Fiction and Non-Fiction Submission Guidelines

“A fine cigar and good literature―two of life’s most enduring pleasures.”

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, leave us with a smoky aftertaste. We’ll also consider the occasional novel excerpt as well as non-fiction.

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 non-fiction we seek compelling personal stories up to 2,000 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 at your own Web site. 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. Please send only one submission per issue, and if your work has been previously accepted in TSP, please do not send another submission for the next two issues. 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Email a group of two to six unpublished poems in the body of your email—no attachments—to the attention of Poetry Editor, and include a bio statement of no more than 100 words (please resist being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. If your work has been accepted, please do not re-submit for the next two issues.

Submitting Your Book for a Review

If you wish your book to be reviewed, or to be considered as a feature author in prose (including a novel excerpt and an interview), please send query to the editors and we will provide an address to which you may then send a review copy of your book. We will require a publishing history, a synopsis, and a short excerpt from your book.

Submitting a Cigar Story or Cigar Review

The Smoking Poet accepts cigar-themed stories with a word count between 400 and 1,000 words, although we will consider longer pieces. Your story need not be fictional—maybe you have some favorite memory of a cigar-smoking uncle or grandfather you’d like to share. All we ask is that cigars play a part in your story. Paste your submission into the body of an email—no attachments—and insert Cigar Story/Last Name into the subject line.

The Smoking Poet also accepts cigar reviews of between 100 and 300 words. Let our readers know what your favorite smoke might be—maybe it’s a Nat Sherman Explorer, a Punch Rare Corojo, or a Romeo Y Julieta Reserva Real, or whatever you’d care to share with us. Tell us what you like and why, and maybe even when you like it. Maybe there’s a cigar lounge, where everybody knows your name, at which you stop nightly to unwind on your way home from work. If so, tell us about it. Paste your review into the body of your email—no attachments. Subject line should read: Cigar Review/Last Name.

Submitting to “A Good Cause”

Have a good cause close to your heart? A story about how a non-profit has helped you? An idea you’d like to bring into the light on ways to help others? E-mail our A Good Cause Editor and tell her about it. Write “A Good Cause” in the subject line. She just might feature you in our next issue.

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Due to the large number of submissions The Smoking Poet receives, we regret that we are unable to critique submissions, nor do we wish to open a debate on the reasons why we reject a submission—too out there, too verbose, poor structure, dialogue, characterization, etc., which often enough results in a vindictive response to our ability to recognize good literature when it’s submitted to our inbox.

We, too, have received our share of rejections—that’s par for the publishing course—and we understand that rejection is not easy to take (although it builds character and many well-known authors cite perseverance as an essential element of success). We have found no easy way to say, “No thanks.” Understand that when we say our decision is subjective, we are saying that, while we feel your work isn’t right for our publication, another publication may find your work a good fit.

Good writing!

The Editors

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