How to Get Invited to Submit to a Closed Anthology

In a closed anthology, the editor does not make a general call for submissions. She’ll only invite certain writers to submit to her project, writers whose work she knows she can trust. Most of these writers are established, but new writers can find themselves invited, too. There are several ways you can get an invitation, but you must always submit and publish consistent, high-quality work.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Excellent submissions
• Excellent work published

1. Send a submission to an open anthology that gets the editor’s attention. When it comes time to work on a closed project, the editor might remember a submission you sent into one of his open projects, whether you sold that sub to him or not. Writing memorable work will keep you on an editor’s mind.
2. Send a submission to a magazine or journal that gets the editor’s attention. Editors who publish magazines, journals or webzines sometimes publish anthologies, too. Steps One and Two are the easiest ways for an unpublished writer to get an invite.
3. Publish excellent fiction, poetry or nonfiction. If she consistently comes across your work and likes what she reads, she might consider you for an invite.
4. Editors you’ve worked with before might consider you for an invite. They know what you can do and trust you.
5. Read the message boards, blogs, LiveJournals and forums of editors. Editors talk about their projects. Query them about their anthologies if you have an idea that will work for their projects. This takes a little intestinal fortitude, but the worst an editor can do is tell you no. You might want to start off using this tactic with editors you know or have worked with to build up your courage.
6. Word of mouth can get you an invite. Editors talk to each other about their projects. When one is working on a closed anthology, a friend can suggest your work to him.
7. Ask an editor to keep you in mind for future projects. If you’ve received an invite, or you have to turn one down because you won’t be able to meet the deadline, it’s certainly okay to ask the editor if she will consider you in the future.

Tips & Warnings

• Submit to open-call anthologies as often as you can, especially to those editors who frequently publish anthologies. Get them excited to see your name in the slush pile.
• Always meet your deadlines if you receive an invite. An editor needs to know that you can turn in high-quality work in a specific amount of time. This is especially important if you queried the editor for an invite.
• Learn to say no. It’s exciting to receive an invite. But if you’re too busy to meet the deadline or can’t come up with an idea in time, it’s better to pass and ask to be considered in the future.
• Don’t expect an acceptance. While getting an invitation gets you out of the slush pile, this doesn’t mean the editor is going to accept your submission.

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