As a nonfiction author, it can be tough finding places to publish your essays, and tougher still when it comes to excerpts of longer works.
While new platforms and zines seem to arise all the time (at least in my own online writing circles), these often cater more to fiction and poetry writers, and some don’t accept nonfiction at all. Add this to the fact that many outlets have brief submission periods and publish only a few times a year, and it’s amazing that nonfiction authors can ever publish externally.
All that said, it’s still entirely possible to get your work published as a nonfiction writer; you just have to know where to look. As a former freelancer and essayist myself (and now a content manager who spends a lot of time vetting these publications for my fellow writers), here are seven great “off the grid” places to submit your own nonfiction essays and excerpts. Some are tailored to certain niches, while others will accept almost any kind of nonfiction — whatever your specialty, here’s hoping you’ll discover a brand-new channel to publicize your work.
A quick word on excerpts: Veteran authors will already know this, but for those who may not — when submitting an excerpt, you should ideally edit it into a piece which can stand alone. Most places don’t explicitly ask for excerpts, but will welcome them if you can turn part of your book into an interesting essay or article. So don’t go around just blindly submitting the first chapter of your book; instead, think about which elements might appeal to specific outlets, and construct your excerpt (maybe even multiple versions of it!) based on that.
With that said, let’s get into the publications themselves.
1. Commonweal
Topics covered: Public affairs, religion and spirituality, literature, and the arts
Publishing frequency: Monthly (except July/August which is a combined issue)
Next submission deadline: Rolling
Submission fee: Free to submit
Writers who are politically, theologically, or otherwise culturally engaged may be familiar with Commonweal, a regular literary journal based in NYC. While it was founded (exactly a century ago) as a “Catholic” publication, don’t let the origins fool you; today, Commonweal publishes a wide range of political and religious opinions, though its writers’ views do tend to skew liberal. Recent pieces cover everything from the ever-shifting tides of the upcoming US election to the state of academic theology to philosophical musings about whether or not to have children. In short, if your work touches on anything political, religious, or artistic in the modern world — or better yet, a combination of these — Commonweal could be an excellent fit. Read their full submission guidelines here.
2. Consequence Forum
Topics covered: War and geopolitical violence
Publishing frequency: Weekly on their Substack; monthly for website features; biannually for the print magazine
Next submission deadline: October 15, 2024
Submission fee: Free to submit
Another political but more international (and indeed, more sobering) platform is Consequence Forum: an ongoing project about the realities and ramifications of war. The content here is certainly heavy, but the mission — “to promote a clearer and more nuanced understanding of what’s at stake in war” — is worthwhile. And while Consequence’s scope is also arguably quite narrow, their opportunities for writers are not; you can submit interviews, personal essays, or any form of narrative nonfiction, and you may choose to publish on the Consequence Substack, on their website, or in their biannual print journal. If your writing deals with any kind of modern warfare — whether focusing on the wider political landscape, the violence itself, or the victims — you should submit to Consequence today. Read their full submission guidelines here.
3. Hinterland
Topics covered: All creative nonfiction; next “special” issue will focus on travel writing
Publishing frequency: Quarterly
Next submission deadline: September 13, 2024
Submission fee: strong>£3 per submission
Switching gears to something a bit lighter, Hinterland is a quarterly lit mag for creative nonfiction — and, unlike some of the others on this list, they publish nonfiction only. Interested parties would do well to note the upcoming themes of their “special” issues; for example, the next special edition of Hinterland will be travel-themed, so travel writers should get their submissions in ASAP. That said, Hinterland is always open to “flash” nonfiction pieces (up to 1,250 words) on any topic: memoir, reporting, food writing, the “psychoscape” (as they call it), and more. For nonfiction authors with topical interests or who write memoir/autobiographical pieces, Hinterland could be a great fit; however, take note that articles are only published in the magazine itself, meaning your work will be behind a paywall. Read their full submission guidelines here.
4. Memoir Magazine
Topics covered: Anything in the realm of memoir
Publishing frequency: Weekly
Next submission deadline: Rolling
Submission fee: strong>$6 per submission
Speaking of memoir and autobiography, Memoir Magazine does what it says on the tin — and may be ideal for those who want their work publicly accessible, as everything is published on their blog. Founded in just 2017, this magazine has already made waves in the world of memoir, publishing fresh content online each week and even introducing its own annual book prize in 2020. A few particularly moving recent pieces include “My Aunt Who Changed Her Name” and “Hypostasis” — both of which deal with the loss of a loved one, and which are similarly effective despite distinct writing styles. Anyone interested in submitting should peruse further, not least because Memoir Mag makes it so easy; readers can sort by a variety of tags, topics, and even reading length to find what they’re looking for. Read their full submission guidelines here.
5. Months to Years
Topics covered: Mortality, health, death, and dying-related topics
Publishing frequency: Quarterly
Next submission deadline: September 2, 2024
Submission fee: Free to submit
Another publication with a fairly specific vertical (and another one which only publishes nonfiction) is Months to Years: a quarterly mag covering topics related to mortality and death. But unlike Consequence Forum, Months to Years is not inherently opposed to making light of a heavy subject — on the contrary, they request works that “surprise, delight, or make us laugh, despite the seriousness of [the] topic.” That doesn’t mean serious pieces are off-limits, just that Months to Years represents all experiences of death and mortality. Whether it’s an imminent concern, a darkly comedic matter, or a part of everyday life — as might be the case for medical workers or those with a terminal illness — Months to Years is open to all your liveliest (as it were) takes on death. Read their full submission guidelines here.
6. Reckoning
Topics covered: Nature, climate, and environmental justice
Publishing frequency: Annually
Next submission deadline: September 22, 2024
Submission fee: Free to submit
For impassioned authors looking to make their mark in environmental writing, Reckoning is the journal to watch. Published each year in January and usually centered around a loose theme — though not for their upcoming 2025 issue — Reckoning features thoughtful, creatively sprawling works about climate change, resource depletion, and all manner of environmental injustice… or rather, how we can bring about justice in an unjust world. The editors seem to be more sparing with nonfiction than with fiction these days, but that might be a matter of self-selection; the only thing they ask for in creative nonfiction (other than a focus on justice over pure injustice) is for some kind of coherent narrative. And they accept pieces up to 20,000 words, so if your book happens to fit this niche, Reckoning could be the perfect venue for an excerpt. Read their full submission guidelines here.
7. River Teeth
Topics covered: All narrative nonfiction — essays, memoirs, and literary journalism
Publishing frequency: Weekly for online “micro essays”; biannually for the print magazine
Next submission deadline: December 1, 2024
Submission fee: strong>$3 per submission
We’ll end on a type of publication that’s a mainstay for fiction writers, but rarer for nonfiction writers to publish in: the prestige literary magazine edited by a collegiate English department. In this case, the magazine is River Teeth — a nonfiction journal that specializes in “narrative reportage” and literary journalism, though they’re also interested in memoir and essays. River Teeth’s biannual print magazine is a thing of beauty, but for those looking for more frequent publishing opportunities and </public availability — i.e. no paywall — they also publish “micro essays” (250 words or fewer) in an online section called Beautiful Things. In any case, the print journal could be great for your narrative nonfiction excerpt, or you could test your concision skills by writing something down for Beautiful Things; indeed, sometimes it’s nice to switch things up with a different form. Read their full submission guidelines here.
Of course, there’s plenty more where that came from. From the much bigger literary magazines to trade publications and relevant blogs, there’s really no shortage of places to submit your nonfiction — but the best way to find suitable opportunities is really to do your own research and see what will work for your subject matter, ideal article length, and desired timeline. Best of luck with the outlets listed above and any others you come across in your search! Remember, if at first you don’t succeed: submit, submit again.
Author Bio:
Savannah Cordova is a writer with Reedsy, a marketplace connecting authors with the world’s best editors, designers, and marketers. She works on a variety of literary and publishing content for the Reedsy blog; prior to this, she was a freelance writer whose work has also appeared in Slate, Kirkus Reviews, and Publishers Weekly. When she’s not writing or thinking about writing, she enjoys reading (particularly memoirs and short story collections), as well as cooking, yoga, and visiting museums in and around London, where she lives.
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