Good Venues for Early Modern Publishing

[1Q84]

I'm definitely looking to get one of my works on Milton and sexuality published and I'm looking at less narrow venues for submission. (I'm still going to do the hail mary submissions to Milton Studies and Milton Quarterly but not banking on it, of course.) 

 

Anyone here have experiences they'd like to share about Early Modern journals that aren't way out of my league as a first time submitter? I did a search and there were just piles and piles of places I could submit, so I thought I'd ask here in case someone wanted to point me in a specific direction.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Roquentin]

(I'm still going to do the hail mary submissions to Milton Studies and Milton Quarterly but not banking on it, of course.) 

 

 

Quick question. From this, it sounds like you are planning to submit your paper to both journals at the same time. That's not the case, is it?

[1Q84]

Quick question. From this, it sounds like you are planning to submit your paper to both journals at the same time. That's not the case, is it?

 

Ah, yes, reading back that is unclear. No, I know their requirements about written assurance that I am only submitting to their journal. But it would be safe to submit to one of those and then a lower ranking journal (by assuming I will be rejected by the more prestigious one and possibly be accepted by the lower ranking one, right?)

[Roquentin]

Well, submitting your paper to a top Milton journal will ensure that your work is read and critiqued by reviewers who (surprise surprise!) know their Milton. I’d expect this approach to leave you with more focused feedback than you might receive if you submit to a journal with a broader purview (e.g. JMEMS, SCJ, Renaissance Studies, etc.). JMEMS, for example, sends submissions to both a generalist and an expert reviewer. That’s how they make sure that their journal appeals to a wide audience. So if you’re interested in receiving specific, Milton-related commentary, you might want to cut the generalist out of the equation and go for one of the Milton journals. This might more effectively guide any revisions you choose to make to your paper in the long run (i.e. in preparation for any subsequent submissions). That said, the review process takes a long time (six months or more from submission to response is not uncommon). I wouldn’t worry too much about second or third submissions yet. I would also keep a lookout for any journals preparing a special issue on a topic related to your paper (early modern sexuality, say).

 

Just my two cents! Good luck!