OUR STORY
Submitit was created by Erik Harper Klass in 2020. Erik has published stories in a variety of journals, including New England Review, Yemassee, Summerset Review, Slippery Elm, and Open: Journal of Arts & Letters, and he has been nominated for multiple Pushcart Prizes. He writes in Los Angeles, CA.
“I figured out right away how tough it is to get published. I made the mistakes most writers make. With a confidence bordering on hubris, I sent my first couple stories to two or three of the top-tier journals (the 'sniper approach') . . . and was firmly rejected (nine months later). Then, frustrated, I tried sending stories to just about every journal with an OPEN sign hanging in the window (the 'blunderbuss approach'). While the latter approach 'worked,' the time I spent sending to journals that would probably never publish my writing, not to mention the wasted submission fees, added up. There had to be a better way.
“So I decided it was essential to start actually reading these dang things, and, more importantly, to start looking for clues about the kinds of stories each journal prefers, and the kinds each one tends to avoid. And I created what a writer friend of mine called the Mother of All Literary Magazines Algorithms.
“I’m no Joyce Carol Oates or George Saunders (prolific writers, they). I’ve been submitting my own stories for only about five years or so. Perhaps like many of you, I’m working on my first novel and sending out a few stories a year. But I’ve had some success—ten+ stories accepted for publication in just a few years. I’ve learned a lot about the submission process, and I’m excited to use my knowledge and experience to help you. Getting published in literary journals is hard, but with Submitit, I hope to make the whole process easier, and greatly increase your chances of getting your stories published.”