Accepts: Fiction and Nonfiction
Fiction
- Flash fiction (500 to 1,500 words)
- Short stories (up to 5,000 words)
- Serialized fiction (up to 5,000 words each for four issues, 20,000 words maximum)
- Novel previews (up to 10,000 words)
Genres
Mainstream, literary, general, fantasy, experimental, science fiction, mystery – basically just good stories, regardless of genre! If it’s well written, we want to see it!
Creative Nonfiction
- Essays (up to 2,500 words, if it’s more, send us a query first)
- Interviews (by staff only)
- Author Spotlights (by staff only)
Open to most topics and styles. It’s easier to list what we won’t consider (subject to change): DO NOT SEND: politics, religion, news articles, criticism, book reviews. We also welcome well-written pieces about writing and publishing (first-hand experiences are welcome as well as long as they are insightful, uplifting, and well-written).
Queries
Feel free to query first if you are unsure or send an entire piece – we’ll let you know if it’s a fit or not.
Response Times
We work hard to respond as quickly as humanly possible (within 30 days or less) whenever possible and often review submissions as they come in. We accept submissions year-round. Sometimes, because of podcast production, response times may take longer. If you haven’t received a response after 90 days, feel free to query us. We can give you a status update and confirm receipt.
Does not accept
Romance (some romance is acceptable but cannot be the sole genre), erotica, graphic or excessively violent content (think R-rated but not GC, X, or NSFW rated). No politics, religion, explicit content, or extremist views.
Good Writing Guidelines and Expectations
We are looking for the best in modern writing. What does that mean? In essence, it means you have studied the writing craft. You understand the difference between literary and experimental. You know all the elements in a nonfiction essay and how to structure it. You know how to show, not tell your stories. You relish creating a good hook in your piece and bring it to a satisfying resolution. You understand a story arc, character development, setting a scene, good dialogue practices, and avoid excessive wordiness. You’ve proofread your work until it’s error-free. Your story has meaning or a message for the reader and was written with that purpose in mind.
Most importantly, your writing shouldn’t feel like it’s trying too hard. Writing should be simple, concise, and with good imagery when appropriate. Every word should serve a purpose. No fluff. We recommend using the Hemingway App and Grammarly to review and revise your writing. It will identify passive voice, excessive adverb usage, and when your writing is becoming too difficult to read.
We’re writers ourselves, so we understand the work that goes into writing. It’s why we created a magazine – to help elevate writing voices and promote that work to others. We’re passionate about writing and the writers who create it. In every piece, we’re looking for something we can love to talk about and share with others, pieces that get us talking and excited to share with the world the excellent writing we’ve found. We’re here to give you a platform for your work. But to do that, you must have done the work before submitting.
Formatting
Please use AP Style. Submissions should be double spaced, size 12, Times New Roman. Also, be sure to number each page. Indent each new paragraph. We appreciate cover letters, but please keep brief.
Please include a brief bio for inclusion with your piece if published. Give us a paragraph about you as a writer, followed by a paragraph of your prior publication history (if any). You should also include links to your website and social media.
Acceptance
Magazine: If we accept your work for publication in Writer’s Roundtable Magazine, we will ask you for a professional author photo. We will send you a contract that lays out the publication terms. We ask for exclusive first rights: this means we have the right to be the first publisher of the work, and we ask for this in all formats (electronic, print, audio) for six months. This will allow us to publish digitally in our magazine, in print, and to use portions of it in our podcast for promotion.
Rights revert to the author six months after publication (so if published on October 1, 2021, on April 2, 2022, you can seek to publish a reprint of it elsewhere). Any subsequent publication (i.e., reprints) will need to list us as the original publisher with the issue and date included. (i.e., First published in Writer’s Roundtable, Issue 1, October 2021, for example)
Anthology: Exclusive anthology first rights – if we agree to publish your work in the anthology. We ask for these rights for one year, and then they revert to the author. This gives the anthology time to be successfully promoted.
Reprints: You must provide the original publisher’s details. We ask for one-time reprint rights. Reprints are not eligible for the anthology. Reprints do not qualify for payment but will receive an annual digital subscription ($29.99 value).
If you’d like to learn more about publishing rights, here’s a great resource: https://writersinthegrove.com/2016/10/21/understanding-publishing-rights/
Payment
Payment will depend on the word count of the piece. For issues 1-4, we will offer an annual subscription (value $29.99) to all contributors plus social media promotion of their piece.
Starting with issue 5, each piece will be negotiated independently, depending on available funds. We also give all contributors an annual digital subscription starting with the issue published in. This is subject to change according to budget. Any payments are made via PayPal in US currency only. Payments, including annual digital subscriptions, are sent upon publication. If we are making a payment in addition to the subscription, we ask authors to send us a PayPal invoice for tax purposes.
About Rejection Letters
If you receive a form-letter response, this is our indication that this piece isn’t a fit for us, nor will it be in the future, even with revisions. Please do not resubmit a piece that’s been rejected. We encourage you to look elsewhere for that piece but feel free to submit other work that might interest us. Just because one piece didn’t work doesn’t mean another won’t catch our eye.
Don’t be surprised if we suggest another home for your work with a rejection if we feel it would fit better elsewhere. Remember, a rejection doesn’t mean a piece is bad, per se; it means it’s not a fit and to try again elsewhere.
If your work is almost there and something we’d consider publishing with changes, you can expect feedback from us on what it will take to get it there. We welcome a resubmission but only if/after you’ve revised it. Whether you decide to make changes and resubmit is up to you.
Multiple/Simultaneous Submissions
We welcome multiple submissions. Feel free to put together a batch of writing if you have multiple pieces you’d like us to consider. That way, if we’re not a fit for your work, you can get to work finding a home that is.
We also welcome simultaneous submissions. If your work is accepted elsewhere, please send us an email to withdraw (and so we can congratulate you on your success!).
Previously Published/Reprints
We will consider previously published works on a case-by-case basis. It must have been published at least one year prior or more for consideration, so if it’s been published in the last 365 days, you’ll have to wait. We require information about where it was previously published so we can include those details. There is no payment for these submissions, but we will provide an annual digital subscription starting with the issue your work is published in.
Submission Fees
We don’t believe in them. We realize it’s a struggle for magazines everywhere, but we don’t want to charge writers to submit their work. It just feels unfair to us (and we’ve paid the fees ourselves at times). That’s why there are no submission fees, and we’re going to do everything we can to keep it that way.
Editorial Reviews (by Texas Pride Publishing)
This is an optional service and helps support the magazine. You will receive detailed feedback on your work. We’ll point out issues as well as what works so you can improve. With more than 30 years of combined experience, this is an inexpensive way to get good quality feedback on your writing.