SmokeLong General Submissions

You Need to Know:

SmokeLong publishes flash narratives--fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid (somewhere between fiction and nonfiction)--up to 1000 words. This word limit is firm. We do not consider poetry.

Please send ONE previously unpublished narrative at a time and wait until you hear from us before sending another. We do not consider multiple submissions. Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please consider that we usually reply within a couple of weeks (and usually much sooner). That's not long to wait for a reply. 

Include a print-ready, third-person bio and the word count of your submission as your cover letter. There is no need to include a personal note in your cover letter. We will not see it. 

Please do not include your name or other identifying information anywhere on the story document, in the filename, or in the Submittable title. Your name and bio should appear ONLY in the cover letter on Submittable, which is hidden in our blind editing process. We believe that the unpublished, unknown writer should have equal footing with the established writer. If you need to let us know that a narrative is fiction, nonfiction or hybrid, please put this information directly at the top of the story document. Please be aware that recent changes at Submittable mean that you might be referred to as "Applicant" in our automated responses. We know you're not an applicant. 

We are a scrappy bunch with lots of reading experience under our belts, but if you are submitting a narrative to us that includes (sexual) violence, we would appreciate a content warning at the top of your submission.

We pay $100 per narrative or $150 per story with audio upon publication in the quarterly issue. Payment will be issued via PayPal, and the writer may be responsible for any associated fees if applicable.

Online Rights: If we publish your work, we require exclusive electronic rights to it for 3 months and non-exclusive rights indefinitely so we can include it in our online archives.

Print Rights: We require non-exclusive print rights, for potential anthologies and promotional materials. All other rights remain yours.

You Might Want to Know Before Submitting:

As with any literary journal, the best way to understand what we're looking for is to read the journal. We have thousands of stories archived on our site. Why not spend a couple of hours browsing the quarterly issues from the last 21 years? The SmokeLong aesthetic remains an ever-changing set of principles, but it most likely has to do with these kinds of things:

     * language that surprises and excites,
     * narratives that strive toward something other than a final punch line or twist,
     * pieces that add up to something, often (but not necessarily always) meaning or emotional resonance,
     * honest work that feels as if it has far more purpose than a writer wanting to write a clever story.
 

We publish spring, summer, fall and winter quarterly issues, featuring each story with an interview in the subsequent weeks. Our intent is to respond as quickly as possible. Please allow us two weeks to inform you if we have accepted your work for publication. Rejection will sadly come much more swiftly.

We gladly consider simultaneous submissions, but please consider where you'd like your work to appear before you send it to 10 journals. We work hard to respond within 7 days. Please inform us immediately if your work has been accepted elsewhere for publication.

Finally, if you appreciate what SmokeLong does to further the art of flash, please consider making a donation through the tip jar feature, either here on Submittable or on the site itself. Although we don't charge our readers to subscribe or our potential contributors to submit, we are a paying market ($100 per narrative/$150 with audio). A tip jar donation is a much appreciated thumbs-up, and we are so grateful for your generosity.

Our decision regarding your submission is, however, in no way influenced by whether or not you donate. We also offer general feedback from three of our senior editors for $24 or detailed feedback from one senior editor for $39. If you're interested in receiving feedback on your work, please have a look at these options in Submittable. Check out our shop for our current workshops. 

We look forward to your words. Before you hit SEND, please make sure your name is removed from the story and that your word count is 1000 or fewer.

Christopher Allen