Six Questions for Becky Tuch, Founding Editor, The Review Review

The Review Review offers in-depth reviews of online and print journals, editor interviews, writing tips, and more.


SQF: Please tell us briefly the purpose of The Review Review and why you started it.

BT: In the winter of 2008, I realized that I was submitting my work to a lot of literary magazines, with little to no idea about any of the content of these magazines. I didn't know who edited them, what their missions were, what kind of work they liked to publish--nothing. After talking to other writers, I realized there were a lot of us going about our business this way. We would just amass a long list of journals and submit our work to everywhere we could.

This method, however, started to feel wrong. How could we expect these journals to publish our work if we weren't even paying attention to what they published? What was the point in trying to get published in these journals, if we weren't actually reading them, or even caring about them?

Thus, The Review Review was born. I wanted to create a site where writers could easily find out which journals publish which kind of writing. We do everything we can to give writers as much information as they need to narrow their tastes toward the handful of journals that really appeal to them. We review individual issues of print and online journals, we interview editors, we offer publishing tips, we have a database of over 300 literary magazines, we have a weekly newsletter that gives readers news on everything going on in the lit mag world. The purpose of the site really is to help writers navigate the abundant world of literary magazines.


SQF: Do you have a selection process for including publications?

BT: We didn't until recently, when so many online venues started popping up and calling themselves literary magazines. It's great that people want to do this. But if a site looks kind of shoddy and casually put together, and the URL is something like "AmazingLitMag.BlogSpot.com", then it's unlikely we'll include this journal in our database. Otherwise, we're happy to list new journals.


SQF: Magazines, online especially, come and go. Do you cull the site to delete publications that no longer exist?

BT: Sadly, we just deleted two journals from our database this week. They were online journals and for whatever reason, they had discontinued operations. But a good many of the journals in our database are prestigious literary magazines that have been around for a long time. Many are affiliated with universities and have substantial support and good reputations. These, thankfully, are in it for the long haul.


SQF: What will readers find in your Classifieds section?

BT: Great things! They will find calls for submissions, writing contests, jobs in writing, literary conferences, retreats, workshops, residencies. I like to think of The Review Review as a kind of one-stop shopping venue for writers. You go, see a call for submissions in our classifieds, locate that journal in our database, read a review of them, read an interview with the editor, then decide if it's a good place to submit your work.

Also--and this is very exciting--we just added a new feature: People Seeking People. Here people can list their need to connect with others, maybe for a ride to AWP, maybe to find someone to read their stories and give feedback, maybe to start a lit mag.


SQF: You publish a free newsletter. What's included in it, and how does one sign up?

BT: Our newsletter is delivered weekly and includes a round up of all the news in lit mag publishing: trends, changing markets, reminders about upcoming conferences, readings, book festivals. Basically, anything that will be relevant and helpful to a writer trying to get published in literary magazines goes into our newsletter. We love our newsletter subscribers, and try to make the letters as fun and informative as possible. You can sign up here.


SQF: What one question on this topic do you wish I'd asked that I didn't? And how would you answer it?

BT: Can people get involved? To which I would answer a resounding YES!

We need reviewers. This is a great way to learn more about lit mags and to build your writing credentials, plus you get lit mags in the mail for free! We also need interviewers. This is a fantastic way for writers to make contact with editors, and to ask them anything they want. If you are interested or have questions, drop me a line at 99review@gmail.com.

Thank you, Becky. We all appreciate you taking time from your busy schedule to participate in this project.

NEXT POST: 2/9 -- Six Questions for Roland Goity, Fiction Editor, LITnIMAGE