Submissions Open!
We are currently accepting submissions for our Fall 2022 Issue, Dark Corners! Send us your stories, poems, and art about the things that lurk in the shadows – the good, the bad, the sublime, and the grotesque. (Basically, this one's for all y'all who were ever told that your writing was "too dark" for school.)
Submissions close on September 20th, 2022. Please see below for submission info and FAQ!
Submissions close on September 20th, 2022. Please see below for submission info and FAQ!
How to Submit
Please email your submission as a PDF or JPEG to crownandpenzine@gmail.com with "[Spring, PRIDE, Fall, Winter] Submission – [your name]" as the subject. You are welcome to use a pen name, but please specify in the body of your email. Please include a short cover letter about your submission and an author bio up to 250 words. You may also include an author photo if you wish.
We will email you after we have reviewed your work and made a decision. The response time may vary based on how many submissions we receive, so please be patient.
Please do not submit work to us in-between issues. We will announce the submission window for upcoming issues on our socials, so give us a follow on Instagram and Twitter @crownandpenzine for the latest info.
All rights revert to the author/artist after publication. We're always appreciative if you credit us if you publish your work elsewhere!
We will email you after we have reviewed your work and made a decision. The response time may vary based on how many submissions we receive, so please be patient.
Please do not submit work to us in-between issues. We will announce the submission window for upcoming issues on our socials, so give us a follow on Instagram and Twitter @crownandpenzine for the latest info.
All rights revert to the author/artist after publication. We're always appreciative if you credit us if you publish your work elsewhere!
FAQ
Q) What kind of submissions do you accept?
A) We accept short stories, flash fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and visual art. We are interested in work that addresses notable current events and social, political, and environmental justice, as well as topics that are not typically discussed at the family dinner table. Basically, if it's something that would make your T*u3mpf-loving Aunt Karen squirm, we probably want to see it.
Q) How many pieces can I submit?
A) You may submit up to 5 total pieces per issue. You may submit in as many categories as you like.
Q) Do you accept previously published work?
A) Original work that has appeared on a personal blog, Tumblr, or social media platform is fine, as long as it has not been published in another digital or print magazine or journal. We will, however, make an exception for displaced work. (That is, work that has been withdrawn from other publications for ethical reasons, as well as previously published pieces from defunct publications.) Please include this information in your submission email, including the reason for withdrawal.
Q) What about simultaneous subs?
A) Yes. Just email us right away if your piece is accepted elsewhere.
Q) Are there any length requirements for written submissions?
A) There is no minimum word count for poems. For prose submissions, we prefer a minimum word count of 350 words, but we will consider shorter pieces on a case-by-case basis. We will accept a maximum of 20 pages per submission, regardless of word count.
Q) Do you accept genre fiction?
A) Yes! We welcome and encourage genre fiction!
Q) What's your policy on adult content?
A) Our zine is a safe haven for unsettling and uncomfortable topics. We gladly accept writing and art with adult themes (nudity, sexual situations, drug use, violence, etc.), but work that contains graphic depictions of violence or sexuality needs to have a purpose beyond shock value. We will consider such works on a case-by-case basis.
We will NOT consider any work that promotes racism, misogyny, fascism, sexual or gender-based violence, an anti-LGBTQ+ or transphobic agenda, ableism or any form of body terrorism (including fatphobia), xenophobia, classism, ecocide, or any otherwise violent and hateful ideology. Any such submissions will be deleted and the submitter will be blacklisted.
In additon, we will not consider any work that promotes conspiracy theories or an anti-science agenda, including, but not limited to: allegations that COVID-19 is a "hoax," climate change denial, QAnon, anti-vaxx sentiment, conspiracies regarding the 2020 election, or lizard people.
Q) Is there a cost to submit?
A) Nope! We don't charge submission or reading fees and never will. We want this platform to be accessible to all.
Q) Do you pay your contributors?
A) We want to be able to pay each of our contributors and are working out how to make that happen. We've set up a Ko-fi account if you have extra coins and would like to pitch in to help us build our contributor fund. All proceeds will go directly to our published writers and artists!
If you have any questions about our submission guidelines, please feel free to reach out to us at crownandpenzine@gmail.com
A) We accept short stories, flash fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and visual art. We are interested in work that addresses notable current events and social, political, and environmental justice, as well as topics that are not typically discussed at the family dinner table. Basically, if it's something that would make your T*u3mpf-loving Aunt Karen squirm, we probably want to see it.
Q) How many pieces can I submit?
A) You may submit up to 5 total pieces per issue. You may submit in as many categories as you like.
Q) Do you accept previously published work?
A) Original work that has appeared on a personal blog, Tumblr, or social media platform is fine, as long as it has not been published in another digital or print magazine or journal. We will, however, make an exception for displaced work. (That is, work that has been withdrawn from other publications for ethical reasons, as well as previously published pieces from defunct publications.) Please include this information in your submission email, including the reason for withdrawal.
Q) What about simultaneous subs?
A) Yes. Just email us right away if your piece is accepted elsewhere.
Q) Are there any length requirements for written submissions?
A) There is no minimum word count for poems. For prose submissions, we prefer a minimum word count of 350 words, but we will consider shorter pieces on a case-by-case basis. We will accept a maximum of 20 pages per submission, regardless of word count.
Q) Do you accept genre fiction?
A) Yes! We welcome and encourage genre fiction!
Q) What's your policy on adult content?
A) Our zine is a safe haven for unsettling and uncomfortable topics. We gladly accept writing and art with adult themes (nudity, sexual situations, drug use, violence, etc.), but work that contains graphic depictions of violence or sexuality needs to have a purpose beyond shock value. We will consider such works on a case-by-case basis.
We will NOT consider any work that promotes racism, misogyny, fascism, sexual or gender-based violence, an anti-LGBTQ+ or transphobic agenda, ableism or any form of body terrorism (including fatphobia), xenophobia, classism, ecocide, or any otherwise violent and hateful ideology. Any such submissions will be deleted and the submitter will be blacklisted.
In additon, we will not consider any work that promotes conspiracy theories or an anti-science agenda, including, but not limited to: allegations that COVID-19 is a "hoax," climate change denial, QAnon, anti-vaxx sentiment, conspiracies regarding the 2020 election, or lizard people.
Q) Is there a cost to submit?
A) Nope! We don't charge submission or reading fees and never will. We want this platform to be accessible to all.
Q) Do you pay your contributors?
A) We want to be able to pay each of our contributors and are working out how to make that happen. We've set up a Ko-fi account if you have extra coins and would like to pitch in to help us build our contributor fund. All proceeds will go directly to our published writers and artists!
If you have any questions about our submission guidelines, please feel free to reach out to us at crownandpenzine@gmail.com
