Day 06 Writing Workout

Welcome to Day 6 of your Writing Workout with Ace Baker!

If you’re like many writers, you type up a piece, edit until you deem it finished, and THEN go searching for a market, a place you might publish it. But let’s flip that script today…

Finding a market FIRST and then writing specifically for that market will mean that your piece should be a direct hit for what they are seeking. It will also give you some guidelines and a deadline, which help to keep you putting words on the page.

But where do you begin?

First, Submittable.com. If you don’t already have a Submittable account, get a free one now. More and more publishers are using it as a way of sorting out submissions. On their website, they also have piles of market listings for every imaginable kind of writing. Very useful!

Next is one I would Google. The actual URL is complicated and long for this site, but if you Google the phrase “Published to Death,” you’ll find it. This site also organizes markets by due dates (for the entire YEAR), but also has other useful groupings you can check out as well. Again, a mountain of markets!

After that, head over to Newpages.com . If you are a young writer, this has an added benefit in that it separates and vets all markets for young writers and their work. You won’t be competing with adult writers unless you choose to. All markets are updated regularly. Impressive.

And if that’s not enough, check out Chill Subs, Reedsy, and Duotrope. I guarantee you will find something to work on and submit to! But there’s one more thing you can do…

Google a genre, a month and year, and key words like “submissions” or “guidelines” or “anthology.” Something like “Poetry submissions October 2025”–and your screen will fill with suggestions. In our current world, there shouldn’t be a reason you can’t find something to keep yourself busy and writing.

I’ll sometimes do this when I am stuck on another writing project, and often, when I return to what I was working on originally, I’m unblocked and ready to go. Something different is as good as a rest sometimes.

That’s it for today. Join us tomorrow for day 7: “Contests to Kick!”