In the event you might have been thinking about submitting a piece of prose or poetry to GossamerWight, but are unclear about the benefits for you in doing so, allow us to highlight the key advantages as we see them. You're welcome to add to or otherwise personalise this list.
Visibility and audience reach
- Targeted readership. We showcase prose and poetry content (our own and others) focused on horror (both mainstream and folk), the weird and 'New Weird,' and in the supernatural, speculative, dystopian, and fantasy realms. In all cases, content that also steers toward the uncanny. If you write in any of these genres/sub-genres, then making a submission to the GossamerWight Literary Magazine (including our anthologies) places your work in front of readers who actively seek the stories and poetry we promote, increasing visibility and engagement for both us and you.
- Global distribution. Our reach is global. You can access GossamerWight anywhere with an internet connection, so your prose and/or poetry piece can reach an international audience far beyond the limits of a traditional printed literary magazine.
Professional credibility
- Publication credit. Having a story or poem accepted by a respectable genre-focused literary magazine like ours is a solid, tangible benefit that will enhance your professional CV, author bio, or literary resume.
- Portfolio building. Online magazines usually keep archives of their published content. We do. When you have a story or piece of poetry accepted by us, your published work then becomes part of a searchable, permanent portfolio that you, and others, can link to from personal and professional sites. Likewise, literary agents can also access your work, and having access to archive material can also facilitate any grant application you might make.
Community and networking
- Genre-specific community. Contributors to online literary magazines, like ours, often become an integral part of mailing lists, forums, or social media groups tied to the magazine. This fosters connections with fellow writers, editors, and fans of the same aesthetic.
- Opportunities for collaboration. As editors of GossamerWight, we invite our contributors to take part in themed anthologies, submit a piece of work to be considered by us for inclusion as a guest post, and even be part of podcasts or virtual readings, were we to introduce opportunities of the latter kind. Your participation will expand your network reach and creative possibilities.
Feedback and growth
- Editorial notes. Many online magazines provide brief editorial comments or suggestions, giving you constructive insight into what works (or what you might sharpen) within your chosen subgenre. Although we are a small team, we are prepared to respond in this way, where circumstances permit, for prose and poetry submissions we have accepted for inclusion on our site and/or in one of our anthologies.
- Reader interaction. Comment sections (to posts), social shares, and newsletters generate direct reader responses, helping you gauge audience reactions to your submitted work, and refine your (writing) voice.
Career development
- Eligibility for contests and awards. Any publication of your prose or poetry on our site and/or in one of our anthologies may help qualify you for writing contests, anthology calls, or award nominations by others that require evidence of prior publication.
- Agent and publisher attention. Agents and small presses regularly scout niche online magazines like ours for fresh talent. A well-placed story or piece of poetry with us could serve as a calling card!
Financial and practical perks
- Royalties or stipends. Some online magazines offer modest payments, royalties, or tokens (e.g., swag, or discount codes). While we do not currently offer any of these benefits, we are discussing the practical possibility of going to print with an annual anthology composed of the best stories and poetry from our planned quarterly anthology releases. By submitting stories and/or poetry to us, you increase the likelihood of being published. As a free site member, we’ll also reward you with any regular or ad hoc benefits as we introduce them.
- Rights retention. Most online magazines allow you to keep full copyright to your work, allowing you to republish your prose and/or poetry pieces elsewhere, e.g., to other collections or anthologies, once any exclusivity period ends. At GossamerWight, you always hold the exclusive copyright to your creative work(s), so can submit elsewhere if you please, after we have published your work, unless you withdraw your submission before we reach that stage. We have no other exclusivity conditions. You will always hold the copyright to the creative work(s) you submit to us, but we will hold the collective copyright to our anthology releases, in which your story or poetry appears. Should you have a piece of prose or poetry first submitted to and published by us accepted elsewhere, we ask that you cite us, i.e., 'first published on GossamerWight Literary Magazine.'
Creative freedom
- Experimental space. Genre-centric online literary magazines like ours often embrace boundary-pushing narratives. This gives you leeway to explore unconventional structures, hybrid forms, or unsettling themes that mainstream outlets might reject. We might also reject one or more submissions made by you to us, as we cannot offer a cast-iron guarantee of acceptance... but you'll have a better-than-average chance at least!
- Themed issues. Some of our site content and the theme-specific editions of our anthologies centred on any of our specialist interests, such as folklore/folk horror and the uncanny, may well inspire you to write within a focused framework, sparking new ideas and stylistic growth.
Feel free to send us your thoughts... perhaps adding additional benefits you see in submitting a story or piece of poetry to an online literary magazine.
[Header image credit: Tim Mossholder / Unsplash]