For new writers looking to hone their craft and get paid for their fiction.
Wouldn’t it be nice if new writers could get professionally published without competing Against big name authors?
Discover a significant literary award, a professional short fiction magazine, a supportive writing community, and an education hub all rolled into one… exclusively for aspiring authors.
“Is this too good to be true?”
That was the question I saw asked again and again when I started Elegant Literature. It cropped up on Facebook, Reddit, in my emails… you name it.
Since then I’ve put over $50,000 into the hands of new authors.
And that was only in the first 12 months!
So to whoever has stumbled across this page, let me ask you 3 things:
Do you enjoy writing fiction?
Do you want to see your story published and get paid for your work?
Does the idea of joining a community of engaged, excited, and supportive writers sound good to you?
Then you are in the right place!
You also have the chance to win the $3000 Elegant Literature Award for New Writers.
Imagine adding that to your cover letter.
But I heard writing contests are bad and literary magazines are dying!
Nope.
They just have big problems (which we found a way to solve).
For years I wanted to start a short fiction magazine but never did because it was just a terrible business idea.
New publications usually fail within 3 months. The established ones run on volunteers and can barely pay their editors.
It makes sense when you think about it.
Most magazines charge readers per issue, which might be $2.99/month or 30 bucks a year.
They take that money and use it to buy stories from authors. Then they sell ad space to earn some extra.
That worked pretty well… last century.
Now readers have subscriptions to Amazon for unlimited reading.
Heck, you can read entirely for free if you’re savvy (and not too picky).
This really screwed up the short fiction industry.
Magazines lost tons of readers…
Which meant they couldn’t charge advertisers as much…
Which shrank their budget for purchasing stories.
So they did the only reasonable thing to stay in business. They bought stories from big name authors they knew readers would pay for.
The result? A ridiculously competitive landscape for newbies trying to break in, and a massive barrier-to-entry for someone like me who wanted to start their own magazine.
Talk about depressing!
Okay, but what about writing contests?
Contests get a bad rap for a good reason.
Paying 20 bucks for a chance to win 200 is an awful deal.
You also have to pay per submission, which can get expensive.
It’s true you can find prestigious awards with free entry, but then you’re competing with as many as 10,000 other writers, often including professionals with decades of experience.
Not that you shouldn’t try, but the odds are slim.
I combed through lists of these things looking for the best. Unfortunately, the ones with big prizes of $1000+ were often exclusively for published authors. Some took it even further, like requiring you to have published 3 novels in Ireland.
Contests that accept unpublished authors also accept published ones, so same problem as earlier. Unless you’re a prodigy, you just can’t compete with writers 10 years more experienced than you.
But the real reason so many writers shy away from contests?
Because too many of them are shady. They grab unfair rights to your work, or worse, only exist to make their organizers money.
We call that profiteering.
It can be difficult (and time consuming) to decide which contests to enter, and which to run from.
For an aspiring author in school or with a day job, you want to spend your limited time writing, not researching.
How You Can Benefit From The Broken System
You might have started to see what I did after stepping back and looking at the problems.
I’ll tell you exactly how this all works to your benefit in just a moment.
Let’s recap what we know so far…
Magazines:
- Charges readers
- Focused on big names
- Hyper-competitive for new writers
Contests:
- High fees, low reward
- Focused on published authors
- Hyper-competitive for new writers
As if this wasn’t bad enough, you’re writing and submitting to these places in a state of isolation.
If you’re lucky enough to have some writer friends, maybe you help each other out with your submission, but there’s a big lack of community.
There’s no sense of being a part of something.
Writing can be lonely work, and sending off your hard-written story only to wait months for a rejection is tough.
Not only is this discouraging, but it’s not helping you improve your craft.
You need better.
You deserve better.
An award, a magazine, and a community all in one
The answer seems obvious to me now, but it took months to figure out and put everything together.
The solution, of course, is taking the best bits and cutting out all the rest.
It’s combining what works and discarding what doesn’t.
Elegant Literature reworked everything good about fiction magazines, writing contests, and communities of aspiring authors to make something new.
Something positive.
As a magazine, we are:
- Free to read
- Only publish new writers
- Pay rates that count towards a professional writing credit
As a contest, we:
- Allow unlimited submissions
- Award $3000 every month
- Only accept submissions from new writers
We are also a community of new writers, who read and provide feedback on each others work both before and after submitting.
We celebrate wins together.
We support and encourage when times are tough.
Most importantly, we grow and learn together, becoming better authors.
The Simple, Elegant Solution
Instead of charging readers, or charging writers per submission, we work on a membership basis.
Your membership gives you access to the community. You’ll meet dozens of authors eager to improve, and we also place you in a small writing group based on your preferences.
(This is a white glove service, we’ll find you the best fit, handle disputes, and replace rogue members. All you do is write, collaborate, and improve.)
Your membership includes unlimited entries to our $3000 Award for New Writers.
Each month we host a contest. One new writer wins the grand prize, and we also select the best stories, pay the authors a professional rate, and publish them in our magazine.
Elegant Literature published 122 stories in our first year, with hundreds of writers receiving honorary mentions.
That’s over $50,000 in the hands of new authors, most of whom saw their stories published for the first time.
We use the membership fees to pay the winner, buy work from authors, and produce the magazine (which is free to read, maximizing how many people see your work).
The best part? As our membership grows we will increase both the prize amount and our budget to buy work from writers, in accordance with our goal of publishing as many new authors as possible.
That means the odds of publication will stay favorable no matter how big our community grows.
If it wasn’t obvious, we don’t accept submissions from pro authors. This makes us way less competitive than any other pro-rate publication out there.
All in the name of helping new authors succeed.
Join hundreds of new writers inside Elegant Literature
Here’s a challenge and a guarantee for you:
If you can dedicate 10 short minutes a day to interacting with the community…
And commit to writing at least 500 words each month — you will improve.
We are a positive and enthusiastic group of writers dedicated to helping each other succeed.
We are a magazine on a mission to help new writers get their work into the world — and get paid for it.
If you are ready to embark on this journey with us, fill out the form below and I’ll see you on the other side.
Magazine subscriptions$3/month
Beta-reading groups$10/month
Weekly premium content$10/month
Multiple contest submissions$20+/month
Editing Services$100+
And last but not least
A $30,000 MFA program that won’t guarantee you a career as an author even after two years of hard studying (just kidding… or am I?)
Unlimited Entries — write and submit as many stories to our monthly literary award as you want without paying anything extra.
Expert Advice — actionable techniques to improve your writing, storytelling, creativity, and motivation to get you into the mindset of a professional author.
Community — Surround yourself with supportive writers of all backgrounds. Make friends, grow together, and celebrate your writing journey.
Discounts — take advantage of special offers from editors and writing services we’ve partnered with.
Get instant access to all this and more when you sign up.
Cancel anytime.
1) Choose your membership tier.
2) Complete the form on the next page.
3) Meet the community and get writing!
Ready to escape the trap of the current short fiction industry?
Here are your options:
Standard
Submit to the magazine- Submit to the magazine
- Access Community Workshop
- Earn pro rates
Elegant+
Enter the contest- Everything in Standard
- Unlimited contest entries
- Placement in writing group
- $400+ in Partner discounts
Elegant+ Yearly
Dedicated to writing- Everything in Elegant+
- 2 months free
FAQ
Why is there a membership fee?
This acts as an “entry fee” for the contest, but unlike regular contests, you can enter as many times as you like. As we add more contests, your membership will allow you unlimited entries to all of them. Membership also comes with extra perks that other contests don’t, such as massive discounts with our partners.
Who can enter the contest? Is there an age limitation?
Anyone, worldwide (excluding Quebec), can enter the contest as long as they are an Elegant+ member and are 13 years of age or older, though we ask professional authors not to enter.
Do I have to pay to be published?
No. You can have a free membership and submit work to the magazine. However, each issue of the magazine is based on the month’s theme or prompt. Your work will be evaluated alongside all other stories received that month, but you won’t be eligible to win prizes.
What are the fees used for?
Membership fees are used to pay the winners, purchase work from writers like yourself, and produce the magazine. Excess money is used to increase future prize value and buy greater quanities of work in accordance with our goal of promoting new authors.
Can I receive feedback on my work?
We have a Community Workshop in the Members Area where you can have your work proofread and receive feedback and critiques from other Members.
When does the contest close?
Contests close at 11:59 pm EST on the last day of each month.
Why is there a membership fee?
This acts as an “entry fee” for the contest, but unlike regular contests, you can enter as many times as you like. As we add more contests, your membership will allow you unlimited entries to all of them. Membership also comes with extra perks that other contests don’t, such as massive discounts with our partners.
Who can enter the contest? Is there an age limitation?
Anyone, worldwide (excluding Quebec), can enter the contest as long as they are an Elegant+ member and are 13 years of age or older, though we ask professional authors not to enter.
Do I have to pay to be published?
No. You can have a free membership and submit work to the magazine. However, each issue of the magazine is based on the month’s theme or prompt. Your work will be evaluated alongside all other stories received that month, but you won’t be eligible to win prizes.
What are the fees used for?
Membership fees are used to pay the winners, purchase work from writers like yourself, and produce the magazine. Excess money is used to increase future prize value and buy greater quanities of work in accordance with our goal of promoting new authors.
When does the contest close?
Contests close at 11:59 pm EST on the last day of each month.
Can I receive feedback on my work?
We have a Community Workshop in the Members Area where you can have your work proofread and receive feedback and critiques from other Members.
Why is there a membership fee?
This acts as an “entry fee” for the contest, but unlike regular contests, you can enter as many times as you like. As we add more contests, your membership will allow you unlimited entries to all of them. Membership also comes with extra perks that other contests don’t, such as discounts with our partners.
What are the fees used for?
Membership fees are used to pay the winners, purchase work from writers like yourself, and produce the magazine. Excess money is used to increase future prize value and buy greater quanities of work in accordance with our goal of promoting new authors.
Who can enter the contest? Is there an age limitation?
Anyone, worldwide (excluding Quebec), can enter the contest as long as they are an Elegant+ member and are 13 years of age or older, though we ask professional authors not to enter.
Do I have to pay to be published?
No. You can have a free membership and submit work to the magazine. However, each issue of the magazine is based on the month’s theme or prompt. Your work will be evaluated alongside all other stories received that month, but you won’t be eligible to win prizes.
When does the contest close?
Contests close at 11:59 pm EST on the last day of each month.
Can I receive feedback on my work?
We have a Community Workshop in the Members Area where you can have your work proofread and receive feedback and critiques from other Members. The judges will not comment on any stories except those they select as winners.