Want to get your short stories published? In this episode of The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed, host Richie Billing sits down with Benjamin Davis, co-founder of Chill Subs, for a comprehensive, no-nonsense guide to submitting short fiction to literary magazines, navigating the submissions process, and using it as a genuine route toward landing a literary agent.
Chill Subs is the platform 50,000+ writers use to discover, track and submit to literary magazines, contests and agents — so Ben sees the short-fiction publishing world from the inside. He shares the latest shifts and trends in the literary magazine market, then gives honest, insider answers to the questions writers agonise over most:
- Do cover letters actually matter — and what should (and shouldn't) go in them?
- How should you format a short story submission?
- Are simultaneous submissions acceptable, and how do you keep track of them?
- Can you submit reprints, and where will editors accept them?
- How do short story credits actually help you get a literary agent?
- Where are the best places to submit right now, and how do you find them?
Whether you're submitting your first short story or trying to build a publication history that opens doors to agents and book deals, this is a practical, market-leader's view of how short fiction publishing really works in 2026.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- How to find the right literary magazines for your work using Chill Subs
- What editors really think about cover letters and formatting
- The rules (and etiquette) around simultaneous submissions and reprints
- How short-story publication credits feed into querying literary agents
- The current trends reshaping the literary magazine and submissions market
About Benjamin Davis: Benjamin Davis is a writer and the co-founder of Chill Subs, a submissions platform used by over 50,000 writers to discover and track literary magazines, contests and agents. He also runs Sub Club, a top-selling Substack newsletter on literary publishing opportunities, and is connected with Write or Die Magazine. His own fiction and poetry have appeared in journals including Booth, Hobart and Maudlin House, and he's the author of The King of FU and Things We Do While Waiting to Die.
🔗 Chill Subs: https://www.chillsubs.com
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📚 More writing tips and classes: https://richiebilling.com
New episodes of The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed release on the 14th of each month.
