Call for Submissions (Print Edition)
Ninth Letter accepts submission for print publication from August 15 - February 28th. Submission fees are waived during the month of December or until we hit our cap of 300 submissions per genre. Ninth Letter has a limited number of fee waivers for writers for whom the submission fee would present undue financial hardship. Please email ninthletter9@gmail.com to request a waiver.
Please do not send submissions via email--they will not be read. Ninth Letter accepts submission via snail mail for no fee. To submit via mail, please send your manuscript, cover letter, and SASE for our response. Please do not send your original manuscript, as we are unable to return manuscripts at this time. Use the following address for mail submissions:
Ninth Letter
c/o Genre (fiction, CNF, or poetry) Editor
Department of English
608 S Wright Street
Urbana, IL 61801
Thank you for your interest in Ninth Letter! We look forward to reading your work.
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Call for Submissions (Web Editions)
Ninth Letter will be accepting submissions of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for a special online edition to be published at ninthletter.com in Winter 2024. Submissions will be open from September 1 to November 1. No fee is required for submissions to this issue.
The theme for this issue is Praise. Robert Hass begins his 1979 book of poetry, Praise, with an epigraph:
We asked the captain what course
of action he proposed to take toward
a beast so large, terrifying, and
unpredictable. He hesitated to
answer, and then said judiciously:
"I think I shall praise it."
What beasts do you praise? What monsters do you pay tribute to? How sharp are the objects of your veneration? We seek the flashlight pushing its beam through darkness; we seek the grin that bears the weight. Show us the reverence that glows like an ember in the ash. Show us your demons, and share with us the odes and hymns, the lullabies and incantations you sing to earn their peace. Show us your beasts, and give your beasts praise.
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 Note: work submitted without this information may be withdrawn.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.
Submissions sent via snail mail or submitted through our general submissions at ninthletter.com will not be considered for this issue.
Unless otherwise requested, please submit only once per reading period. Please do not send multiple submissions or previously published work.
Authors whose work is selected for this issue will receive a small honorarium ($25 per poem, $75 per story or essay), as well as a discounted subscription offer for the print edition of Ninth Letter.
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20th Anniversary Issue Available Now!
Ninth Letter's newest print issue is out and ready for purchase. Check out full details and contributor list on our website. Order your issue or subscribe today below!
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New Issue is available now!
Purchase your copy of our 20th anniversary issue which includes a special accordion-fold insert from Louise Ling Edwards plus new work from Lena Valencia, Rochelle Hurt, Chelsea Dingman, Neal Hammons, Lena Valencia, Alexa Luborsky, Molly Reid, and many more!
Subscription includes 2 print issues per year. All subscriptions beginning with current issue unless otherwise requested. S&H is free for domestic mailing addresses. International subscriptions incur a S&H charge which is included in the purchase price. Email ninthletter9@gmail.com if you have questions.
Subscription includes 2 print issues per year. All subscriptions beginning with current issue unless otherwise requested. S&H is free for domestic mailing addresses. International subscriptions incur a S&H charge which is included in the purchase price. Email ninthletter9@gmail.com if you have questions.
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.
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.
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 is accepting poetry submissions for our Spring/Summer 2024 print edition from August 15th to February 28!
General Guidelines:
Submit 3-5 poems (max. 8 pages) at a time. We do not accept previously published work, including self-published work on websites, blogs, etc. Simultaneous submissions are okay as long as they are identified as such in a cover letter. Please send a message withdrawing your poem(s) immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. Please only send only one submission per genre at a time. We do not accept submissions by email attachment--email submissions will not be read.
Submission Fee:
We charge a $3 reading fee to help with Submittable and other operational costs. Fees are waived from December 1 – December 31, or until we hit our cap of 300 submissions. A limited number of fee waivers are available for members of traditionally marginalized communities or for whom the submission fee would present undue financial hardship. Please email ninthletter9@gmail.com to request a fee waiver.
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. 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 16 weeks. Please wait until that time has elapsed before querying about the status of your submission.
Ninth Letter is accepting creative nonfiction submissions for our Spring/Summer 2024 print edition from August 15th to February 28!
General Guidelines:
Submit one essay up to 8,000 words at a time. We do not accept previously published work, including self-published work on websites, blogs, etc. Simultaneous submissions are okay as long as they are identified as such in a cover letter. Please withdraw your work immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. Please only send only one submission per genre at a time. We do not accept submissions by email attachment--email submissions will not be read.
Submission Fee:
We charge a $3 reading fee to help with Submittable and other operational costs. Fees are waived from December 1 – December 31, or until we hit our cap of 300 submissions. A limited number of fee waivers are available for members of traditionally marginalized communities or for whom the submission fee would present undue financial hardship. Please email ninthletter9@gmail.com to request a fee waiver.
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. 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 16 weeks. Please wait until that time has elapsed before querying about the status of your submission.
Ninth Letter is accepting fiction submissions for our Spring/Summer 2024 print edition from August 15th to February 28!
General Guidelines:
Submit one story up to 8,000 words at a time. For flash fiction, you may submit up to 3 pieces with a total word count totaling no more than 4,000 words. We do not accept previously published work, including self-published work on websites, blogs, etc. Simultaneous submissions are okay as long as they are identified as such in a cover letter. Please withdraw your work immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. Please only send only one submission per genre at a time. We do not accept submissions by email attachment--email submissions will not be read.
Submission Fee:
We charge a $3 reading fee to help with Submittable and other operational costs. Fees are waived from December 1 – December 31, or until we hit our cap of 300 submissions. A limited number of fee waivers are available for members of traditionally marginalized communities or for whom the submission fee would present undue financial hardship. Please email ninthletter9@gmail.com to request a fee waiver.
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. 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 16 weeks. Please wait until that time has elapsed before querying about the status of your submission.