Submission Guidelines
Word Gumbo is our bi-monthly e-zine.
NOTE: SUBMISSIONS FOR ISSUE SIX ARE NOW CLOSED.
The next issue, 'Endings', will be out soon. This issue has been delayed due to circumstances beyond our control. We apologise for this and will get back on track as soon as possible.
PLEASE NOTE: We are no longer asking for submissions on set themes. Instead we want your best work on whatever themes you wish to address. As a result, we now have a rolling deadline whereby material sent in the two month periods leading to the ends of February, April, June, August, October and December will be considered for the following issue. So you can now send in anything, any time, without worrying about missing a deadline.
Submission guidelines are as follows:
Please send your pieces as email attachments in .doc, .docx or rtf formats to gumbosubmissions AT gmail DOT com with the type of piece (short story, flash-fiction, poetry, script, non-fiction, other) clearly stated in the subject line.
PLEASE NOTE: We require submissions to be anonymous, so please include your name and the title(s) of your pieces in the email, but ensure that nothing but the title appears in the attachments. Any submissions not complying to this rule will not be considered.
Submit using the following guidelines:
Flash-fiction: up to 500 words per piece, maximum of 3 pieces per submission.
Short Stories: up to 2000 words per story, only 1 piece per submission.
Poetry: up to 50 lines per poem, maximum of 3 pieces per submission.
Script: up to 2000 words per piece, only 1 piece per submission.
Non-fiction: up to 2000 words per piece, only 1 piece per submission.
(NOTE: The word count limits do not include titles. The 'line' limit for poetry DOES NOT include blank lines. The word count for script DOES include stage/screen directions. And, yes, you can enter pieces for more than one category at the same time, as long as you don't exceed the guideline limits.)
Other:
We are also interested in pieces which do not fit into these neat categories: mixed forms, art/text collaborations, pieces which refer to online resources such as images or music (please ensure that any links provided are correct, stable, and copyright free), or multimedia (such as video poems, animations, etc.).
If submitting anything in these final categories which is hosted elsewhere, we will only consider pieces created/uploaded specifically for WordGumbo for which we can claim 'first publication'. We will not accept pieces which have been generally available prior to submission. These will be considered to have been 'previously published'.
Contact us on our general email address (listed on the 'Contact' page) for more details if you wish to submit these kinds of pieces.
Small Print:
- By submitting your work for publication in Word Gumbo you grant Gumbo Press the right to publish that work on its website, and retain it within its archive. All other rights remain with you.
- We will NOT consider work previously published in print or on the web (including video/animation work), however work posted on websites, blogs or forums for the purpose of feedback and workshopping is allowed.
- We DO NOT accept simultaneous submissions.
- We will not consider any work which is any way offensive or discriminatory.
- We will attempt to contact all writers, successful or unsuccessful, within 3 weeks of the deadline date. If you do not hear from us by that point, you can contact us at the general email address on our 'Contact' page.