Get out there, writers!
Many writers I’ve met rarely, if ever, submit work for publication. Perhaps a rejection or two has been a discouragement, or they not submitted for years recalling the chore of packaging pages to send to one outlet at a time. Next was the wait of six months before the rejection arrived.
Times have changed! Magazines have proliferated online and in print and expect simultaneous submissions, though the wait for news may still be months, unfortunately. Though you may get lucky with the prime literary magazines you see at bookstores, you should consider the many excellent literary outlets online. Some are devoted to certain regions, such as Great Lakes Review. Others represent a genre or even an age group, such as Still Crazy.
Several services let you decide easily where to send your stories and poems. For example, duotrope.com posts markets often and will send you email of the latest; a few dollars will buy a subscription to its full services. NewPages.com also emails a frequent newsletter. Websites like Poets and Writers have long lists of magazines.
The editor will let you know whether to paste your entry into email, send an attachment, or use Submittable, an account where all your submissions are collected by date and status.
Many of these literary outlets are free; only contests require a submission fee. So, set up a spreadsheet for your submissions and keep likely opportunities bookmarked. Pretty soon you’ll have published pieces to add to your facebook page, website, or Christmas newsletter.