Story Content For The Magazine

Black Denim Lit welcomes thoughtful writers, new and established. We are open to Genre fiction but favor "General", "Sci-Fi" and "Fantasy"... It's possible that we might also publish: 
  • Action/adventure, Western
  • Mystery, Crime, Horror, Suspense or Thriller
  • ...but not erotica

We strongly favor "literary" style. Most "subjects" are OK, but avoid the over-used.

This all should be:
  • Prose (not poetry)
  • Short story (under 7,500 words)
  • Fiction (not letters, essays, journals or other non-fiction)
  • Finished work (not writing exercise or workshop detritus or proposals)

Without entering into a debate as to what qualifies as "literary," we are looking for stories that have unique and lasting artistic merit.

Anything Over 7,500 Words, including Novels

We occasionally consider material over 7,500 words on a case by case basis, if submitted in their entirety. Novelettes could either be serialized in the magazine or published as a separate title. Over 17,500 words would be published as a stand-alone volume.

When the submittable category is open, this means that only query letters are being accepting for anything over 7,500 words.

Art content

For an idea of the art we're looking for please visit our Pinterest Art Page. Unfortunately we cannot pay for art at this time. Email us directly if you are interested.

Format

We prefer Manuscript format. See a guide to Manuscript Format. Keep in mind that we favor material that can be read aloud (think Audio Book), so we're not interested in unique presentations that depend on particular white space or fonts. Highlights of this format include:
  • Double space lines.
  • No extra lines between paragraphs.
  • Single space between sentences.
  • Straight quotes (" "), not curly (“ ”).
  • Half inch indents in paragraphs.
  • three periods (...), not an ellipsis (…).
  • Speech quotes and tags. "For example," he said, "this is fine."  
  • Etc... 
For a full list of guidelines see the descriptive guide to Manuscript Format. This is the exact format of how the print edition works. The web edition will be altered slightly, and your help is needed to make the formatting tasks on your piece quick and easy. Requiring the Manuscript Format is simply one way to place all material on equal footing in readability.

Before you Submit

  • SIM SUBS: Submitting to us while at the same time submitting the same story to another venue is fine. Please notify us immediately if it's accepted elsewhere by withdrawing the submission from Submittable.
  • MULTIPLE SUBS: We do not accept multiple submissions. Wait a week after a rejection and wait a month after being published (let a monthly issue come out without you in it).
  • REPRINTS: We do not accept reprints.
  • FREQUENCY: We "print publish" once a year and "electronically publish" monthly.

Make sure you check the Things to Avoid page for factors that cause quick rejections.

Submission and Reply Process

Your submission and reply process starts by using the Submittable website to create an electronic submission, where you will attach a file containing your work. Submissions through mail or email are not accepted. The automatic confirmation comes from Submittable and includes a link to the status of your submission. Acceptances and rejections are always personalized and will discuss the impressions of your submitted work.

Privacy Policy, Terms of Service and License

We've created a Privacy Policy in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to privacy and to security. The Terms of Service page describes what to expect in the function of this website and its content. The content here is a mix of original website templates (non-stories) as well as contributed content (stories) under License from authors all over the world. 

Payment Is "Unpaid" (0 Cent Per Word)

As of January, 2016, Black Denim Lit offers no payment for each piece published online at www.bdlit.com:
  • $0.00 per word
  • U.S. Dollars
  • Payment is through PayPal (you are responsible for currency conversation cost)
If a piece is selected for the annual anthology, the contributor will also receive a free print copy of the edition containing their work.

Submission Schedule

As of February 2, 2018 we're permanently closed for submissions.

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