Testimonials What People Say About Us

Woman with stroller walking past street art mural saying 'The Best Gift is You' — Duotrope simply wouldn't be as awesome without the support of our members. **Thank you!**
Photo by Dakota Corbin.

Ethics: The following testimonials have been sent to us by people unaffiliated with anyone on our staff. While we welcome testimonials, we do not require them from anyone. No payment or gifts are offered for testimonials. We do not edit the testimonial text in any way.

Here is a random sampling of the testimonials we've received:
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Markets and Records and... Agents? Oh my! Before I joined Duotrope, my record-keeping was scattered at best. Now, not only can I keep track of what I've submitted where and when, I can search for new markets on the same site! The ability to track my acceptance rates is helpful in a number of ways, including where to aim next. The experiences of others, in terms of response times, prepares me for what to expect from the markets to which I submit. And now that I can search agents, Duotrope has truly streamlined the publication process. Everything I need is at one convenient spot on the web. I'd be lost without it!

I located Duotrope many years ago. The Market Listings, Statistics and inside information are great and the Submission Tracker is a massive bonus. The site helped me formulate a strategy of gradually building up a roster of publications in the Horror genre by targeting increasingly challenging markets, an approach I continue to employ today. I wouldn't have seen my work published in the magazines and anthologies I have without Duotrope's help. I'm quite certain of that.

My writing was languishing. After a number of brilliant early successes, I suddenly found myself remaindered. Hot dogs seemed to have a longer shelf life than the novel I had just slaved over for five years. I couldn’t face another long slog.
Back to the beginning. I needed some positive reinforcement and fast. I decided to experiment with flash.
Word counts vary, but generally flash is thought to be 1,000 words or less. Some journals in their submission guidelines can be very specific. I began using Duotrope before membership was compulsory. When the model changed, I gladly subscribed. The submission organizing service alone is worth the price. The weekly notifications have contributed greatly to my success. I’m close to having 80 pieces taken over the course of 7 years—and I attribute this to Duotrope—especially the call for themes.
One of my quickest acceptances was after scanning the call for theme submissions I saw something for The Blue Hour. I’d just written a flash about those dusky moments before the sunsets, where we sometimes feel despair. I sent it and within five minutes got an answer. Accepted!
Jane Hertenstein is the author of numerous short stories and flash. Her work has been included in Hunger Mountain, Word Riot, Flashquake, and Rosebud as well as earning an Honorable Mention in Glimmer Train. Her literary interests are eclectic, evident in the titles she has published: Beyond Paradise (YA), Orphan Girl (non-fiction), Home Is Where We Live (children’s picture book), and a number of eBooks: Flash Memoir: Writing Prompts to Get You Flashing and Freeze Frame: How to Write Flash Memoir. Jane lives in Chicago where she blogs at Memoirous (memoirouswrite.blogspot.com/) @memoirjane

I’ve sold two short stories published in quarterly collections I found on Duotrope.
I’ve also had some excellent rejections, including long emails from editors.
Also enjoy seeing what trends are by looking at upcoming deadlines.

This is just a kind thank you for all the work you do. Duotrope is an amazing site and a bargain at twice the price. I started submitting my work to journals with the help of Duotrope about two years ago. I would never expected to have over 500 works in print and online, including a first prize, an honorable mention, a long-list and 2 short-lists in major international contests, and multiple award nominations (I've honestly lost count). I could not have done it without you FULL STOP. The Duotroopers are without exception kind and wonderful to deal with (despite my frequent pestering).
Thank you so much you are literally changing the world!

I've been keeping up with my submissions through Duotrope for about five years now. I wouldn't use any other system. Duotrope allows me to keep an accurate record of all of my short stories, the markets I've sent them to along with rejections (lots of those) and acceptances (wish there were more). If I have a few minutes to spare I can easily go to Duotrope and find a new journal to send a story to. Duotrope is efficient, easy to use, accessible, and organized.

I am a longtime user of Duotrope and one of the few who support its change from a free service to the subscription model. For three years now I have availed the paid service, and usually opt for the annual payment. So far I have recovered more than twice the amount within a month or so. I have searched high and low for other databases, but Duotrope in my opinion is the most comprehensive compilation especially of paying markets.
I love Duotrope and recommend everyone to try it out for a year at least! You won’t regret it!

Duotrope has become a staple in my writing career. Journals, contests, agents, publishers, and tracking tools: all of them gathered right here in a brilliant compilation that I refer to daily. Thanks, Duotroopers! I couldn't do this without you.

Thank you for the "clean up reminder" feature, and for giving us guidance on when to appropriately note a market has failed to respond. Maybe these folks who are hanging on to submissions and ignoring their responsibility to respond will clean up their best practices under this spotlight. I'm a former small press publisher myself and I will never understand how a magazine can not reply to a writer within a reasonable time. With services like Duotrope, writers can be empowered to continue their pursuit of publication and know they aren't alone in the many ways publishers disregard these fundamental obligations.

Since subscribing in July 2020 to Duotrope, I have had poems accepted by Burnt Breakfast, Haiku in Action, Rockvale Review, Sunlight Press, Red Eft Review, Naugatuck River Review, Adanna Literary Journal, Idle Ink, Mothers Always Write, Verse Virtual and Montana Mouthful.
I have had flash fiction accepted by Blink Ink, Every Day Fiction.
THANK YOU!!!

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