Submissions

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We look forward to reading your work. Please read all guidelines before submitting. 

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What we’re looking for. Pieces that move; pieces that surprise. Stunning prose. Thoughtful punctuation over strict grammar. Innovative form over arbitrary paragraphing. Intentional language over wordsmithing. Specificity and context over vague emotion. Interrogation and transcendence over bald trauma. We crave discovery and wonder and awe. Bittersweet is our favorite emotion. We like fairy tales, fabulism, hauntings, but more than any genre, we love prose that makes us ache and images that linger. (Sea creatures, always a plus.) 

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Word Count. Up to 400 words. All categories. Firm count (read: don’t get cute with hyphens).

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Categories.

• Fiction (mostly made up). Pay is $25 upon publication. 

• Creative Nonfiction (true to an experience). Pay is $25 upon publication.

• New Writer Micros (your piece can be fiction or CNF, but you, the writer, can only have published three or fewer pieces). Pay is $25 upon publication.

• Chapbook Review (aka 10-60 published pages). Prose only. Prose-heavy hybrid chapbooks will be considered. Submit a summary and/or teaser of your book up to 200 words, as well as a link to where your chapbook can be purchased. If your chapbook is selected for review, Claudine will write a 250-400 word review and post a link where readers can buy your book. Gratis. It doesn’t matter how long ago your book came out; as long as it is currently for sale online, somewhere, it can be considered for review. Please be prepared to supply Claudine a copy of your chapbook (either print or digital copy) upon request. Caveat: Claudine is finicky but kind. We will only publish reviews of chapbooks we genuinely love, and therefore will forgo this category in a given issue if the stars don’t align for a match. Authors and/or publishers may submit chapbooks for consideration. 

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Submission period. Submissions are open January through November. There is a December issue, but we do not take submissions that month. 

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Cover letter. Keep it brief, please. Tell us the name of your piece, the word count, and genre (fiction or creative nonfiction). Include a 50 word bio about your writing life and any relevant social media handles (instagram, facebook, or bluesky). If you have published three or fewer pieces, please state that you are a new writer, so your piece can be considered for that category as well. 

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Number of submissions. Please send only one piece at a time, regardless of genre; wait until your work is accepted or declined before submitting again. If you publish in Claudine, please wait 6 months from your publication date before submitting again

Simultaneous submissions. We accept simultaneous submissions; please withdraw your piece promptly if it’s accepted elsewhere.

 

Response time. 45 days or less. Please do not inquire about your submission until 2 months have passed.

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Rights. We acquire first serial rights worldwide in English and non-exclusive anthology rights. We ask for the right to display the work for the duration of the journal. Copyright remains with the writer in all cases. If your work is subsequently reprinted elsewhere, please acknowledge Claudine as the site of first publication.

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AI. The ethical issues AI presents to literary spaces and humans are legion. Do not submit AI generated or AI assisted work. Please respect this boundary.

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Submissions. Submissions are always free. Info on where to send submissions coming June 30!

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Questions. Please email EIC@claudineliterary.com with any questions.