In 2008 I launched a website, The Review Review. The site had a singular goal, and that was to demystify lit mag publishing for writers. To that end, we reviewed lit mags, interviewed journal editors, posted weekly publishing tips specific to lit mag publishing, listed calls for submissions and writing contests, and maintained a database of over 1,000 literary magazines.

By 2010 the site was running smoothly and we were posting great content. Yet with so much noise on the internet, I worried not enough readers knew about what we were up to. So I decided to send out a weekly email. This went out to a small group of people, those on my email list, about 150 writers and editors. It was a simple roundup of what new content we’d posted on the site.

Amazingly, no one complained or asked me to stop emailing them! I took this as a wonderful sign, and continued to expand the list of people I notified each week about our new content.

At some point, it occurred to me that there was more I could be telling people about the lit mag world than what was happening on our site. I decided to include bits of news–a new lit mag opening, an editor stepping down. Around that time there were lots of juicy morsels of gossip with particular magazines, and I wanted to include that. There were also some really exciting developments taking shape, such as the newly launched VIDA count that opened up a huge conversation around inequities in publishing.

I also discovered that I really enjoyed writing this newsletter. It helped me keep track of what was going on in the lit mag world, and it allowed me to give a kind of human voice to my website. If the purpose of my site was to demystify lit mags, and take some pressure off writers who feel overwhelmed when trying to publish their work, then it was important that my newsletter adopt a tone to reflect that. I found a writing voice that was upbeat, encouraging, silly and one that forged a sense of playfulness in a landscape that can often feel cut-throat or intimidating.

Soon I found Mailchimp, which is a newsletter platform, and this allowed me to send the weekly newsletters in a more professional format and to include images. This also allowed me to start accepting advertisements from magazines, for contests or submission calls, and these ads funded the cost of the newsletter platform.

Over about eight years, the newsletter grew to about 5,000 subscribers. I had so much fun writing it, and developed some incredibly loyal readers. In 2015 I had a baby and intended to take a few months off. But people kept emailing me and saying, “Where’s the newsletter!?” So I went back to writing it, while bouncing my baby on my chest. It was one of the few writing projects I was able to consistently continue shortly after giving birth!

In 2019 I ended up selling the website, The Review Review, to Gonzaga University. It was time for me to move on, to focus on my own writing projects and teaching. I also stopped writing the newsletter, as it seemed there was no longer any need for it, since I was no longer running the website to which the newsletter was attached.

Last month, however, something changed. When I asked on Twitter if people would be interested in a revival of the newsletter, the responses were swift and resoundingly positive. It occurred to me that now is a perfect time to revive the project, as not only are writers always working to send their work out for publication and trying to find appropriate markets, but we are all ravenous these days for a sense of community in the work we do. That feeling of camaraderie, light-heartedness and humor combined with solid information that helps writers and editors, is something I truly hope the newsletter continues to cultivate.

The new newsletter, called simply The Lit Mag News Roundup, will now be sent out every two weeks. The first two editions included information about a ton of new and exciting magazines from all over the world, as well as a bit of drama at a few journals. Several magazines are now facing uncertain futures, so I discussed that, as well as reminders for editors to submit work to the Pushcart Prize Anthology and other important deadlines.

My hope is that the newsletter will continue to be an important fixture in the literary world. I hope it will be a place where people get information they need to be informed and empowered readers and writers, and where they find a sense of encouragement and joy along the way.

Becky Tuch is a writer, editor, teacher and lit-mag enthusiast, based in Pittsburgh, PA. You can find her on Twitter @BeckyLTuch and at www.BeckyTuch.com.

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