Starting a Literary Magazine: Why & How?

The most common question I’ve been asked as founder and editor-in-chief of Toil & Trouble Literary Magazine is: “Why and how did you do it?” To any aspiring literary magazine founders and editors-in-chief out there—or simply anyone intrigued—here is my answer…

Why?

After graduating university in July 2022, I left with an outrageously expensive degree in hand, experiences to fill my CV with, and many unpublished short stories and poems. But what to do with it all? At the time, I felt as though I could do anything. Surely my enthusiastic knowledge, newfound self-confidence, and constant creativity would prove useful?

I’d long decided I wanted to continue being an editor, as I’d been a freelance editor since January 2020 and soon learnt it was my calling. However, when it came to getting a job in the publishing industry as an editor, any kind of editor, a first-class degree and a few years of experience in the role weren’t enough. The industry demanded more. To make matters worse, every opportunity I might’ve been able to successfully take was in London. Publishing is and always has been London-centric—unfortunately, living in or travelling to London was not financially feasible for me. It was a disheartening struggle.

Even so, I kept a word of advice I’d heard in my final year of university in mind. Our tutor was co-founder of an independent LGBTQIA+ publisher, and one of the many guests he introduced us to was one of their established authors. This author fondly warned us that if we wanted to write for a living, for ourselves, then we had to write for others first. In addition to that, getting odd jobs to make ends meet would be a further necessity. Because if we really loved writing, if we adored it as much as we’d already proven by taking the course, then we would find any way to make it work. I kept this in mind when applying for jobs—any jobs. And though I didn’t know it yet, taking this author’s advice seriously was the first step towards creating Toil & Trouble.

When it came to the many unpublished short stories and poems, I figured submitting them to some literary magazines I identified with would be a great start to a portfolio and rejection therapy—something I’d been told to expect in the writing world by every tutor and guest speaker. Literary magazines were mentioned once throughout my three years at university, in a discussion about vanity publishing, so I had never been encouraged to consider them. The idea of submitting my work to them came from a family friend gifting me a copy of Writers Forum Magazine. If all those writers published in the magazine were brave enough to do it, why not me?

After researching endlessly, I took my second step towards creating Toil & Trouble: wanting to make a difference. What I loved about the literary magazines I read and considered submitting to was the community spirit. Literary magazines welcome everyone, unlike the traditional publishing industry, which is infamously dominated by white, heterosexual, middle-class, able-bodied people—and, despite it being a women-dominated industry, with men in the highest positions. If I could contribute to changing to that, even with a small literary magazine, then I wanted to do it.

Now that I had the idea, all I had to do was evaluate how ‘qualified’ I was to see it through. One of my A-levels had been in media studies, so I knew how to put together an attractive cover and readable-yet-professional interior; I had a vast knowledge of publishing books thanks to university; I’d already chosen my USP (unique selling point); I could proofread and edit with a tight deadline; I loved reading. Yes, I’d concluded, that would be enough.

Very unlike myself, I leapt into it. If I stopped to make a meticulous plan, I knew the magazine would never happen—like all the novels outlined in various notebooks stacked beside my bed. First, I opened a Twitter account and began marketing the USP I’d chosen: witchcraft, nature, and anything that encompassed a weird vibe. Why? Because I could. It was a reasonable answer, and it continues to be for anything related to the magazine. Why did I launch Freaky Flash Friday and this very blog for contributor articles? Well, because I could. Particularly with articles, it can be difficult to build a portfolio, so giving people a place to start theirs was an easy decision. After all, the fundamental aim of Toil & Trouble is to help anyone and everyone get their work and voice out there.

Admittedly, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that the magazine helps me too. It gives me purpose between jobs, editorial experience, and the opportunity to read works with themes I love. From what other founders and editors-in-chief have said, it’s the same for them. It’s a rewarding role, and I’ve never felt as empowered as I did when my idea became a working reality.

How?

Issue 01 of Toil & Trouble launched in October 2022, but before then I’d managed to reach almost 2,000 Twitter followers and create a buzz for the submission period. As a team of one, I was amazed at how quickly I gained a healthy following and number of submissions for our very first issue—over 200. No amount of thanks will ever be enough to those who gave us a chance by submitting to Issue 01.

Aside from the mechanics of the magazine (managing social media accounts, the number of issues annually and their themes, the number of pieces per issue, which mediums to accept, organising submissions, writing guidelines and copy for the website, the page design and layout of the magazine, etc.), I’m still learning how to run it. And that’s okay, because most of what I’ve learned to date came up as and when I needed to learn it.

But there were three things I knew I had to get exactly right first time…

1. USP

Having a USP is crucial in the literary magazine sphere. What is going to make you stand out? Why should a writer or artist send their work to you? Toil & Trouble’s USP is our big picture theme of witches, nature, and weirdness. Communicating our USP quickly and easily was a priority, so I had to ensure it would be understood at a glance—whether that glance be at our Twitter page (initially filled with tarot card prompts), website (filled with witchy photography), or logo (an old and wise witch). However, the simplest way of communicating a USP is in your magazine’s very name. Toil & Trouble is an instantly recognisable literary reference to the three weird sisters in Macbeth, but it also screams, “We’re a folky, witchy literary magazine!” Ask yourself what you want your magazine’s name to convey about your USP.

2. Aesthetic and Tone

Developing an appropriate tone and a consistent aesthetic (font, colours, imagery, etc.) for issues, social media, and our website was a must.

As for tone, I knew ours had to reflect that we weren’t a ‘takes things too seriously’ magazine. At first, I intended to Tweet as the witch you see in our logo: old and wise. And although I am a witch, I am neither old nor wise (yet)—and Tweeting as such felt like a pretence. It wasn’t working. Being able to admit that was an important step in creating our current tone: sincere and supportive. It’s easy to maintain because it’s genuinely just me being me. I use GIFs from my favourite movies and TV shows in Tweets, ask questions of our readership about the magazine and what they might want from it, interact with and uplift other literary magazines I love, and say what I genuinely feel or think. Above all else, a tone should reflect the magazine. And the magazine is very much a part of me and who I am now.

Aesthetic was the easiest thing to get right because a witchy, nature, weird aesthetic goes hand in hand with my personal tastes. As someone who has a lot of fleeting obsessions, I had to ask myself if I really loved the theme/USP enough to maintain it for years to come. The answer? Absolutely yes! Because although I do have fleeting, hyper-focused obsessions (some of which were meerkats, horses, jigsaw puzzles, makeup, Twilight, the Tudors—specifically Anne Boleyn), the only consistent passions and special interests throughout my life have been witchcraft, writing, and reading. So, when starting your literary magazine, you must ask yourself: “Am I passionate about this theme, or am I jumping onto a trending or fleeting passion/idea? Do I genuinely believe this magazine’s theme and aim is durable?” If you’re unsure, it’s time to get back to the drawing board. You need to commit to that magazine and theme if you want to make a success of it.

One thing I found difficult to get right in terms of balancing aesthetic and functionality was the website. Until the recent update, I wasn’t entirely happy with its look and only aimed for functionality. It wasn’t engaging in the slightest. Now that the website is also more professional and visually appealing, it only strengthens the magazine’s aesthetic.

The idea is that a consistent aesthetic and tone prove to potential contributors that Toil & Trouble is an enduring, trustworthy, and constantly evolving magazine that you want to be published by. Which leads onto…

3. Trust

Without earning the trust of writers and artists, a literary magazine will never gain traction. I needed to prove that the magazine would take care of the work it received as well as those who submitted. My way of doing this was to ensure all emails remained personable—for individuals rather than a collective—and to offer feedback.

On top of the wait and self-doubt, the worst thing about submitting to literary magazines, although it is a necessity for some, is the autoreply or copy and paste rejection. Whether Toil & Trouble remained small or grew a little bigger, I wanted to stay connected to the contributors who put themselves out there. Being a fresh-out-of-university writer, I understood how much of a leap it can be to submit to a literary magazine. Since I don’t read biographies until someone’s work is accepted, I have no way of knowing if they are submitting for the first time or the hundredth—either way, it should be an experience you leave feeling good about yourself, looking ahead excitedly no matter the outcome.

It can be a mammoth task to give feedback, though it is definitely a satisfying one. And while your magazine remains small, it’s more than doable. By offering those who submit to the magazine the option of feedback, good and critical, you’re giving them the opportunity to improve their work and get it published either somewhere else or in your magazine next time—rather than leaving them in the dark, wondering why their piece wasn’t chosen on that occasion. Often, writers and artists can be left thinking something was wrong with their piece, and that isn’t ever the case. Sometimes a piece requires more edits and so you reject it on that basis, but more often than not you have to reject something because you already have another piece like it that you prefer that teeniest bit more—and that feedback is just as valuable because it will reassure the author or artist to keep submitting. The aim isn’t to snatch a piece that isn’t quite ready so that no other magazine gets it, it’s to create a varied issue while uplifting and empowering writers and artists. It’s rare to get free and honest feedback from someone who’s read or looked at your piece as carefully as an editor-in-chief needs to, so any feedback given (with consent from the writer or artist) will be appreciated. If you submit to literary magazines, you’ll already know how it feels to know your work was truly seen and considered because of some generous feedback.

Advice to anyone thinking of starting a literary magazine

Since that one word of advice impacted me so powerfully in my last year of university, I want to leave you with some final magazine-related words of wisdom: If you can commit to the magazine, not only in terms of time and organisation but also to the people who will rely on you—whether that be staff or people submitting—then it is an exceptional way to build a community of writers, give people chances, gain experience yourself, and enjoy the wonderful work that comes your way. It’s not hocus pocus, but it is a cauldron of fun!

With that, I’ll leave you with some more advice, this time from other founders and editors-in-chief.

“If you think of doing it, just go for it! What’s holding you back? Nothing!! Have fun and play around and have a good ol’ time!”

— Tabi, Litmora Litmag

Twitter: @litmoralitmag

“Have fun and always be open to learning new things. And make the issues you want to read. IMO that’s what will make the magazine unique.”

— Kevin, Tree and Stone

Twitter: @TreeAndStoneMag

“In a world where everything has rules and boxes you need to fit in, please do not forget, when embarking on this adventure, that running a lit mag is and should stay and be a CREATIVE process, free, bold and yours.”

— Mirjana M., Suburban Witchcraft Magazine

Twitter: @SubWitchMag

“Practical advice: Make sure you have *time*. So many mags pop up and disappear because they’re a larger undertaking than the EIC was expecting. You will read more than you have ever read in your life—make sure you have the time to do so. It’s so worth it.”

— Elou Carroll, Crow & Cross Keys

Twitter: @CrowKeys

“Just do your thing. Don’t worry about a lack of submissions, followers, readers. Just do what you can, and everything else will follow.”

— Keerthisri Kannan, Blue Flame Review

Twitter: @Blueflamereview

“Research, plan, have desire for the outcome you want & dedicate time aside to work on the lit mag.”

— Abriana Tuller, Read My Lips Magazine

Twitter: @readmylipsmag

“It represents a lot of work, so make sure you have the time for such a project. Being organised makes it easier (especially at the beginning & if you’re doing it alone). Have fun, be creative & communicate with those who sub & contribute. You’ll get to meet amazing artists.”

— Delphine Gauthier-Georgakopoulos, Raw Lit

Twitter: @rawlitmag

“Don’t be afraid to ask other lit mag EICs you know about something you’re unsure about. They started out just as enthusiastically confused as you!”

— Atlas Booth & The Maenad, The Viridian Door

Twitter: @ViridianDoor

“It’s really easy to get lost in the tiny details of a publication or a magazine and postpone ‘debuting’ it, but at some point there’s decreasing returns to excessive planning. Definitely plan some of the basic attributes, but also leave some flexible to determine as you go.”

— Sheeks Bhattacharjee, Vocivia Magazine

Twitter: @vociviamagazine

“Set up a separate email to take submissions. If you have an idea of what kind of work you want to publish, put together submission guidelines. Life happens, so allow plenty of time for reading and producing a mag. Have fun with it! Network with other writers/publishers.”

— Skaja (Sky) Evens, Mōtus Audāx Press

Twitter: @motusaudax

“Budget both money and time! Don’t assume that everything will pay for itself, but consider how much of your own money you’re willing to put in.”

— Cormack Baldwin, Archive of the Odd

Twitter: @archiveoftheodd

“Have your FAQ ready for even the tiniest, weirdest little questions.”

— Jenny Chu, The Apostrophe

Twitter: @HKWCMagazine

“Be kind always and don’t engage with the rare grumpapotamous who responds in an icky way to a rejection. Who knows where their reaction is coming from? Could be their 5th rejection that day and they just snapped a bit. Not an excuse for shit behavior, but a reason not to engage.”

— Jen Davis, Many Nice Donkeys

Twitter: @ManyNiceDonkeys

“1. Think about how to convey what forms or themes you want to publish, to more easily connect with poets writing your ideal work 2. Just know this space is not zero-sum. There’s room for more lit mags, more poetry, more voices, more art!”

— Katherine Schmidt, Spark to Flame

Twitter: @s2fjournal