Submission Guidelines
Welcome to The Literary Wire's submission portal. We're excited to consider your work for publication across our digital and print platforms. Please read these guidelines carefully before submitting.
General Submission Guidelines
For All Submissions
All work must be original, and previously unpublished
Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere
Format: Single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman or similar serif font
File formats accepted: .doc, .docx, Google Doc
Response time: 8-12 weeks
Specific Guidelines by Category
Poetry
Individual Poems
Submit 3-5 poems in a single document
Maximum 10 pages total
Any style or form is welcome (please make sure to make a note of the style or form used for each poem)
Include page numbers
Single-spaced acceptable for poetry
Poetry Collections
Submit a 10-15 page sample from your collection
Include a table of contents
Include a brief (250-word) synopsis of the complete collection
Typical full collection length: 48-100 pages, though chapbooks of 20-40 pages are also accepted
Journalistic Poetry Project
Submit 2-3 sample poems based on recent news events
Include links to the source news stories
Demonstrate ability to:
Transform news into compelling verse
Maintain journalistic integrity while adding poetic insight
Work with quick turnaround times
If selected, expect to produce 1-2 poems weekly
Short Stories
Individual Stories
Length: 1,000-7,500 words
Single-spaced with standard margins
Include word count on the first page
Most genres are welcome, as is genre-bending work
Story Collections
Submit 2-3 stories from your collection
Include a table of contents
Include a brief (250-word) synopsis of the complete collection
Typical full collection length: 45,000-80,000 words
Novellas
Length: 20,000-40,000 words
Submit the first three chapters plus the synopsis
Include chapter summaries
Single-spaced with standard margins
Include word count on the first page
Novels
Length: 40,000-120,000 words
Submit the first three chapters (maximum 50 pages)
Include a detailed synopsis (2-3 pages)
Include chapter summaries
Single-spaced with standard margins
Include word count on the first page
Literary Non-fiction
Length: 40,000-90,000 words
Submit the first three chapters (maximum 50 pages)
Include detailed proposal including:
Market analysis
Author platform
Comparative titles
Chapter outline
Single-spaced with standard margins
Include word count on the first page
Experimental Forms
Open to innovative and hybrid works
Submit 2-20 page sample
Include a detailed description of the complete project
For digital/interactive works, include technical requirements
Visual elements must be your original work or properly licensed
Content Guidelines
Content Restrictions
We do not accept:
Explicit sexual content
Gratuitous violence or gore
Hate speech or discriminatory content
Content exploiting or sexualizing minors
What We Look For
Content
Strong, distinctive voice
Clear command of craft
Innovation within form
Emotional resonance
Fresh perspectives
Technical Elements
Clean, professional manuscript
Attention to guidelines
Polished, edited work
Appropriate length/format
Rights and Compensation
Digital Rights and Terms
By submitting to The Literary Wire, you grant us the following rights if your work is accepted:
Primary Digital Rights
First Digital Serial Rights: We have the exclusive right to be the first publisher of your work in digital form. After our initial publication, you may republish elsewhere with credit to The Literary Wire as the first publisher.
Digital Distribution Rights: We can distribute your work through our platform, website, apps, and other digital channels, including future technologies that may emerge.
Archival Rights: Your work remains available in our archives for subscriber access indefinitely. This ensures our premium subscribers maintain access to our entire catalog.
Adaptation Rights: We may adapt your work for different digital formats (audio, interactive, etc.) while maintaining its integrity.
Additional Digital Rights
Social Media and Marketing Rights:
Permission to share excerpts (up to 25% of the work) on social media
Use in promotional materials and newsletters
Creation of graphics/visuals featuring excerpts
Right to promote through digital advertising
Anthology and Collection Rights:
Right to include work in digital collections or anthologies
Non-exclusive, meaning you can still include your work in other collections
We will notify you when your work is included in anthologies
Additional compensation may apply for special collections
Subsidiary Rights:
Right to license work for educational use
Translation rights for international markets
Right to create derivative works with author consultation
Audio rights for potential podcast or audiobook development
Print Rights
First Print Rights: Exclusive right to first print publication
Print-on-Demand Rights: Ongoing right to print and distribute through POD services
Physical Anthology Rights: Right to include in printed collections
International Print Rights: Right to print and distribute globally
Rights Duration and Reversion
Primary rights remain active while work is actively published
Rights revert to the author if work is unpublished from our platform
90-day notice required for rights reversion requests
Archival rights retained for previously published work
Author Retains
Copyright ownership of their work
Right to publish in other formats after first publication
Right to use work in personal collections
Right to create derivative works
Platform-Specific Terms
We may update work formatting to match platform requirements
We may optimize metadata and tagging for discovery
We may create custom artwork/headers for your work
We maintain the right to remove content that violates our guidelines
Compensation
Revenue share model based on subscription and sales performance
Detailed terms provided with acceptance
Additional compensation for workshop participation and special projects
How to Submit
The Literary Wire believes in reducing barriers for writers. We maintain a free submission process to ensure all voices have the opportunity to be heard.
Access our submission form below
Fill out all required fields
Upload your work
Submit the form
You will receive an automated confirmation email
Please ensure your document name follows this format: CATEGORY_LastName_Title (e.g., POETRY_Smith_BlueHorizon or NOVEL_Garcia_TheLongRoad)
Submission Periods
General submissions: Open year-round
Themed calls: Announced when available
Journalistic Poetry Project: Open year-round
Response Times
Initial response: 2-4 weeks
Final decision: 8-12 weeks
News Poetry Project: 1-2 weeks
Submissions & Feedback
Due to the volume of submissions, we cannot commit to responding to every submission.
Selected works may receive editorial notes during the review
Timely and professional communications
General submission statistics will be available in our newsletter
To receive guaranteed feedback, ensure your premium subscription is active when submitting. Subscribe through our Substack page.
Multiple Submissions
We welcome and encourage multiple submissions. We believe in allowing writers to share their work without arbitrary limits.
Submit as many pieces as you'd like across all categories
You may have multiple submissions under consideration simultaneously
You can submit to different categories at the same time
Feel free to submit new work while other pieces are under review
We simply ask that you:
Maintain separate submissions for each piece (one piece per form)
Withdraw your submission promptly if accepted elsewhere
Include your contact information with each submission
Note: The Journalistic Poetry Project is time-sensitive, so you're especially encouraged to submit frequently to stay current with breaking stories.
Questions?
Submit the contact form below with your questions not covered in these guidelines. Please allow 2-3 business days for response.
Guidelines updated: February 2025