I decided for article number three to do some research on equine publications with a literary focus. I thought it would be interesting to write something a little different and I was just plain curious about what I could find. I was a bit disappointed in what I found…not much. There used to be a magazine that had a short bout from 2002-2003 titled Canter Magazine. I found their submission guidelines and prepared a story that would match the theme and feel for the magazine. Only after I had written my piece, did I check to make sure the magazine was still in print. I assumed since Canter Magazine had a website and submission guidelines, then they were printing. How silly of me to assume! Now… I had this lovely article that was begging for a home. I found that home on Centaur, The Online Literary Journal for Equine Inspiration. If you are looking for something to pass the time and don’t feel like diving into a novel, Centaur has some excellent articles of fiction, non-fiction, and unique artists too. If you are an aspiring writer, it may also be a place to showcase some of your own work.
I have slowly learned this task of attempting to break into the publishing industry is quite formal with a strict etiquette. If you would like to write for a publication, make sure to read submission guidelines. Many publications, magazines in particular, like to you send a query letter about a topic of interest you have in writing for the publication. This letter has its own guidelines for composition. I have found everything related to writing has a guideline. For example, writers have their own style of resume which is different than the work experience based resumes many of us are accustomed to. The query letter also has its own format. An article from writing-world.com is excellent in capturing the necessary components while avoiding common mistakes. After you send a query letter it may take from 4 weeks to 6 months to get a response. My goodness, I would forget what I was planning to write by then! Many publishers plan very far in advance to make sure publications are distributed in a timely manner.
I am always amazed at how much there is to learn about my new endeavours. When I built this website, I couldn’t believe the volumes of information I had to absorb to put it together. In my naivety, I thought writing should be fairly simple. All I need are the words in my head and a computer program to allow those words to exist in the electronic world so they can be shared. Once again… how silly of me. Why should I think anything in this world is simple? Give me a saddle and a horse, that is what I say!
If you know of an equine literary journal, magazine, or online publication you would like to share. Please feel free!
