A Peek Behind The Scenes - Part II

Part II - Submitting The Story

By late July, I had a draft of “When Morning Come” that I felt comfortable submitting to literary journals and contests.  Typically, I send my finished work to prospective publishers with the help of Submittable (a digital submission manager).  

Most of the journals I sent “When Morning Come” required submissions via Submittable, but a few of them had their own digital/software systems.

I started submitting the story in late July of 2025.  The publications on my list included: Black Bird; Black Warrior; Chestnut Review; Missouri Review; Ploughshares; Subtropics and Virginia Quarterly Review. 

Prior to submitting my work, I always read at least one sample or the most current issue of a journal in order to make sure we’re a good fit. These days, I always make sure there are a couple of journals on my submission list that might be considered “above my pay grade.”  I’m saying, why not? You’ll never know unless you try.   

6 of the 7 publications I submitted to rejected the story.   The first rejection was in September of 2025.  The following is what a typical rejection looks like:  “Sorry, this doesn’t fit our needs at this time.”  “We’re going to pass on this one.”  “Unfortunately this submission is not right for us.  Best of luck in placing it elsewhere.”

To my surprise and delight, 3 of the publications that rejected the work (Black Bird,  Missouri Review & Ploughshares) were kind enough to break me off a few words of praise and encouragement.  Some of the comments included: 

“This submission received special attention.  We especially admired the style (and) the story’s grounded feel.”

“. . . please know that we have enjoyed your submission and hope you will try again during our next reading period . . . Please feel free to mention our praise for your work the next time you submit.”

Those “encouraging rejections” from some fairly top tier literary journals let me know that I was close and if I persisted, I could probably find a publisher who would grant me a, “Yes!”  Sure enough, in February of 2026, a literary journal asked if they could put “When Morning Come” on their short-list for the summer issue.  Being put on their short list was no guarantee of publication, but they said they’d make a decision no later than May 1.  On March 2, 2026, I received an email letting me know that they had selected the story for their summer issue.