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General Submission GUIDELINES

Thank you for your interest in submitting to After Midnight. We’re excited to read your work! We are committed to supporting diverse voices and publishing work that challenges, inspires, and expands our understanding of storytelling. We welcome submissions from writers of all backgrounds and experience levels.

Please submit previously unpublished works.

We allow simultaneous submissions—writers, please notify us and withdraw your piece if your work is selected for publication elsewhere. If you withdraw your work, you may submit another piece in the same genre.

Once an agreement to publish has been reached, authors grant After Midnight first publication rights and permission to publish the accepted work. All rights revert to the author after publication.

We do not accept work that has been generated with AI at any stage in the writing. If you submit stories written by AI, you will not be considered for publication.

Submissions are open to all writers. We would like to see more narratives from marginalized identities, and encourage them to submit.

We do not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, disability, family status, gender identity or expression, national origin, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation, or for any other reason.

Additionally, we do not tolerate discrimination in the writing we consider for publication. Work we find discriminatory on any of the bases stated here will be declined without complete review.

Our editorial team will respond to every submission within four weeks. Due to the volume of submissions we receive, we appreciate your patience during the review process.

Thank you for sharing your work with us. We look forward to reading your stories.

Please email your submission to submissions@aftermidnightlitmag.com after referring to the department-specific guidelines below.

Department-Specific GUIDELINES

What We’re Looking For
We welcome reviews that offer a critical perspective of literary works of any genre.

Please submit a constructive, critical book review that offers an articulate and nuanced perspective. Rather than summarizing the plot, please make an argument about the text. Consider analyzing how the author uses craft, literary, and/ or rhetorical elements.

We are more interested in books that have recently been published, but if you can make a case for why we need a review of a less-recent book, we are open to reading it.

For examples of book reviews that we are interested in publishing, please refer to our Book Reviews page.

Length: 700-1400 words

How to Submit
Please format your subject line like this: [Department.] [Title by author, reviewed by author]
Book Reviews. Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, reviewed by Katherine Murray

Within the body of your email, please include:
- Your name and pronouns
- Preferred publication name, if applicable
- Title of your review (please include the book’s title in your title)
- Word count of your review
- Title and genre of work being reviewed
- 50-100 word bio
- 50-100 words that tell us 1) why you are compelled or qualified to write this review and 2) why our readers need to read this review.
Content warnings, if applicable

Please send your piece as a Word Doc or as a Google Doc and ensure the permissions are set to “anyone with the link can read.”

Format: Specify title, author, genre, and year of publication at the top of your document. Also include your name, title of your review, and your email address. Please use size 12 font (Times New Roman, Arial, or Garamond) and double-space your submission. Please send as a Word Doc or as a Google Doc. If you’re sending as a Google Doc, please ensure that the permissions are set to “anyone can view.”

What We’re Looking For
We review literary nonfiction, but are open to a variety of genres and styles including memoir, lyric essays, personal essays, narrative nonfiction, speculative creative nonfiction, and experimental prose.

Please submit work primarily written in English, but some code-switching/meshing is warmly welcomed.

Length: 1000-5000 words 

How to Submit
Within the body of your email, please include: 
- Title of work
- Your name and pronouns
- Preferred publication name, if applicable
- Word count
- Genre
- 50-100 word bio
- Content warnings, if applicable 

In the subject line, include [Department.] [Submission name, author]
For example: Creative Non-Fiction. A Day in the Life, Jasmine Shouse

Please double-space your submission and use Times New Roman, size 12. 

Email us if you need accommodations.

Please send your piece as a Word doc. PDFs are acceptable, if necessary.
Include a brief cover letter with your publication history and any relevant content warnings (if applicable). We respect your lived experiences; however, please refrain from sending work that has excessive gore or glorifies trauma. We want to see healing narratives! If you are unsure whether to submit, we encourage you to try.

What We’re Looking For
We are eager to read every genre of fiction! 

Length: 1000-5000 words

How to Submit
Within the body of your email, please include: 
- Title of work
- Your name and pronouns
- Word count
- Genre
- 50-100 word bio
- Content warnings, if applicable

In the subject, please include “Fiction,” your title, and your name. 

We accept “general fiction,” but it helps us when you classify your work! If you would like to share the genre of your piece, please include that in the subject of your email and in the body of your email. 

For example: Fiction: Horror. The Lottery, Shirley Jackson

Please use size 12 font (Times New Roman, Arial, or Garamond) and double-space your submission. Please send as a Word Doc or as a Google Doc. If you’re sending as a Google Doc, please ensure that the permissions are set to “anyone can comment.”

We welcome experimental fiction, and we recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all guideline for experimental pieces. Our primary concern is the accessibility of our website, and we are happy to work with you to find a format that achieves readability on web, tablet, and mobile views while still honoring the spirit of your piece. We suggest that you submit your piece as a Word Doc, Google Doc, or PDF first!

What We're Looking for
Length: up to 1000 words

You may submit 1-3 pieces of flash fiction.

Submissions must be:
- Original and unpublished [check in with this]
- Written in English or translated to English
- Submitted as a Word document (see formatting below)

Any genre is accepted within the flash fiction category, such as but not limited to:
- Literary fiction
- Speculative fiction
- Horror
- Fantasy
- Science fiction
- Romance
- Inspirational
- Experimental fiction
- Microfiction (max. 300 words) 

How to Submit
The subject line should include: [Flash Fiction]. [Title, Your Name]
Example: Flash Fiction. As the Wind Howled, Yu Hua. 

Within the body of your email, please include: 
- Title of work(s)
- Your name and pronouns
- Preferred publication name, if applicable
- Word count(s)
- Genre(s)
- 50-100 word bio
- Content warnings, if applicable 

If you are submitting two or three pieces, please combine them into a single document and format your subject like this: 
- Flash Fiction. Multiple pieces, Your Name

Please format as follows:
- 12-point readable font (such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Garamond)
- 1-inch margins
- Double-spaced
- Title centered at the top of the first page
- Author name included only if submitting under a non-anonymous name

Please attach as a Word Doc or as a Google Doc. If you choose to send as a Google Doc, ensure that the permissions are set to “anyone can comment.”

What We’re Looking for
We are looking for creative pedagogical essays, sample syllabi, and engaging activities in K-12 and higher education. Essays on andragogy, or the practice of teaching adults, are also welcome. Our pedagogy department will also review thought pieces on critical issues/trends in education, like funding, personal educational experiences, hidden curricula, teaching philosophy, AI and students’ learning, and other trends not mentioned. Please note that we will not publish pedagogical essays that encourage or contain unexamined bigotry, stereotyping, or discrimination of any kind. 

How to Submit
Length of submission can be up to 1,500 words

Please share the submission as a Word Document (.docx), a Google Drive document (set permissions to “anyone with the link can read”), or a PDF. 

Email subject Line: Pedagogical Submission by [Your Name Here]
Example: Pedagogical Submission by [bell hooks]

Within the body of your email, please include:
- Title of submission
- Your name and pronouns
- Word Count (up to 1,500 words)
- Submission category (e.g., pedagogical essay or syllabi)
- 50-100 word bio

*If including a critical thought piece, please use URL links for source material or facts and figures. 

You may submit up to 1-3 pedagogical pieces total.

What We're Looking For
We welcome and encourage diverse voices and forms of poetry. Please note that we will not publish poetry that encourages or contains unexamined racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, or any other form of bigotry. 

How to Submit
- Within the body of your email, please include: 
- Title of work
- Your name and pronouns
- Word count
- Genre
- 50-100 word bio

You may submit up to 5 poems, up to 10 pages maximum. 

Note: there is no limit on form for poetry submissions; however, please be cognizant that we are currently a digital-only publication, and certain formatting decisions and/or very long lines may appear differently (potentially incorrectly) on mobile devices. 

Please submit as a Word document (.docx), a Google Drive document (set permissions to “anyone with the link can read”), or a PDF if necessary. Please ensure the font type and size are easily readable. 

*In your submission document, please format it so that each poem is clearly marked. Your poem titles do not need to be capitalized, bolded, or specially formatted (unless done so intentionally, by you); rather, there should be a clear delineation between each poem, if you are submitting more than one.

Ready to Submit?

Review the appropriate department guidelines above before sending your work.

Email your submission to:
submissions@aftermidnightlitmag.com