Want to get your short stories published? In this episode of The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed, host Richie Billing sits down with Benjamin Davis, co-founder of Chill Subs, for a comprehensive, no-nonsense guide to submitting short fiction to literary magazines, navigating the submissions process, and using it as a genuine route toward landing a literary agent.

Chill Subs is the platform 50,000+ writers use to discover, track and submit to literary magazines, contests and agents — so Ben sees the short-fiction publishing world from the inside. He shares the latest shifts and trends in the literary magazine market, then gives honest, insider answers to the questions writers agonise over most:

• Do cover letters actually matter — and what should (and shouldn't) go in them?
• How should you format a short story submission?
• Are simultaneous submissions acceptable, and how do you keep track of them?
• Can you submit reprints, and where will editors accept them?
• How do short story credits actually help you get a literary agent?
• Where are the best places to submit right now, and how do you find them?

Whether you're submitting your first short story or trying to build a publication history that opens doors to agents and book deals, this is a practical, market-leader's view of how short fiction publishing really works in 2026.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to find the right literary magazines for your work using Chill Subs
• What editors really think about cover letters and formatting
• The rules (and etiquette) around simultaneous submissions and reprints
• How short-story publication credits feed into querying literary agents
• The current trends reshaping the literary magazine and submissions market

About Benjamin Davis: Benjamin Davis is a writer and the co-founder of Chill Subs, a submissions platform used by over 50,000 writers to discover and track literary magazines, contests and agents. He also runs Sub Club, a top-selling Substack newsletter on literary publishing opportunities, and is connected with Write or Die Magazine. His own fiction and poetry have appeared in journals including Booth, Hobart and Maudlin House, and he's the author of The King of FU and Things We Do While Waiting to Die.

🔗 Chill Subs: https://www.chillsubs.com

✍️ Join our writing community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshed

📚 More writing tips and classes: https://richiebilling.com

New episodes of The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed release on the 14th of each month.

In this episode of The Fantasy Writers’ Toolshed, host Richie Billing interviews bestselling author Michael Chatfield about the writing process, indie publishing, Patreon, audience growth, character creation and building a sustainable author business. Learn practical ways to generate story ideas, develop compelling characters, engage readers, grow a subscription community and think more commercially about a long-term writing career.

In this episode, I'm joined by bestselling indie author Michael Chatfield for a practical and revealing conversation about what it really takes to build a successful writing career.

Michael is the author of major fantasy, science fiction and LitRPG series, including The Ten Realms, Emerilia, Harmony War and Restarting the Apocalypse.

He's also built an engaged reader community through subscription platforms like Patreon, where fans can access early chapters, exclusive material, behind-the-scenes updates and opportunities to become more involved in the creative process.

This episode explores Michael’s writing process, from finding inspiration and developing ideas to creating characters that feel active, motivated and memorable.

We also discuss the business side of being an indie author, including how Michael has grown beyond writing alone and developed a publishing operation that employs multiple people.

For fantasy writers, LitRPG authors, self-published novelists and anyone interested in author entrepreneurship, this interview offers a valuable look at the link between craft, consistency, reader engagement and commercial sustainability.

ABOUT MICHAEL CHATFIELD

https://michaelchatfield.com/

https://www.patreon.com/c/authormichaelchatfield/

https://www.facebook.com/authormichaelchatfield/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14055550.Michael_Chatfield

JOIN OUR WRITING COMMUNITY

https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshed⁠

For the full video experience, please watch on YouTube > https://www.youtube.com/@fixingbadwriting

Welcome to Fixing Bad Writing, a new series within The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed podcast, where I take a rubbish story generated by AI and try to make it good, or at least less crappy.

In Episode 1, I tackle the "High Fantasy" genre.

Walk through the story's analysis with me, watch as I edit, before seeing whether or not I can save this terrible story.

If you’re looking for a creative writing challenge or a unique writing exercise, you’re in the right place. This series acts as a writing guide for anyone trying to spot common mistakes and improve their craft.

Whether you are looking for writing exercises for beginners or more advanced story writing exercises, hopefully, this live rewrite will teach you new skills!

🏆 TAKE THE WRITING CHALLENGE

Think you can do better? (You probably can). I want to see your version! And then why not join our Discord community and share it?

Join The Community > https://mailchi.mp/be6082d43b39/the-writers-toolshed

Here's the original story:

In the kingdom of Eldoria there was a man called Brin who was a knight but not a very good one, and one day he was told by the king to go and stop a dark wizard named Maldrake who lived in a tower that was quite far away and also spooky, so Brin said yes even though he was a bit tired and hadn’t eaten much, and he got on his horse which didn’t like him very much and set off slowly while thinking about how dangerous it all sounded. On the way he met a strange old woman who may have been magical but it was not very clear, and she gave him a sword that looked important but also a bit rusty, and told him something vague like “you will need this probably,” which Brin thought was helpful enough. When he got to the tower it was taller than expected and had a door that was already open which seemed suspicious, but he went in anyway and shouted for Maldrake who appeared almost immediately which saved time, and they had a fight that was not very graceful but still quite serious, and Brin mostly waved the sword around until something worked and the wizard fell over in a way that suggested he was defeated. After that Brin felt proud but also confused about how easy it was, and he went back to the kingdom where the king thanked him a lot and there was a feast, although Brin kept wondering if the wizard might not actually be fully gone which made the ending feel a bit unsure.