Maybe unlike Ada Calhoun, you still have a crush on the literary geek boys. Actually, more likely, you've written what you consider to be a pretty decent nonfiction essay but you're not getting bites from the usual places you publish. Have no fear: the literary journal is here, the place for you to publish your well-written piece that might not be timely or commercial enough for a mainstream pub.

Head to any bookstore or crack open any Writer's Marketplace, though, and it's pretty hard to tell apart the different journals, and your head swims after reading too many submissions policies, so here are a few tips.

The nice thing about lit journals is that they don't tend to be on the same strenuous publishing schedule as monthlies or weeklies. "The work isn't generally time-sensitive, and therefore, editors prefer finished pieces to pitched topics. Editors are pretty approachable, though, so if questions aren't answered by the guidelines, prospective writers should always feel free to drop a line and see if nonfiction pitches are welcome," says Shauna McKenna, Web Editor at Pindeldyboz.

She adds, "There's no money in literary journals. None. So the most important thing is to try and be published in the kind of journals you'd want to read." However, a publication in a well-read literary jouranl never looks bad on a resume, especially if it's a journal that sends regular pieces to Best Ofs and Award and Prize anthologies of the year. So how do you pick a good 'un?

The best way to pick a journal to submit to? Your personal preference. "The best way to determine the quality of a journal is to take a look at it," says McKenna. "A lot of reputable journals publish primarily unknown authors, so an absence of "name" writers doesn't correlatively signify an absence of quality. The longevity of a journal is a good sign of their stability: check out journal websites to see how far the back issues go. Also, though, plenty of newish journals that generate a lot of buzz -- 3rd Bed, Post Road, Night Train, Lilies and Cannonballs, Land-Grant College Review so, again, be open to exceptions," she adds. A basic google search can help you determine what the word on the street about new publications is."

Pitching to literary journals is not the same as pitching to a newspaper or magazine. "We don't accept "pitches" -- just submissions of actual work," says Carrie Hoffman, Associate Editor at the Mississippi Review. Some journals don't even accept unsolicited submissions, so you'll want to check out specific submissions policies before you take the time to send it in so your self-addressed stamped envelope doesn't come right back to you telling you your piece isn't even going to be looked at. "We publish two issues a year. The spring issue is our Prize issue in which we publish the winners and finalists for our annual poetry and fiction competition. The other always has a guest editor, who solicits manuscripts, who sometimes put up a call for work online. But in general, I would advise one to spend less time worrying over the cover letter and more time making sure that the work is excellent. It's not about selling an idea. The cover letter itself is optional. If you include one, keep it simple. Something straightwforward like, 'Please consider my story/poem ____ for the Mississippi Review Prize. I have published my work in x,y, and z magazines. I look forward to hearing from you soon.' Don't try to summarize your work, don't use catchy plot summaries, or tell us what it 'means' -- let the work speak for itself."