First Works: An Interview with Marcia Preston, Editor - ByLine Magazine

By Laura A. Hazan

Breaking into the elusive world of “The Published” is tricky.  You often can’t get published unless you’ve already been published – a particularly baffling aspect of the industry.  Thankfully, there is ByLine Magazine, “the best little writers magazine in America!”

ByLine has been encouraging new and unpublished writers since 1981.  “They’re the ones who need it the most, after all,” said Marcia Preston, editor since 1986.  “We love it when we can be the market to give a writer his first sale.”  ByLine has published, and paid for, the first work of hundreds of poets and writers of fiction and nonfiction. 

If you are already published – congratulations.  ByLine may still be a market for you, if your stuff fits their needs.  ByLine’s interests include articles on the craft or business of writing, especially how-to-write or how-to-sell to specific market areas.  They also publish short stories and poetry.  Payment ranges from $10 for poetry to $100 for short (2,000 – 4,000 words) fiction.  Complete details and writer’s guidelines are available at www.bylinemag.com.

Queries are accepted by mail or email.  Manuscripts are accepted by mail only.  Don’t forget the SASE-- ByLine editors, like most of their colleagues, will not even look at a submission without one.  A “query needs to show the writer has an understanding of what we publish in ByLine,” Preston explained, “and this includes having read our writers’ guidelines so that the writer knows what lengths we need for various departments, etc.”

To further ensure acceptance of a query or manuscript, Preston suggests thinking “beyond the obvious.  What are the first three topics that come immediately to mind when you think of an article for a writers’ magazine?  Now, throw those out and think of something more original.” 

Working with new writers can be challenging.  Inexperienced writers submit manuscripts that aren’t prepared in a standard format or with prose that isn’t ready for publication.  But if a manuscript is fixable and suits a need Preston will make suggestions and offer to look at a re-write.  “Especially with feature articles,” she said, “because good features are hard to find.”

ByLine also sponsors contests.  They conduct contests in four different categories each month: fiction, nonfiction, and two poetry.  The monthly contests are open to anyone and award cash prizes from $10 to $70.  They also sponsor the ByLine Short Story & Poetry Awards.  This yearly contest, for subscribers only, has a November 1 deadline and awards a cash prize of $250 in each of two categories, short story and poetry.  The number of contest entries ByLine receives from month to month varies, ranging from 50 to 250 per category, with many fewer entries in the nonfiction contests.  Specific deadlines, entry fees and other details are on www.bylinemag.com.

“Our readers love the contests,” Preston said.  “It’s a service to them to have a reputable place to try out their skills, for very low entry fees, with a chance of cash prizes and recognition in the magazine.”  Contest entry fees help to subsidize the magazine, allowing ByLine more editorial space and less advertising.

More space means more opportunity to publish first works and perhaps launch a career or two.  Specific success stories are hard to remember “because we can’t keep track of so many writers,” Preston explained.  “But in general, we’ve been the first to publish quite a few short fiction writers every year.  Some of the winners of our annual literary competition (the ByLine Short Story & Poetry Awards) have gone on to publish books.”  Preston joined them with the publication of her first novel in 2001; Perhaps She’ll Die, a finalist for the 2001 Oklahoma Book Award and nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award.

Going through the process of publishing her first novel was likely a reminder for Preston that being a beginner is not easy.  “It’s tough to get started in the business, to see your work in print,” she said.  Fortunately there are respected publications, like ByLine, that will publish your well-written prose, and pay you for it, even if it is your first. 

After years of being surrounded by books in her career as a librarian, Laura Hazan has taken a hiatus to write a book of her own. Laura is currently working on her first novel and pursuing opportunities in freelance writing.