Rural Fiction Magazine publishes fiction and poetry to 5,000 words. “Rural Fiction Magazine (RFM) is seeking high-quality fiction and poetry that explores the beauty and drama of rural life. RFM is willing to look at any genre so long as it has a rural setting and addresses topics or themes of interest to people in rural areas.” Read the complete guidelines here.
SQF: Why did you start this magazine?
Phil Slattery: I am originally from a family of farmers (going back several generations) and currently live in a rural area of southeast Arkansas near the small town of Gillett (population 690). My first magazine, The Chamber Magazine, has been doing well and I thought about creating one that appeals to a larger worldwide demographic. I was driving to the nearby town of Dumas one day, passing between cornfields and other crops and contemplating what genre would be suitable, when it occurred to me that possibly the largest demographic worldwide (or at least the most widespread) would be something dealing with agricultural and rural areas. Then I might be able to get the local populace to support it, maybe with advertising. When I returned home, I googled whether there was already such a genre. I found out that there is and it is known, generally, as "rural fiction". I searched to see if there was already a "rural fiction magazine" and there wasn't. So, I picked that name, because it would pop up any time someone was searching for stories dealing with rural areas and because I feel having the word "magazine" in the title makes submitting to it a more appealing to writers, particularly new writers, who are looking for a publication credit. For example, Granta is a well-known literary magazine. But if it were a new magazine, people could not tell what type of publication it is just by the title, and a new author might be concerned that publishers reading his writing credentials might not know what type of magazine it is. But, if it were entitled "Granta Fiction Magazine", its nature and subject matter is obvious. Basically, having the word "magazine" in the title is a marketing tactic.
SQF: What are the top three things you look for in a submission and why?
PS:
How beautiful the style is.
Does the author show a mastery of language, character development, backstory, and plot development?
How masterfully and subtly the author deals with underlying themes.
Why? These are all things that enable the reader to be immersed in the story and suspend disbelief.
SQF: What most often turns you off to a submission?
PS: The opposites of the three things mentioned above: bad grammar, bad spelling, carelessness, awkwardness, clumsiness, unbelievable and shallow characters, etc.
SQF: What do you look for in the opening paragraph(s)/stanza(s) of a submission?
PS: Action or an intriguing situation that places me in medias res (in the middle of things). Something that grabs me emotionally or intellectually.
SQF: Many magazines have guidelines that are long and boring. Is it really necessary to read them?
PS: Yes. The publisher may toss out your submission if you do not follow his/her guidelines. A publisher has a lot to read. Why should he waste his time with an author who does not bother to read his guidelines when he probably has dozens of other authors who have? If you want to be published, make publishing your work as easy as possible for the publisher.
SQF: What one question on this topic do you wish I'd asked that I didn't? And how would you answer it?
PS: Q: What has been the public's response to my magazine?
A: Although RFM was started only a few months ago, it is growing quickly in popularity and I already have submissions and queries from other nations. Right now, I am publishing stories (and poems) about two Fridays after acceptance. If the workload becomes overwhelming, which it may soon, I will have to convert it to a monthly as I did with The Chamber Magazine.
Thank you, Phil. We all appreciate your taking time from your busy schedule to participate in this project.
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