The Garlic Press plans to publish four issues a year online, in April, July, October, and January. So far they’ve published two issues, with writing ten to twelve contributors in each. 

The Garlic Press plans to hold a reading period before each publication date as follows: Submissions will be open from January 1 through March 31 for the Spring issue, published in April; from April 1 through June 30 for the Summer issue, published in July; from July 1 through September 30 for the Fall issue, published in October; and from October 1 through December 31 for the Winter issue, published in January. Authors may send one submission per reading period.

Poets may submit up to the three poems, totaling ten pages or fewer. Authors of prose may submit two short pieces or one longer piece, totaling ten pages or fewer double spaced. The Garlic Press accepts all forms of prose, including fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, and hybrid writing. Submitting authors can expect a response within two to four months.

The Garlic Press accepts submissions via email, not online or by post. They accept simultaneous submission but ask that authors withdraw writing published elsewhere. They do not accept previously published writing, or writing generated by AI.

The Garlic Press only accepts submissions that follow the guidelines they’ve posted online. Please read these guidelines in full before submitting.

If you would like to learn more or submit to The Garlic Press, please visit their website here. 

Our goal with this article, and all of the articles in this series, is to give writers a more realistic idea of what it is actually like to be on the other side of the desk, and what it really takes to make a living (or part of one), in the publishing industry.

We really want to highlight how many people have very different roles on the other side of the desk, and how many of these roles don’t pay enough (or at all).

Often authors can act (or feel like) agents and editors are the enemy, but often they are also writers themselves, and are equally familiar with rejection. I hope this series helps demystify what it is actually like to work in the publishing industry.

If you work in the publishing industry and feel like you are a good potential candidate for a future interview in this series, please send us an email at: submit@authorspublish.com.

We are paying all contributors to this series, and the questions will be similar to the ones asked below. These are the questions we think readers most want to hear the answers to. If you have any additional questions you think should be added to the regular rotation please let us know by sending an email to the same address.

For our seventh instalment of the series we are talking to Isabelle Stillman, the editor of december magazine. She is a former high school English teacher and a graduate of Chapman University’s MA/MFA program. Her fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in Narrative Magazine, Ninth Letter, Epoch, South Dakota Review, and Copper Nickel. Her nonfiction appears in the LA Times. She is currently querying her first novel. You can follow along at @isabellestillman on Instagram.

We are very grateful for her thoughtful answers to these questions.

What is your primary job (in terms of the literary community), and how did you get it?
I am the Editor-in-Chief of december, a literary magazine. I first worked with the magazine as a submission reader about 10 years ago, during its revival. A few years ago, I came back as Prose Editor. When the founding Editor-in-Chief decided to step away from the position this past year, she asked me to assume it, which I was thrilled to do.

Describe a typical day at work. What do you spend the bulk of your time doing?
As one member of a two-person staff, I end up wearing many hats, as does our terrific Managing Editor Jenn. I read all of our submissions, select, and edit them, of course, but I also plan events, manage finances, coordinate marketing and social media, work on strategic planning and big-picture projects, manage our Section Editors and submission readers, organize trade shows, etc. A little bit of everything!

Does this job pay your bills?
Some of them!

What do you think makes you good at your job?
I think my belief in the power of literature and literary community is what really fuels my work. I believe that all writers’ work matters, and I know that our work can feel hard and thankless – having a place to publish makes us more inspired to write, helps us keep believing in and developing our practice. I also believe that people should read writers they haven’t heard of — stories, essays, and poems from far and wide, not just from Barnes & Noble (no shade to B&N!)! I also believe that, because writers are people who crave connection (why else sit down and write another piece about being human!?) but whose work is solitary, we need places to come together as a community to teach, push, and energize each other.

All of this is what literary magazines do — we give writers the opportunity to see their work appreciated, we share art with the world, and we create community for artists to uplift each other. I couldn’t do my job, and I certainly couldn’t do it well, if I didn’t wholeheartedly believe in our mission.

What is a common misconception people seem to have about your work?
People who are not familiar with literary magazines often think that I write the entire magazine – of course I don’t, but it’s always funny to hear. People who are in the literary world and have a basic idea of what I do often don’t understand that december has a two-person part-time staff and is a non-profit – meaning we are always overly busy doing a million things. When you reach out to us, you’re not getting one of twenty staff members – you’re getting me or Jenn. Whatever we do, we do mostly the two of us. It’s common to think that we’re a huge machine that’s always oiled to perfection – but we’re just two Editors trying to do some good in the literary world!

What is an aspect of your job that might surprise most people?
Sometimes I am the woman behind our Instagram stories

Have you ever considered quitting your job, and why?
Nope!

What is the best part of your job?
My favorite part of my job is reading submissions and sending feedback to writers. At december, we offer feedback to everyone who submits, which gives the author something to take away from the submission process and means that our readers engage really deeply with writing and learn from each submitted piece. When I read, I’m not just thinking about whether the piece is good or bad, I’m thinking about what craft elements work or aren’t quite there. I’m thinking about what makes words sing, what makes a story meaningful, how literature can speak to us more effectively. Every time I read, I’m learning about writing.

If you are a writer, how does your work impact your creative writing?
I am a writer, currently querying my first novel, and my work as an Editor definitely has an impact on my own writing. As I said, I learn from each submission I read, and I also benefit greatly from being part of a literary community through december. I’ve met so many writers through my job, and this community fuels me, inspires me, pushes me, and sees me through my own work.

Struggle with focus? You’re not alone. Here are 11 tips for keeping your attention where you want it to be—on your writing. 

As a writing workshop leader, I hear a lot about the struggle writers have in getting themselves to the table and staying there. Wrenching yourself away from bills, dishes, and that darned leaky faucet has always been a challenge for independent artists. What’s new in our 21^st-century existence is the level of distraction we face once we’re seated at our desks.

It’s ironic that our trusty computer—the very tool of our trade—is also the source of our greatest temptation. Email, social media, news notifications, pop-up ads…We live in a time when every stray thought can lead us down an infinite rabbithole of distraction. In the face of the internet’s limitless seduction, how do we stay focused on the sometimes thorny task of getting our words out of our heads and onto the page?

As someone intimately acquainted with the challenges of wrangling my own hyperactive brain, I’ve developed strategies to address the problem. Underlying all these strategies is a simple principle: Do only one thing at a time.

The truth is, when it comes to complex tasks, our brains are only able to focus on one thing at a time. Brain imaging has shown that when we’re multitasking, our attention is actually shifting back and forth between competing stimuli. Though these shifts take mere nanonseconds, they add up, slowing productivity and leading to errors. Research aside, I don’t need a neuroscientist to tell me that when I’m reading an email, I’m not making progress on the essay I’m writing. I’m guessing you don’t either.

Here are a few suggestions for keeping your attention where you want it to be:

Accountability buddies:
Writing can be a lonely task. I recently joined an accountability team with two other writers and a visual artist who live across the country from me. Every Sunday, we send each other a list of writing goals for the week. The following week, we report back on what we’ve accomplished, cheer each other on, and set new goals. Having someone besides yourself tracking your progress can work wonders for motivation and productivity.

Schedule Writing Time: 
Put it in your calendar: WRITING DATE—DO NOT CANCEL. Set aside an hour or three on a regular basis to do this and only this. Protect that time as fiercely as Cerberus guarding the gates of the underworld. If there are other humans at home during your writing date, hang a “do not disturb” shingle on your office door or ask them kindly to leave you alone for the duration. If they’re unlikely to comply and you’re able to take yourself and your laptop to a café, do it.

Short-Term Goals:
Once you’re seated at your desk, open a note or a document or a blank email and write a concrete goal for the next hour. Draft first three paragraphs of personal essay on x.

Set a Timer:
Set a timer for the amount of time you plan to work before taking a break. This can be forty minutes, an hour, or whatever amount of time feels good for your body and brain. If you’re going strong when the timer beeps, feel free to ignore it and take your break whenever you feel like it. When you’re ready for a break, set a five to ten-minute timer for that as well. Then get up, stretch, dance to your favorite Beyoncé tune, grab a snack or a glass of water—whatever helps renew your energy. Then reset your timer for the next round.

Turn Off Wifi:
If this works for you, do it. If, like me, you like to keep your wifi on so you can look things up while writing, my next three suggestions can help you use the internet for your own purposes instead of letting it use you.

Use an Ad-Blocker:
These are great to have on your computer even when you’re not writing, to avoid those pesky pop-ups. I use uBlock, which is one of many free ad-blockers that are just a download away.

Set Your Calendar and Phone to Do Not Disturb: This should eliminate all dinging and pop-up banners. Link your devices so you only have to turn it on and off in one place. If you need to make exceptions for calls from significant others and school-age kids, you can program that in.

Internet Controls:
If, like me, you tend to periodically open Facebook without even realizing you’re doing it, there’s an app for that! I use another freebie called Self-Control. After you’ve downloaded it, you create a list of websites you want to stay off for a period of your choosing. My list includes Facebook, Instagram, and Gmail. Once I’ve turned it on and set the internal timer, I can’t access those websites without restarting my computer. It’s amazing to see how many times I catch myself unconsciously trying to load Facebook, only to be reminded it’s off limits for now.

Virtual Companionship:
If you work from home but like the sense of camaraderie you get from seeing others working alongside you, consider joining a virtual cohort. I recently joined Caveday at the cheapest level of $10/month. With my basic membership, I can enter the 24/7 virtual lounge at any time and find 8-10 others in there doing their thing. Some keep cameras on; some don’t. Either way, I know they’re in there, because there’s a little circle with their name on it. When you enter, a bubble asks what you’re working on. Type it in, and it shows up in the chat. When you’ve completed it, you check a box, and the chat shows a fire emoji beside your task. Caveday has other features for those who want a higher level of engagement, but for me, this is great. Seeing the other humans in their bubbles and being witnessed in checking something off the list is often precisely the boost I need.

White Noise:
I used to write in cafés. These days I like to work from home, but something about soft background helps me concentrate. Turns out I’m not alone. Google “café sounds” and you’ll find a plethora of options. Here’s one that actually lets you adjust the levels of different types of sound (café sounds, kitchen sounds, voices, and more).

Timed Freewrites:
Suppose you set your timer for an hour, but it’s not working. You’re not working. Shorten your chunk of writing time to ten minutes and challenge yourself to keep your fingers moving for the entire time no matter what. Give yourself permission to write the worst crap in the world. Tell yourself no one ever has to see it. You’ll be amazed how helpful this is in getting yourself going. If you find that writing in ten-minute increments helps you stay focused, when that timer rings, re-set it for another ten or fifteen. You can do this again and again for as long as you need to. I’ve sometimes written for two hours or more by setting one ten-minute timer after the next. Most of the time, I didn’t take breaks in between. It’s just that, for whatever reason, my brain felt intimidated by larger chunks of time on that particular day. When I told myself to work on that draft for an hour, something in me balked. But you can do anything for ten minutes, right?

Each of our brains is unique. Feel free to try out any of these ideas that appeal to you and see what sticks. If these don’t do the trick, ask yourself what will. A closet? A raging techno beat? Pen and paper with no computer in sight? Give yourself ten minutes to brainstorm on this. You’ll be amazed what you come up with.