Importance Notice (September 2017): Please be aware that we have changed both the dates of our reading period and our submission guidelines. If you have submitted to us in the past, kindly take the time to familiarize yourself with our updated information. Due to the high volume of submissions we receive and our desire to give proper attention to as many manuscripts as possible, submissions that do not conform to our guidelines will unfortunately have to be rejected.
Before submitting, non-subscribers should read several issues of the magazine to determine if your work fits with Fiction. Portions of the current issue and past issues are available to read on this site, and print versions are available for purchase by single-issue order and subscription on our subscription page.
General Guidelines
Fiction will read unsolicited manuscripts from October 15 through May 15. Staying under 5,000 words is encouraged, but we will read short story, novelette, and novella fiction manuscripts of any length. We do not publish full length novels, flash fiction, non-fiction, stage plays, screenplays, poetry, or unsolicited interviews. Simultaneous submissions are encouraged, but please let us know if a piece is accepted elsewhere.
We regret that we cannot accept unsolicited submissions directly by email. To submit by snail-mail or using our electronic submissions manager, please read the guidelines below.
For queries about the status of a submission, or to withdraw a mailed submission from consideration, please email fictionmageditors@gmail.com.
Additional Guidelines
Please only submit one story at a time (do not include multiple stories in the same document when uploading to our submissions manager) and no more than two stories per reading period. Any submissions that we receive which exceed these limitations will regretfully be discarded.
We do not accept science fiction, romance, young adult fiction, etc. What we are looking for the best new writing available, leaning toward the unconventional. We accept a variety of genres: experimental, satire, literary, translations, and contemporary.
As the name implies, we publish only fiction. Please remember: no scripts, plays, poetry, non-fiction, or unsolicited interviews.
While we have historically considered excerpts of novels for publication, we cannot publish novels in their entirety and are unable to read entire novels submitted to us. If you wish to submit an excerpt of an unpublished novel to us, we ask that you identify this in your cover letter and only submit the selection of your novel that you would like to be considered, rather than the full manuscript. Please do not submit excerpts from published work.
Electronic Submissions
Our electronic submissions manager can be found at submissions.fictioninc.com.
File types we accept are .doc, .docx, .pdf, .rtf, .txt. You may write a note or a cover letter in the "Comments" field if desired.
As you might imagine Fiction is comprised of a small staff of dedicated readers and we therefore operate on a rolling submission basis. If you have not heard from us, rest assured that your submission is still under consideration. Thank you for your patience.
Postal Submissions
Please send a printed manuscript with an SASE, and cover letter if desired, to:
Fiction
c/o Department of English
City College of New York
Convent Ave. at 138th Street
New York, NY 10031