not, their recommendation rating would be "90%". Rating is free and anonymous.

Featured Call:

Highlighted submission opportunity with key details. The most urgent call or the call selected to be featured by the editors. Click "All Calls" at bottom to see all opportunities.

Quick Actions:

Fast access to common tasks:

• Submit: Go straight to the lit mag's submissions page

• Suggest edits: Spot an error? Tell us where

• See similar: Jump to seeing similar mags (Better-only)

• Share: Pretty self explanatory

Highlights:

• Note From Chill Subs: Editorial team's perspective on the magazine. Usually with some tips for best chances

• Eligibility Guidelines: Lets you know if there are any eligibility guidelines you might need to watch out for. More details are in individual submission calls

• Location: Where the magazine is based

• Founded: Year established (Better: contextual tags added)

• Affiliations: Independent or parent organization

• Type: Literary, Genre, Hybrid, etc.

• Vibe: Quick personality description of the magazine's vibe

• Response time: Typical and maximum wait times for decisions (Better: contextual tags added) - asterisk (*) indicates community-sourced data

• Fee: Range of submission fees across all calls (Better: tags labels added)

• Payment: Compensation range (Better: contextual tags added)

• Acceptance rate: Percentage of submissions accepted (Better: contextual tags added) - asterisk (*) indicates community-sourced data

About:

• Website, submissions manager, socials + following: External links and follower counts

• About blurb: Magazine's mission statement and description

Awards Won:

• Award badges and names: Major awards the magazine nominates for (Pushcart, Best American, etc.)

• If you see a badge here, it means a story this magazine published was included in that award's anthology (for whether a mag nominates, look under "post acceptance" in guidelines)

Industry Rankings:

• Erika Krouse: Ranks ~500 fiction-focused literary mags across tiers based on prizes, circulation, payment, and "coolness"—basically the whole prestige package

• Clifford Garstang: Uses a pure Pushcart Prize tally from the past decade to rank magazines, weighing recent wins more heavily—a numbers-only prestige meter

• Brecht de Poortere: Built a mega spreadsheet of 1,000+ lit mags, ranking them mainly on anthology prestige—Best American Short Stories and Pushcart—with ~96% of weight on those two

Masthead:

• Editorial team names and roles: Key staff members and their positions

Appears in Collections:

• Collection titles, types, and Staff Pick badges: Curated lists featuring this magazine

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Calls Tab:

Individual submission calls ranked by closest deadline

Quick view (card-only):

• Call title: Name of the submission opportunity (Fiction, Poetry, etc.)

• Genre tags: Main category classifications

• Style tags: Subcategories and forms accepted

• Subgenres (+more button): Specific types welcomed, expandable list

• Word/piece limits: Maximum length or number of pieces

• Payment rate & tier: Compensation per word/piece/page with quality label

• Submission fee: Cost to submit

• Medium: Where work will appear (Print/Digital/Both)

• Status: Always open or specific deadline date

• Learn more button: Expands to show full details

Expanded view (side-bar expansion):

• Details panel: Comprehensive submission specifications

• Word count range: Minimum and maximum lengths accepted

• Payment structure: Detailed compensation breakdown

• Fee amount: Exact submission cost

• Medium type: Publication format details

• About section: Full description of what editors want

• Submit button: Direct link to submission portal

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Guidelines Tab:

What editors want:

• Editorial statement: Direct message about aesthetic and preferences

Genres & Subgenres:

• Fiction subgenres: All fiction types accepted (literary, genre, experimental, etc.)

• Nonfiction subgenres: Essay types, memoir, journalism, etc.

• Poetry forms: Traditional, experimental, prose poetry, etc.

• Multimedia types: Visual art, audio, hybrid works accepted

Policies:

Note: If a policy isn't shown, it means they don't allow it

• Official Guidelines link: Direct link to magazine's full guidelines

• Accepts previously published: Whether reprints are allowed (does not show if reprints are not allowed)

• Accepts simultaneous submissions: Can submit elsewhere at same time (does not show if sim-subs are not allowed)

• Publishing frequency: How often new issues release

Formatting (expandable):

• Prose line spacing: Single, double, or 1.5 spacing required

• Poetry line spacing: Formatting for verse submissions

• File format: Accepted document types (DOC, PDF, RTF, etc.)

• Documents per submission: How many files to include

Cover Letter (expandable):

• Tone preference: Formal, casual, or don't care

• Include contact info: Whether to add phone/address

• Bio length: Word count for author biography

• Cover letter length: Brief or detailed preference

• Mention simultaneous submissions: Whether to disclose other submissions

• Include third person bio: Writing style for bio

• Best practices: Magazine-specific tips

Process (expandable):

• Personal rejections: Whether editors provide personal rejections sometimes

• Readers vet submissions: If first readers review before editors

• Form rejections: Standard rejection letters used

• Multiple acceptance rounds: Tiered selection process

Post-Acceptance (expandable):

• Author rights acquired: First serial, reprint, anthology, etc.

• Nominates for awards: Which major awards they submit to

• Promotional features: How they promote published work

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Stats Tab:

Tracker Statistics:

• Donut chart visualization: Visual breakdown of submission outcomes

• Submissions tracked count: Total number in community database

• Accepted: Number and percentage of acceptances

• Rejected: Number and percentage of rejections

• Pending: Currently waiting for response

• Withdrawn: Submissions pulled by authors

• Didn't respond: No response received

• Track submissions checkbox: Opt-in to contribute your data to community stats

Performance Metrics:

• Acceptance rate: Percentage accepted with competitive label

• Average response time: Typical days to decision with speed label

• Fastest response time: Best-case scenario turnaround

Editor's Report:

• Max response time: Official stated deadline for responses

• Circulation: Number of copies printed/distributed

• Website visitors: Monthly web traffic

• Solicited works: Percentage of invited vs slush submissions

• Average acceptance rate: Official acceptance percentage

• Submission volume: Number of submissions received monthly

Submissions Grinder Report:

• Twelve month acceptance rate & response time: Data from The Submissions Grinder

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Read Tab:

Read Before You Submit:

• Editor-provided examples: Curated works showing desired style

• Title and author: Story/essay/poem name and writer

• Show more button: Expand to see additional examples

From the Community:

• Member publications: Success stories from Chill Subs users

• Magazine logo: Visual identifier of publication

• Story title: Name of published piece

• Author name: Chill Subs member who got published

• Links to the writer's profile page: Click to view their profile

Issues:

• Issue covers: Visual archive of past publications

• Publication dates: When each issue was released

• Browse functionality: Click through to read online or purchase full issues

Interview (Better-only):

• Interview questions answered by editors: Insights directly from the editorial team

Contextual Tags explained:

Tags: Acceptance Rate

• Woof (<1%)

• Competitive (0-2%)

• Tough (2-5%)

• Selective (5-15%)

• Accessible (15-50%)

• Welcoming (50%+)

Payment

• No Pay ($0) Badge

• Token ($1-9 flat, $0.005-0.015 per word, $1-9 per piece)

• Low ($10-24 flat, $0.02-0.03 per word, $10-19 per piece, $5-15 per page)

• Standard ($25-49 flat, $0.04-0.05 per word, $20-39 per piece, $16-25 per page)

• Good ($50-99 flat, $0.06-0.08 per word, $40-74 per piece, $26-40 per page)

• Semi-Pro ($100-199 flat, $0.09-0.15 per word, $75-149 per piece, $41-60 per page)

• Professional ($200-499 flat, $0.16-0.30 per word, $150-299 per piece, $61+ per page)

• Top-tier ($500-999 flat, $0.31-0.60 per word, $300-999 per piece)

• Premium ($1,000-4,999 flat, $0.61+ per word, $1,000+ per piece)

Submission Fees (Short works only)

• Free ($0)

• Low ($1-$3)

• Standard ($3-$5)

• High ($6-$10)

• lol, no ($10+)

Response Time

• Fast (0-7 days)

• Quick (1-4 weeks)

• Standard (1-3 months)

• Slow(ish) (3-6 months)

• Slow (6+ months)