I received an interesting article, Get Real: Online vs. Print Publishing, via one of my online writing groups, which asked writers which medium they preferred to submit their writing to, online or print. It is an interesting article with some extremely varied responses. This is an ongoing debate, and I think most writers I know, even if they are very open to online publishing, have at least a slight preference for print media. At Duotrope, when authors search for a specific media, 88.18 % search for print publications.

I admit I have a bias towards print media when it comes to my own submissions. I am a tactile person, and I love holding a magazine with my work in it. Print magazines can be kept as tangible reminders of success, and shown to people when they ask the question, “What have you had published?” Online media does have its own pluses though, one of the biggest being that it is great exposure, and they make it much easier to share your published work with others. There are also more online publishers than print, and they have the capacity to print as much fiction as they choose. There are many long running, well-run, online magazines, and some of them pay well.

Both formats also have their downsides. Print media is severely limited in terms of space, and it costs more to keep the magazine running - if they run out of money to print and mail, the magazine folds. The downside to online is any hack can start a magazine, so before a writer submits they need to look over the market, as well as check it out at places like Duotrope. Also, they don’t garner as many prize nominations or prestige as print media does, although this is changing over time.

Personally, I submit to both, although if there are equal markets in both media I usually go with the print publication. The online markets I have been accepted by though are well established, and both paid, which is more than many literary magazines can say they do. However, when it comes down to it, every piece that is published increases both a writer’s credibility and experience levels, and is a step further up the writing ladder.