Fiction and Nonfiction Submission Guidelines
The
Smoking Poet publishes flash fiction, up to 1,000 words,
and short stories, up to 4,000 words, that ignite our imagination, inflame our passion, set the page to flame. We’ll
also consider the occasional novel excerpt as well as nonfiction.
Submit
to us your finest flash pieces; we are open to all genres, within good taste. All we ask is that you submit your best work.
Paste
your submission into the body of your email—no attachments please—to
the attention of Fiction Editor, and include a bio statement of no more than 100 words (please resist being cute and keep
it professional). Subject line should read: Fiction: Title—Last Name.
For novel
excerpts, we’ll consider one chapter, up to 2,000 words, or longer if it’s truly outstanding. Again, paste your
submission into your email, to the attention of Fiction Editor. Subject line should read: Novel excerpt: Title—Last
Name. See below for author interview or book review guidelines.
For nonfiction
we seek compelling personal stories up to 2,500 words. We accept travel essays, personal essays, and memoirs that deal with
the human condition or explore a universal theme. We’ll also consider scholarly discussions, political essays, or articles
on the art of writing.
Simultaneous
submissions are accepted, but please state as much in your cover letter and notify us immediately if your work has been accepted
elsewhere. We do not accept work that has been previously published, even on your own website. TSP acquires first
rights for publication. Rights revert to author/artist upon publication. We reserve the right to reprint the work in the event
of a print-based anthology at a later date.
Multiple
submissions are not accepted in the same genre. Please send only one submission per genre, per issue, and if your work
has been previously accepted in TSP, please do not send another submission for the next two issues. If you have received
a non-acceptance notice, please wait until the next issue to submit again. We want to give all good writers a chance!
Poetry Submission Guidelines
We read
with interest and attention every poem submitted to The Smoking Poet and, quite simply, we publish those that seem
to us to be the best of the best. Our interest is in the broadest possible range of work: traditional forms and free verse,
the meditative lyric or the haunting haiku, the work of the famous and the work of the unknown. We are committed to the discovery
of new poets.
Email
a group of two to six unpublished poems in the body of your email—no attachments—to the attention of Poetry Editor,
and include a bio statement of no more than 100 words (please resist being cute and keep it professional). Subject line should
read: Poetry—Last Name.
Simultaneous
submissions are accepted, but please state as much in your cover letter and notify us immediately if your poem(s) have been
accepted elsewhere. We do not accept poems that have been previously published, even online on your own site. TSP acquires
first rights for publication. Rights revert to author/artist upon publication (occasional exceptions are made at the editor's
discretion). We reserve the right to reprint the work in the event of a print-based anthology at a later date.
We do
not accept multiple submissions in the same genre. If your work has been accepted, please do not re-submit for the
next two issues. If you have received a non-acceptance notice, please wait until the next issue to submit again.
