Zoetic Press publishes the best in new lit - experimental, interstitial, luminous. We welcome submissions from EVERYONE. The only requirement is that they be in English, or translated into English (we love a translation). If your writing is outstanding, no matter who you are, we have a place for it.
NonBinary Review, our award-winning themed lit journal is published quarterly. Each issue revolves around a specific theme, but we're asking contributors to go beyond the old familiar media tropes.
We're looking for work we can read with our whole body - work that gives us goosebumps, makes us see the world differently, has the tang of authenticity, makes us sit up and listen, and smells like....something. This analogy got out of hand. What we're saying is that we're not looking for re-hashes of images or stories we've read before. We want contributors to explore every facet of our themes, really getting in between the cracks, in the corners, all the forgotten places that no one ever thinks to explore. We want to read work that makes us think "I never would have thought of this, and yet, it's so fitting!"
What we're NOT looking for is work that centers violence, rape, misogyny, racism, ableism, or degrading stereotypes of any kind. We know you're not that kind of writer, but we thought it should be said.
NonBinary Review accepts reprints, but we do ask for previous publication details so they can be credited.
Prose submissions (for which we pay 1¢ per word) should be 3000 words or fewer in length, double-spaced in 12pt Times New Roman font or similar.
Poetry submissions (for which we pay a $10 flat fee) should include no more than 3 poems, each of which may be up to 3 pages in length. Please include each poem as a separate file.
Art submissions (for which we pay a $25 flat fee) should include no more than 5 pieces. Each piece should be at least 300dpi, and at least 600 pixels on its smallest side. Any piece chosen for cover art will pay $50. We do not accept any submission that consists of links to an artist's website.
Please ensure that you are submitting to the correct category, as we have different editing teams for each. Submissions sent to the wrong category (e.g., poetry submissions sent to the prose category) will be declined.
Random Access Memory, our newest feature, showcases hypertext fiction, the kind of stories that can only be told online. Hypertext fiction (for which we pay 1¢ per word, plus $1 per node) may be no more than 3000 words total, and no more than 20 individual nodes, each of which must contain an entire plot point.
You can see more of what we mean by "non-linear literature" on our website.
Dear Horace Greeley invites writers to ask questions about writing, submitting, publication, and any other aspect of the literary life that baffle them, and we'll answer them online. We don't promise that we have all the answers, but we do promise that we're here for you!
Feedback for Poets of Color is just what it sounds like. People of color may submit ONE poem, up to 50 lines, for consideration. Five poets per month will be accepted, and the Poetry Editors will work with those five poets to edit, improve, and strengthen their work. Submissions only open on the first of each month.
Only those categories below are currently open for submissions.
While there is a published close date for submissions, we have an acceptance cap for each issue, and submissions will be closed once we reach that cap, so don't wait until the last minute.
Horace Greeley (3 February 1811 - 29 November 1872) was the founder of the New York Tribune, a United States congressman, and the man who is often misquoted as saying "Go West, young man." What he actually said was "Go to the West: there your capabilities are sure to be appreciated and your energy and industry rewarded."
We at Zoetic Press agree with Greeley — we want you to find a place where your energy and industry are rewarded. One of the most frustrating parts of being a writer is the submission process. Interpreting a journal’s description of their aesthetic or theme, parsing their formatting requirements, remembering their reading periods – it can all feel like a bit of a crap shoot. What’s your biggest complaint? What’s your fondest wish? What’s your best submission experience? Send us your questions – the things you’ve always wished editors knew about your experiences with their journals. Real editors (channeling Horace Greeley) will answer your letters – explain how literary journals work, think about how to respond to unusual situations, or just commiserate with your rotten luck.
Letters should avoid names of specific publications, and writers may be anonymous if they wish. All letters will be edited for length and clarity prior to posting, and might be combined with other letters asking similar questions.
Zoetic Press believes in using its platform to begin redressing the discriminatory discrepancies in the publishing industry. We welcome all poets of colour (to include anyone from an ethnically or racially marginalized and underrepresented community) to submit a single poem to which our poetry editors will offer feedback. The poetry editors will give you their thoughts on your poem, as well as developmental edits and comments on how it might be improved. We'd like this to take the form of a dialogue, a back-and-forth exchange, as we want to nurture your poem and your ideas for execution. If there is any specific area you would like editorial advice on (e.g commentary on imagery, use of form etc.) we'd love to know that in advance. Each poet may submit one poem of no more than 50 lines (although shorter is better) in an editable document format (no .pdfs, please). Your header should include the name of the piece, your name, and a valid email address (used to communicate with the poetry editors). Those submissions that don't follow guidelines will not be considered. Because of the labor-intensive nature of this undertaking, we will only be able to accept five poets per month.
As readers and writers in the Information Age, we are no longer restricted by the longstanding dogma of beginning-middle-end narratives. Free from the constraints of text on paper, we can hyperlink our way to new methods of storytelling and new depths of meaning.
We are now featuring a new, online-only feature: Random Access Memory, where we can read and host your best non-linear stories. Don't stop at telling us a new tale — play with how the tale is told. We particularly want pieces that probe through fresh settings, characters, and conflicts in ways that a mere page-turn simply cannot accommodate. Whether it's through branching paths, uncovered memories, or sudden drops into different characters' minds, twist the medium any way you can.
Random Access Memory accepts non-linear pieces of up to 3000 words in a maximum of 20 nodes. We pay 1¢ per word plus $1 per node.
Please submit your story as a text-based file (Word or similar), as a PowerPoint presentation, or as .html (which will need to be zipped in order to upload it), with all nodes clearly labeled and all connection points clearly marked.
Before you submit your piece, please look at our website to see the kind of work we're looking for.
NonBinary Review is open for submissions on the theme of "world tour." From the first migration of our ancestors out of Africa to the globe trotting of the jet set, our planet and our culture have been shaped by people traveling vast distances. Some traveled for survival, some for wealth, some for power, and some traveled to satisfy their curiosity. We're looking for stories about epic journeys over vast distances with many destinations. We're looking for travels that have changed the way people have viewed their world. We're looking for travels that have broadened the outlook, not just of the traveler, but of civilization.
All submissions must have a clear relationship to our theme and be submitted as a jpg., .png., .tiff., or .psd file of 300dpi or greater (accepted pieces must be PRINT QUALITY). Submitters may include up to five pieces per submission, but each must be a separate file. NonBinary Review pays a $25 flat fee for visual art, or $50 for pieces chosen as cover art.
We have different teams evaluating poetry, prose, and art. If you submit to the wrong genre, your submission will be declined.
To submit Poetry, please use this link.
To submit Prose, please use this link.
NonBinary Review is open for submissions on the theme of "world tour." From the first migration of our ancestors out of Africa to the globe trotting of the jet set, our planet and our culture have been shaped by people traveling vast distances. Some traveled for survival, some for wealth, some for power, and some traveled to satisfy their curiosity. We're looking for stories about epic journeys over vast distances with many destinations. We're looking for travels that have changed the way people have viewed their world. We're looking for travels that have broadened the outlook, not just of the traveler, but of civilization.
We're not looking for personal travelogues, unless you're Columbus, Magellan, etc., in which case, we have some questions. We're also not looking for stories of family's moves to the new world. We also don't want interplanetary travel-type science fiction.
All submissions must have a clear relationship to our theme and be submitted in 12pt Times New Roman, or they will be rejected. Submitters may include up to THREE poems per submission, but each must be a separate file. NonBinary Review pays a $10 flat fee for poetry.
We have different teams evaluating poetry, prose, and art. If you submit to the wrong genre, your submission will be declined.
To submit Visual Art, use this link.
To submit Prose, use this link.
NonBinary Review is open for submissions on the theme of "world tour." From the first migration of our ancestors out of Africa to the globe trotting of the jet set, our planet and our culture have been shaped by people traveling vast distances. Some traveled for survival, some for wealth, some for power, and some traveled to satisfy their curiosity. We're looking for stories about epic journeys over vast distances with many destinations. We're looking for travels that have changed the way people have viewed their world. We're looking for travels that have broadened the outlook, not just of the traveler, but of civilization.
We're not looking for personal travelogues, unless you're Columbus, Magellan, etc., in which case, we have some questions. We're also not looking for stories of family's moves to the new world. We also don't want interplanetary travel-type science fiction.
All submissions must have a clear relationship to our theme, and be double-spaced in 12pt Times New Roman or they will be rejected. NonBinary Review pays 1¢ per word for prose with a limit of 3000 words.
We have different teams evaluating poetry, prose, and art. If you submit to the wrong genre, your submission will be declined.
To submit Visual Art, use this link.
To submit Poetry, use this link.
NonBinary Review is open for submissions on the theme of "lies for children."
“If you keep making that face, it’ll freeze that way.” “We found you under a cabbage leaf.” “If you drink coffee, it’ll stunt your growth.” “If you go to sleep with wet hair, you’ll catch pneumonia.”
Adults tell children some outrageous lies. Think back to your own childhood and explanations your parents gave you for things you didn’t understand or superstitions they perpetuated. Why do adults feel that children need credulity-straining fictions rather than objective truths? What things do we find so uncomfortable that we can’t explain them to children? How do those lies affect our relationship with the children we lied to, or the adults who lied to us? Some of these lies are benevolent (although kind of weird), but some can be trauma-inducing. We want to hear the stories behind those lies, and the consequences they engendered.
We’re NOT looking for fairy tales, re-tellings of children’s bedtime stories, tall tales, Santa Claus/Easter bunny/tooth fairy origin stories, or any other fictions that even children know are stories told for fun.
All submissions must have a clear relationship to our theme and be submitted as a jpg., .png., .tiff., or .psd file of 300dpi or greater (accepted pieces must be PRINT QUALITY). Submitters may include up to five pieces per submission, but each must be a separate file. NonBinary Review pays a $25 flat fee for visual art, or $50 for pieces chosen as cover art.
We have different teams evaluating poetry, prose, and art. If you submit to the wrong genre, your submission will be declined.
To submit Poetry, please use this link.
To submit Prose, please use this link.
NonBinary Review is open for submissions on the theme of "lies for children."
“If you keep making that face, it’ll freeze that way.” “We found you under a cabbage leaf.” “If you drink coffee, it’ll stunt your growth.” “If you go to sleep with wet hair, you’ll catch pneumonia.”
Adults tell children some outrageous lies. Think back to your own childhood and explanations your parents gave you for things you didn’t understand or superstitions they perpetuated. Why do adults feel that children need credulity-straining fictions rather than objective truths? What things do we find so uncomfortable that we can’t explain them to children? How do those lies affect our relationship with the children we lied to, or the adults who lied to us? Some of these lies are benevolent (although kind of weird), but some can be trauma-inducing. We want to hear the stories behind those lies, and the consequences they engendered.
We’re NOT looking for fairy tales, re-tellings of children’s bedtime stories, tall tales, Santa Claus/Easter bunny/tooth fairy origin stories, or any other fictions that even children know are stories told for fun.
All submissions must have a clear relationship to our theme and be submitted in 12pt Times New Roman, or they will be rejected. Submitters may include up to THREE poems per submission, but each must be a separate file. NonBinary Review pays a $10 flat fee for poetry.
We have different teams evaluating poetry, prose, and art. If you submit to the wrong genre, your submission will be declined.
To submit Visual Art, use this link.
To submit Prose, use this link.
NonBinary Review is open for submissions on the theme of "lies for children."
“If you keep making that face, it’ll freeze that way.” “We found you under a cabbage leaf.” “If you drink coffee, it’ll stunt your growth.” “If you go to sleep with wet hair, you’ll catch pneumonia.”
Adults tell children some outrageous lies. Think back to your own childhood and explanations your parents gave you for things you didn’t understand or superstitions they perpetuated. Why do adults feel that children need credulity-straining fictions rather than objective truths? What things do we find so uncomfortable that we can’t explain them to children? How do those lies affect our relationship with the children we lied to, or the adults who lied to us? Some of these lies are benevolent (although kind of weird), but some can be trauma-inducing. We want to hear the stories behind those lies, and the consequences they engendered.
We’re NOT looking for fairy tales, re-tellings of children’s bedtime stories, tall tales, Santa Claus/Easter bunny/tooth fairy origin stories, or any other fictions that even children know are stories told for fun.
All submissions must have a clear relationship to our theme, and be double-spaced in 12pt Times New Roman or they will be rejected. NonBinary Review pays 1¢ per word for prose with a limit of 3000 words.
We have different teams evaluating poetry, prose, and art. If you submit to the wrong genre, your submission will be declined.
To submit Visual Art, use this link.
To submit Poetry, use this link.
Want to get some experience in the world of independent publishing?
Do you want to learn more about how producing a literary publication works?
Do you want to get the inside scoop on what we're doing next, and have a hand in making it happen?
Would you like the mentorship of an entire group of editors?
You can get all of that at Zoetic Press! Even if you have ZERO experience, we want you—after all, how do you GET experience if no one is willing to let you get a foot in the door?
You can:
- communicate with readers and authors on social media
- help produce the podcast
- do layout and design
- do social media campaigns
- read and vote on incoming submissions
This is an unpaid position, but it IS a time commitment (an average of ~5 hours a week - less during quiet times, more when we're putting an issue together), and it does pay you in experience, camaraderie, and literary pride.
JOIN US! We're excited to welcome you to Zoetic!