Because our editors live in different locales yet must coordinate efficiently to handle their respective tasks, we require digital submissions uploaded by means of an online submittal system (poetry, flash fiction). This system allows us (and you) to track the status of submissions and minimizes the risk that your submission will be misplaced. Unsolicited submissions by post or email will be ignored.
Note: As a general rule, we do not give feedback on work that is submitted to us unless we plan to accept it with minor revisions.
For books and chapbooks by a single author, if accepted, our standard publishing contract is offered and the work copyrighted in the author's name. Contributors of Individual works are subject to different requirements as detailed below, with rights reverting to the author on publication; they receive the same rights extended to book and chapbook authors for deeply discounted copies of the publication in which their work appears.
Anthologies and Special Projects
In addition to these general guidelines, anthology and special projects editors have specific requirements you can see by clicking on the specific title links below or under the Works tab. FutureCycle, with distinct poetry and flash fiction sections, is published annually in the first quarter following a given calendar year. Special projects are one-time publications such as thematic collections.
FutureCycle
FutureCycle (Poetry)
Futurecycle (Flash Fiction)
Special Projects
American Society: What Poets See
If you have a special project in mind that falls outside the scope of books and chapbooks by a single author, please query us.
Reviews
We publish online reviews of poetry and flash fiction books, chapbooks, and magazines. The reviews are not published in book or ebook form and may be freely reprinted in their entirety with proper attribution. If you are interested in having a book or magazine honestly reviewed by us, please query the appropriate editor for the address to which you can mail a review copy. Please note: We cannot be responsible for items lost in the mail.
Poetry Review Editor, David Chorlton
Flash Fiction Review Editor, Peter Grimes
In preparing your review, please follow Chicago Manual of Style or MLA format for citations. Do not type book or review titles in all caps. We strongly suggest that you read the important essay, Reviewing Reviews, which well presents our approach to reviews.
Please note that we cannot guarantee a book you send to us will be reviewed. If you would like for your review copy to be returned to you, you must include a suitably sized self-addressed envelope with sufficient return postage (including insurance, if desired).
Chapbooks and Full-Length Books
For full-length book or chapbook submissions written in English by a single author, please submit the entire collection including title page, acknowledgments, a brief bio, and (if desired) a high-resolution photo suitable for placement on the back cover. Acceptable lengths and file formats are listed on the online submittal form (poetry, flash fiction), and a modest non-refundable reading fee is charged.
The best way to determine if your manuscript is a good fit for our press is to read the work we have already published. Although our book editors' tastes are their own, you can get a good idea of what we like by reading the specific poetry and flash fiction guidelines for our annual anthology, FutureCycle. Amazon carries our books in print and Kindle formats as well, and Amazon Prime members can download our ebooks free of charge. (Our titles are listed on the Catalog tab.)
Book Manuscript Formatting
In order of preference, we accept OpenOffice, Word, and WordPerfect files. We prefer to receive the entire manuscript in one file. Although not essential, it is helpful to us if you take the time to prepare a cleanly formatted document. If we publish your book, we will start with this document to minimize errors that retyping and reformatting can introduce.
If you do not take the time to format your manuscript correctly, we will have to do it. This lengthens production time and cost, increases the amount of time you will have to spend proofreading the galleys, makes errors almost a given, and has the potential to majorly irritate everyone involved. It is better to get it right from the start. Remember: the simpler the document file, the better.
Artwork
Normally, we only use artwork or photographs on book covers (6" x 9" trimmed). Occasionally, we will use black and white drawings or high-resolution grayscale art inside a book, but only if we think it enhances the content. If your book is accepted for publication, you will be given the opportunity to provide input into the cover design, including providing examples of covers you like or artwork you'd like us to use, but this is no guarantee that we will use what you provide.
We do not have the resources to purchase artwork, but if we pre-approve the art for the book, the author may purchase it at his or her own expense. All artwork must be royalty-free or the rights to its use free and clear, and its resolution must be high enough for print (300 dpi at 100%). We give the artist or photographer a credit on the acknowledgments page; if desired, an email address or short URL can be included.
Audio
Hearing an author, and especially a poet, read his or her work is often what convinces a person to purchase a book. We are open to including links to short audio recordings at the beginning of our ebooks so those downloading a free sample can listen to it. If your work is accepted for publication and you are interested in this approach, mention that you'd like to explore the possibility.