Print Submission Guidelines

We strongly urge you to purchase and read a copy of the magazine before you submit. Not only does it help a small press stay afloat, but you can see what sort of work we accept in each issue.

Fiction

Straylight is interested in publishing high quality, character-based fiction of almost any style. We tend not to publish strict genre pieces, though we may query them for future special issues. We do not publish erotica.

Submit one story at a time. We will consider work between 1,500–5,000 words for the print issue, and we prefer stories between 3,500–5,000 words. We will not consider novels, novellas, or partial manuscript for our print issue, but we do serialize novellas online. See the next column for online guidelines.

Manuscripts should be typed and double spaced with the author’s name and contact information in the upper left corner of the first page. Pagination should be included thereafter.

Include a cover letter with a brief bio (no more than fifty words) with your submission. Please include the approximate word count in the cover letter as well.

Simultaneous submissions will not accepted.

Response time is about eight weeks, and our reading time for accepting submissions is August–April.

Poetry

We will consider poems of any style as long as they are inventive.

Include three–six poems with your single submission. Poems can be single spaced, but start each poem on a new page, and the author’s name should appear with each poem.

Include a cover letter with a brief bio (no more than fifty words) with your submission. Word counts are not necessary with poetry submissions.

Simultaneous submissions will not be accepted.

Reporting time is about eight weeks, and our reading time for accepting submissions is August–April.

Art

We consider art of any style or medium for both the cover and the art insert included in each print issue.

You may submit up to three pieces. Make sure that all work for print is at least 300dpi and that it is formatted as either a jpeg or png file.

Please include a title and the medium of each piece. Works without titles or simultaneous submissions will not be accepted.

Reporting time is about eight weeks, and our time for accepting submissions is August–April.

Rights and Payment.

We buy First North American Rights, and we pay in copies, although we hope to be able to offer more substantial payment soon.

Online Submission Guidelines

Straylight Online does not mirror the content of the print edition. This publication is dedicated to exploring narratives of all fashion. We still look for stories and poems with a strong sense of place and moments that are character-centered rather than those that rely on plot turns and literary tricks. However, we welcome submissions that cross genre boundaries as well as those that explore the way that visual art, music, and literature combine to produce new manifestations of story and verse.

Flash Fiction

We would like to see stories under 1,000 words. Genre is less important than interesting characters, plot, and settings. If you have work that you would like to see featured on our site, please submit your story below. With your submission, please include a brief, twenty-five word bio written in the third person to be published with your work. Partial submissions or simultaneous submissions will not be accepted.     

Response time is about eight weeks, and our reading time for accepting submissions is August–April.

Novellas

Straylight Online is interested in publishing high quality, novella-length stories of any genre besides fan fiction or erotica. Novellas are published on Straylight's website but not in the print edition, due to the restrictions on length inherent in a physical journal. If you are interested in having your work featured on the Straylight Online website, please submit your story below. We will consider work between 17,500 and 45,000 words. With your submission, please include a brief, twenty-five word bio written in the third person to be published with your work. Manuscripts should be typed and double spaced with the author’s name and contact information in the upper left hand corner of the first page of the work. Please submit only one manuscript at a time. We will not consider entire novels or partial manuscripts, and simultaneous submissions will not be accepted.     

Response time is three months on full manuscripts, and our reading time for accepting submissions is August–April.

We buy First North American Serial Rights. 

Poetry

We welcome the following poetry submissions:     

Prose Poetry: Any subject is acceptable.     

Poetry-Visual Art: The visual work must be original, creative commons, or public domain.     

If you have work that you would like to see featured on our site, please submit your poem(s) as a Word document (.doc or .docx) below. We will consider one–six poems per submission. With your submission, please include a brief, twenty-five word bio written in the third person to be published with your work. Poems should be single spaced, and the author information should appear on each poem.     

Response time is about eight weeks, and our reading time for accepting submissions is August–April.

You may email our web staff with any questions or concerns at submissions@straylightmag.com.  

Art Process

Straylight Online is interested in publishing monthly art process pieces. We will consider all forms of art, and we will work with artists to produce weekly posts, including images and explanations of their process and craft, along the various stages up through completion.       

If you are interested in having your work considered, please submit a few sample images along with a cover letter containing a short explanation of your medium and process.