Submissions

We look forward to discovering great literature and encourage all writers to submit their work. Literary Laundry rejects the belief that authors must pay in order to have their work read. We therefore require no submission fee.


Literary Laundry Competitions

Each issue of Literary Laundry is accompanied by a writing competition. All pieces submitted to us for review will be entered into consideration for our Awards of Distinction. We offer the following cash awards:

$500 for best poem
$500 for best short story

In addition to considering undergraduate works for the Awards of Distinction, we will also consider them for the following undergraduate awards:

$250 for best poem
$250 for best short story

Lastly, each issue of Literary Laundry will feature the work of one visual artist. The "Featured Artist" will receive an award of $100.

Submissions for our seventh issue are due December 15, 2012. There is no fee to submit.


The Vitalist Series

Literary Laundry also publishes hard-copy, book-length collections of poetry and fiction. Authors selected for publication will receive $500 in upfront payment. Submissions are due April 1 of each year. There is no fee to submit.

See the submission policies below for further details.


Literary Laundry Submission Policies

In order to submit work to either the journal or the showcase , authors must subscribe to Literary Laundry and create an account with username and password.

Click here to view submission policies for the Journal.
  1. Authors may submit only one work per category during each review cycle. Authors can, however, submit work in multiple categories during one review cycle.
  2. Poets may submit two pages of poetry. It does not matter to us whether we receive a single two-page poem or many short poems on two pages. Poems must be submitted in one document. This document should not be formatted with multiple columns to a page unless such formatting is integral to the endeavors of the poem.
  3. Authors submitting prose fiction may submit one short story (or one chapter from a larger piece) per review cycle. We ask that submissions be single-spaced and kept to less than 6,000 words.
  4. Submissions should be formatted using 1 inch margins and a minimum font size of 11 points. Of course, if formatting manipulation is required by the artistic aims of the piece, it is permissible.
  5. Authors must include a cover letter as a preface to their submission. This cover letter should contain a one paragraph biography and a one to two paragraph “abstract” explaining why the writing submitted is intellectually evocative or of interest to a contemporary audience. This cover letter should be included in the document submitted.
  6. Undergraduates should indicate their school, year of study, field of study, and undergraduate status beneath their signature on the cover letter.
  7. The Signature should be formatted as follows:

    Name
    University, Class of (Year)
    B.A. / B.S. Candidate in (Field of Study)
    Undergraduate

    Failure to provide such details in the cover letter signature may jeopardize consideration for undergraduate awards.
  8. We welcome work that does not fall conventionally in one of these genres. Please submit the work to the genre of your preference and explain its form in the abstract.
  9. All submissions must be previously unpublished.
  10. If work is under consideration at Literary Laundry, please do not submit it elsewhere.
  11. In order to submit work to Literary Laundry, authors must subscribe to the journal and create an account with username and password.
  12. Literary Laundry is committed to ensuring that authors retain full rights to their submissions. Literary Laundry will reproduce accepted works only for publication in the issue's print retrospect. We merely request that pieces selected for publication not appear in other literary journals within 18 months of online publication by Literary Laundry. If a work published on Literary Laundry is published again in the future, we ask for an acknowledgment that the piece first appeared in Literary Laundry.
Click here to view submission policies for our Featured Artist.
  1. Featured Artists should submit between 8-10 works in their portfolio. Not all works from the accepted portfolio will be published.
  2. Images should be submitted as JPEG files.
  3. All artists must provide a biography of approximately 1-2 paragraphs.
  4. All portfolios must be accompanied by an "abstract" of approximately 250-350 words. The abstract should describe the artist's inspirations and aspirations, style and substance. The abstract presents an opportunity for the artist to explain the intricacies of his/her work to the Literary Laundry readership. It will be published in the journal on the "Featured Artist" page.
  5. The Editors reserve the right to modify abstracts before publication on the "Featured Artist" page.
Click here to view submission policies for our Vitalist Series.
  1. Please submit your book as a word document. The book interior should be formatted exactly as you would like to see it published (while we will obviously work with you to refine the format, we want to see your artistic vision first). Files should be formatted to a trim size of 5.25'' x 8.0".
  2. Each book should contain a 3-5 page, single-spaced prose introduction that reflects upon the book's aesthetic aspirations.
  3. Previous Publication:
    • Poetry books must contain at least 10 previously unpublished poems. Previously published poems should be noted on an appendix page that lists which poems were previously published and where.
    • At least half of the stories in a short story collection must be previously unpublished.
    • All novella submissions must be previously unpublished.
    • Any previously published work should be noted on an “Acknowledgements” page (which stipulates where and when the piece was originally published).
  4. All books should include an author biography at the end of the book. This biography should be less than a page in length.
  5. Please provide a personal photo in addition to your manuscript.
Frequently Asked Questions.
Does Literary Laundry accept submissions from authors of all ages?
Yes. Literary Laundry understands that masterful writing transcends age. As such, we encourage all writers to submit.
Does Literary Laundry accept submissions from outside the United States?
Yes. We love to read these works as well.
Does Literary Laundry accept work written in languages other than English?
No. We will, however, accept work translated into English. If we select for publication a poem translated into English, we will happily publish the original text beside it.
How strictly should submissions adhere to the submissions guidelines?
Quite simply, the answer is strictly. Submissions that lack cover letters or submissions that flagrantly violate page length/formatting regulations risk disqualification from our competition. The Literary Laundry Editors want, first and foremost, to facilitate literary exchange. Poetry submissions that run 2.5 pages or short stories that run 6,500 words for example, are unlikely to upset anybody. That said, authors enter such waters at their own risk.
Many of Literary Laundry's editors hail from Stanford. What is the relationship between the journal and the school?
Literary Laundry is not affiliated with Stanford or any other university. Many members of our editorial team possess personal connections to Stanford because the Executive Editors created the journal while studying there.
Does Literary Laundry maintain any external affiliation?
No. Literary Laundry is managed entirely by its editorial team.

Last, but not least…

Literary Laundry wants to help promote your writing. Periodically, we will nominate works published in our journal for consideration by:

  • Best of the Net
  • Best American Poetry
  • Pushcart Prize
  • Poetry Daily
  • Verse Daily

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