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Editor Interview: The Satirist

Describe what you publish in 25 characters or less.

literary satire&fake news

What other current publications (or publishers) do you admire most?

Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, The Onion, Harper's

If you publish writing, who are your favorite writers? If you publish art, who are your favorite artists?

Thomas Pynchon, J.D. Salinger, Henry Miller, Fyodor Dostoyevsky

What sets your publication apart from others that publish similar material?

The Satirist is unique in publishing both literary satire and serious reviews.

What is the best advice you can give people who are considering submitting work to your publication?

Read The Satirist to get a feel for the material. Get the free email newsletter at http://www.thesatirist.com/_thesatirist_admin/Newsletter.html or follow on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheSatirist
Satire should have a moral framework from which to critique injustice, hypocrisy, or pretentiousness. Easy targets like dumb celebrities are not worthy targets. The fake news format should walk a fine line with serious tone but ridiculous content.
Fake news is fine, but still better are satirical pieces in other formats: short stories, poems, reviews of imaginary works.

Describe the ideal submission.

The ideal submission to The Satirist would be an allegorical satire, telling a good story and pointing out the foibles of contemporary society or culture. It is difficult to do all of that in one piece and preserve balance. But it is worth striving for!

What do submitters most often get wrong about your submissions process?

People should remember to include a title for their work.

How much do you want to know about the person submitting to you?

A short cover letter of a few lines requesting that the piece being published in The Satirist is appreciated. It is strange to receive a submission without any introduction (or title to the piece).
Mentioning previous publishing credits is helpful, but it is not strictly necessary.
Writers should include at least a one line author bio.

If you publish writing, how much of a piece do you read before making the decision to reject it?

We try to read every piece to the end, even if we can tell straight off that it isn't right for us. We try to give constructive feedback as time permits.

What is a day in the life of an editor like for you?

Editing is a task that must be squeezed in amongst countless other tasks. As a writer myself, my focus is always more on my own writing. But when I encounter a strong voice in a writer, I always find it worthwhile to work with them.

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