Send us your work!
We accept submissions twice a year:
January 31 to March 31
September 30 to November 30
Flash
We accept flash nonfiction submissions of 1,000 words or fewer. We love memoir, hermit crabs, lyric essays, experimental pieces, straightforward narratives, and everything in between. If it’s short and beautiful and true, we want it.
Micros
Micros are flash nonfiction pieces of 400 words or fewer. Tell us a story, show us an image, but do it quick.
Short-Shorts
Short-shorts are what we’re calling stories of 100 words or fewer. Got a Tiny Love Story reject? Send it our way! Tell us a story, but make it short-short.
Submission Guidelines
Submission Guidelines
How to format
Please submit no more than one piece per category, per submission window.
Be sure to double-space your work and save it in Times New Roman, 12-point font. (If font choices are important to your piece, however, please include what works.) Submit your work in a .doc or .docx file and please do not include your name in the file title or your last name anywhere in the submission.
What not to send
We do not accept submissions that are racist, homophobic, misogynist, or discriminatory. So please don’t send them to us.
We know that creative nonfiction oftens contains sensitive material. If the material warrants it, please add a trigger warning to the top of your piece to give our editors a heads up.
Submission Fees
Because our goal is to make writing and publishing more accessible, we do not charge submission fees. That means, however, that we cannot yet pay writers. We hope to change that by applying for grants, accepting tip jar donations, and offering paid options for feedback in the near future. However, tips do not impact how or when your piece is read or whether it’s accepted.
Our basic submissions are free.
Ready to Submit?
Publication Rights
In Short asks for first serial rights for the work we publish. All rights revert to the author three months after publication, and works can be then reprinted (though we do ask that you acknowledge In Short as its place of initial publication).