Orson's Review Submission Guidelines

 

General

  • For all submissions, please include contact info (email and/or phone). You can send a cover letter if you want (in the body of the email), but a cover letter is not required.
  • Please also include a short third-person bio of up to 150 words for all submissions.
  • Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but please let us know the moment your piece is accepted elsewhere.
 

Fiction

To illustrate what we're looking for, here are some examples that demonstrate techniques we admire: 

We love flash fiction. We love short stories. We love novel excerpts. Submit your best previously unpublished work, and only one piece at a time. We’ll do our best to respond within four months.

Please send your fiction to editor [at] orsonspublishing.com, with the subject line: Fiction Submission – [title of work] by [your name]

Digital: Please do not send pieces exceeding 15,000 words.

Print: Please do not send pieces exceeding 7,500 words.

 

Poetry

To illustrate what we're looking for, here are some examples that demonstrate techniques we admire: 

Please place all poems into one document prior to submitting. It likely goes without saying, but please set your poem as you want it to appear on the screen, or on the page. Submit your best, previously unpublished work. We’ll do our best to respond within four months.

Please send your poetry to editor [at] orsonspublishing.com, with the subject line: Poetry Submission – [title of work] by [your name]. If you’re sending multiple poems, please have the subject line read: Multiple Poems by [your name].

Digital: Please send up to seven poems.

Print: Please send up to five poems.

 

Creative Nonfiction

To better illustrate what we're looking for, here are some examples that demonstrate techniques we admire: 

Book reviews and criticism aren’t welcome in this space. What we want is Truth, and, equally important, truth. If that takes the shape of a straightforward essay, send it along. And if it takes the shape of a modified anatomical diagram with notes on which body parts aren't operating properly and why, send that along too. We primarily look for personal essays, but memoir excerpts are acceptable if self-contained. Submit your best, previously unpublished work, and only one piece at a time. We’ll do our best to respond within four months.

Please send your creative nonfiction as an attachment (.doc, .docx, or .pdf) to editor [at] orsonspublishing.com, with the subject line: Creative Nonfiction Submission – [title of work] by [your name]

Digital: Please do not send pieces exceeding 15,000 words.

Print: Please do not send pieces exceeding 7,500 words.

 

Art & Photography

Your work could be paired with a piece of writing. Or it could become our next cover. Or it could stand as its own section within the digital and/or print journal. What we’re saying is that we find it best to remain fluid when it comes to art & photography submissions. We hope you feel similarly. An example: in the event of your submitting one piece that we like but don’t love, it’s possible that we’ll ask you to send along more of your work. We’ll do our best to respond within four months.

*Please send your art & photography as an attachment (file type your choice; make sure it serves the piece(s) at hand) to editor [at] orsonspublishing.com, with the subject line: Art & Photography Submission – [title of work] by [your name]. If you’re sending multiple pieces, please have the subject line read: Multiple Pieces by [your name].

 

PAYMENT

Contributors to the annual print issue of Orson’s Review will receive a complimentary copy of the issue. Contributors to the annual digital issue of Orson’s Review will receive promotion from all of Orson’s Review channels – funneled directly to their work.

 

RIGHTS

We ask for first-time publishing rights or submitted written work. Once we publish the issue your work appears within, copyright will revert back to you. If your work is reprinted after appearing in Orson's Review, please reference our prior publication. We do reserve the right to include your work on our website, or in collections of texts selected from past issues. 

We retain no rights on submitted artwork and images. They belong exclusively to the photographer/owner. However, by submitting your visual work, you agree to allow Orson's Review to display it in various digital channels, including orsonspublishing.com, Twitter, and Facebook. Your work will always appear credited to you.