Print Edition Submissions
Ninth Letter is published semi-annually in print at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. We are interested in prose and poetry that experiment with form, narrative, and nontraditional subject matter, as well as more traditional literary work. There is no theme for general print submissions.
We do not accept previously published work, including self-published work on websites, blogs, etc. Simultaneous submissions are welcome! Please send a message withdrawing your poem(s) or flash piece(s) immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. Please only send only one submission per genre at a time.
We accept electronic submissions via Submittable. We do not accept submissions by email attachment. Email submissions will not be read.
To see what we publish, you can purchase our current issue or a subscription via Submittable or through our website. All issues (including back issues) can be purchased here.
General Print Submission Guidelines
Submission Period:
Ninth Letter accepts submissions to our print issues between Sept. 1 – Feb. 28.
Genre Guidelines:
For poetry, please submit up to 8 pages. Each new poem should begin on a new page.
For fiction and creative nonfiction, submit one story or essay up to 8,000 words at a time. For flash, you may submit up to 3 pieces with a total word count totaling no more than 4,000 words.
If you classify your work as “hybrid,” please submit to the genre category you feel your submission most closely applies. You are welcome to leave a note in the cover letter field with any details you think our reading team would find helpful. We will make sure your submission gets to the right team and receives the attention and consideration it deserves.
Submission Fee:
We charge a $3 reading fee. Fees are waived from December 1-31 or until we hit our cap per genre.
Fee Waivers:
A limited number of fee waivers are available for writers for whom the submission fee would present undue financial hardship. Please send a short email to ninthletter9@gmail.com to request a fee waiver. No proof of income or other sensitive information is required.
Publication Terms & Payment:
Ninth Letter pays $25 per poem and $100 for prose upon publication and two complimentary copies of the issue in which the work appears. Contributors also receive an exclusive subscription discount offer at the time of acceptance. Ninth Letter acquires First North American Serial Rights (FNASR). We ask that you acknowledge Ninth Letter upon reprint of your work.
Response Time:
We strive to respond to your submission within six months. Please wait until that time has elapsed before querying about the status of your submission.
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Web Edition Submissions
Ninth Letter accepts submissions of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for our web issues to be published at ninthletter.com. Submissions are open from September 1 to November 1 and February 1 to April 1 .
*For this issue, submissions are capped at 350 submissions per genre.*
Web Edition Theme: Reaction
Theme Description:
We find ourselves in a moment of American Reaction. But what sparks that reaction, and what is born out of it? Send us your stories, poems and essays that react without or before forethought, or deal with its spurious repercussions. Render reactivity in digital and material and spiritual spaces in all its spectacle and earnestness. Show us poignant moments of unexpected emotion, or sudden bodily reflexes or the mind's recoil. We want characters caught in unforeseeable moments and narrators that drop their guard, or poems that embody one action’s equal and opposed reaction. We welcome writing that spans the spectrum of reactions – chemical, physical, biological, psychological and political – and pieces that capture reaction in all its possibility and detriment.
General Guidelines:
You may submit up to three poems or one piece of short prose (fiction or nonfiction) of up to 3500 words; please also include a cover letter that briefly explains how you see your work connecting to the theme. Note: work submitted without this information may be withdrawn. Acceptable file formats are .doc, .docx, .rtf, and .pdf.
We only accept submissions for web editions via ninthletter.submittable.com. Submissions sent via snail mail will not be considered for web editions. Email submissions are not accepted and will not be read.
Unless otherwise requested, please submit only once per reading period. We do not accept submissions of previously published work (including work published on personal blogs or social media sites). Please do not send multiple submissions within the same genre.
Simultaneous submissions are encouraged, but please withdraw any work accepted by another publication.
Formatting Note:
Or website does not allowed justified text, so works with fully justified text blocks will not be considered for publication.
Publication Terms and Payment:
Authors who work is selected for the web issue will be offered payment of $25 per poem or $75 per piece of prose, plus an exclusive discount for a one-year print subscription.
Please submit one piece of short fiction of no more than 3500 words. You may also submit up to three pieces of flash fiction as long as the total word count of the submission is no more than 3500 words. Our website does not have the capability to publish fully justified text, so please do not submit work with that formatting. Please also include a note that briefly explains your work's connection to the theme. Submissions without this note will not be accepted. Acceptable file formats are .doc, .docx, and .pdf. Fiction submissions for the web edition are accepted through this link only. Submissions sent via snail mail, email, or our print edition general submissions links will not be considered for this edition.
Please submit up to three poems. Poetry submissions should be no longer than 10 manuscript pages.
Please also include a note that briefly explains your work's connection to the theme. Submissions without this note will not be accepted.
Acceptable file formats are .doc, .docx, and .pdf.
Poetry submissions for the web edition are accepted through this link only. Submissions sent via snail mail, email, or our print edition general submissions links will not be considered for this edition.
Formatting Note: Our website does not allow justified text, so poems with a strict justify will not be considered for publication.
Please submit one essay of no more than 3500 words. You may also submit up to three pieces of flash nonfiction as long as the total word count of the submission is no more than 3500 words. Please also include a note that briefly explains your work's connection to the theme. Submissions without this note will not be accepted. Acceptable file formats are .doc, .docx, and .pdf. Creative nonfiction submissions for the web edition are accepted through this link only. Submissions sent via snail mail, email, or our print edition general submissions links will not be considered for this edition.
Ninth Letter Print Edition Submissions
Ninth Letter is published semi-annually in print at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. We are interested in prose and poetry that experiment with form, narrative, and nontraditional subject matter, as well as more traditional literary work.
We do not accept previously published work, including self-published work on websites, blogs, etc. Simultaneous submissions are welcome! Please send a message withdrawing your poem(s) or flash piece(s) immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. Please only send only one submission per genre at a time. We ask that previous contributors wait three years from your publication date before submitting again.
We accept electronic submissions via Submittable. We do not accept submissions by email attachment. Email submissions will not be read.
To see what we publish, you can purchase our current issue or a subscription via Submittable. All issues (including back issues) can be purchased here.
Print Submission Guidelines
Poetry Guidelines:
Please submit 3-5 poems (max. 8 pages) at a time.
If you classify your work as "hybrid," please submit to the genre category you feel your submission most closely applies. You are welcome to leave a note in the cover letter field with any details you think our reading team would find helpful. We will make sure your submission gets to the right team and receives the attention and consideration it deserves.
Submission Fee:
We charge a $3 reading fee. Fees are waived from December 1-31 or until we hit our cap of 300 submissions per genre.
Fee Waivers:
A limited number of fee waivers are available for writers for whom the submission fee would present undue financial hardship. Please send a short email to ninthletter9@gmail.com to request a fee waiver. No proof of income or other sensitive information is required.
Publication Terms & Payment:
Ninth Letter pays $25 per poem and $100 for prose upon publication and two complementary copies of the issue in which the work appears. Contributors also receive an exclusive subscription discount offer at the time of acceptance. Ninth Letter acquires First North American Serial Rights (FNASR). We ask that you acknowledge Ninth Letter upon reprint of your work.
Response Time:
We strive to respond to your submission within six months. Please wait until that time has elapsed before querying about the status of your submission.
Ninth Letter Print Edition Submissions
Ninth Letter is published semi-annually in print at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. We are interested in prose and poetry that experiment with form, narrative, and nontraditional subject matter, as well as more traditional literary work.
We do not accept previously published work, including self-published work on websites, blogs, etc. Simultaneous submissions are welcome! Please send a message withdrawing your poem(s) or flash piece(s) immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. Please only send only one submission per genre at a time. We ask that previous contributors wait three years from your publication date before submitting again.
We accept electronic submissions via Submittable. We do not accept submissions by email attachment. Email submissions will not be read.
To see what we publish, you can purchase our current issue or a subscription via Submittable. All issues (including back issues) can be purchased here.
Print Submission Guidelines
Creative Nonfiction Guidelines:
For creative nonfiction, submit one essay up to 8,000 words at a time. For flash, you may submit up to 3 pieces with a total word count totaling no more than 4,000 words.
If you classify your work as "hybrid," please submit to the genre category you feel your submission most closely applies. You are welcome to leave a note in the cover letter field with any details you think our reading team would find helpful. We will make sure your submission gets to the right team and receives the attention and consideration it deserves.
Submission Fee:
We charge a $3 reading fee. Fees are waived from December 1-31 or until we hit our cap of 300 submissions per genre.
Fee Waivers:
A limited number of fee waivers are available for writers for whom the submission fee would present undue financial hardship. Please send a short email to ninthletter9@gmail.com to request a fee waiver. No proof of income or other sensitive information is required.
Publication Terms & Payment:
Ninth Letter pays $25 per poem and $100 for prose upon publication and two complementary copies of the issue in which the work appears. Contributors also receive an exclusive subscription discount offer at the time of acceptance. Ninth Letter acquires First North American Serial Rights (FNASR). We ask that you acknowledge Ninth Letter upon reprint of your work.
Response Time:
We strive to respond to your submission within six months. Please wait until that time has elapsed before querying about the status of your submission.
Ninth Letter Print Edition Submissions
Ninth Letter is published semi-annually in print at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. We are interested in prose and poetry that experiment with form, narrative, and nontraditional subject matter, as well as more traditional literary work.
We do not accept previously published work, including self-published work on websites, blogs, etc. Simultaneous submissions are welcome! Please send a message withdrawing your poem(s) or flash piece(s) immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. Please only send only one submission per genre at a time. We ask that previous contributors wait three years from your publication date before submitting again.
We accept electronic submissions via Submittable. We do not accept submissions by email attachment. Email submissions will not be read.
To see what we publish, you can purchase our current issue or a subscription via Submittable. All issues (including back issues) can be purchased here.
Print Submission Guidelines
Fiction Guidelines:
For fiction, submit one story up to 8,000 words at a time. For flash, you may submit up to 3 pieces with a total word count totaling no more than 4,000 words.
If you classify your work as "hybrid," please submit to the genre category you feel your submission most closely applies. You are welcome to leave a note in the cover letter field with any details you think our reading team would find helpful. We will make sure your submission gets to the right team and receives the attention and consideration it deserves.
Submission Fee:
We charge a $3 reading fee. Fees are waived from December 1-31 or until we hit our cap of 300 submissions per genre.
Fee Waivers:
A limited number of fee waivers are available for writers for whom the submission fee would present undue financial hardship. Please send a short email to ninthletter9@gmail.com to request a fee waiver. No proof of income or other sensitive information is required.
Publication Terms & Payment:
Ninth Letter pays $25 per poem and $100 for prose upon publication and two complementary copies of the issue in which the work appears. Contributors also receive an exclusive subscription discount offer at the time of acceptance. Ninth Letter acquires First North American Serial Rights (FNASR). We ask that you acknowledge Ninth Letter upon reprint of your work.
Response Time:
We strive to respond to your submission within six months. Please wait until that time has elapsed before querying about the status of your submission.