Welcome to Electric Literature's submissions hub!
We have a number of categories, including Essays, Recommended Reading, and The Commuter. Please scroll down for information and guidelines on the category you are interested in.
Looking for member submissions? You received an email with the members only submission links when you joined. If you can't find that email or believe you never received it, please email editors@electricliterature.com. Please include the full name associated with your membership so we can confirm your subscription.
The Commuter Prose, Poetry, and Graphic Narrative Submissions—opens Monday, February 13, 2023 (12:00am PST) through Sunday, February 19 (11:59pm PST)
Members of Electric Literature can submit year-round. Join today!
The Commuter is our home for poetry, flash, graphic, and experimental narratives. It publishes weekly on Monday morning, and has showcased the likes of Caroline Hadilaksono, Aleksandar Hemon, Jonathan Lethem, Lindsay Hunter, Tahirah Alexander Green, and Julia Wertz.
Please keep the following guidelines in mind:
- For Prose, submit one or more pieces, either standalone or connected, in a single document. The total word count should not exceed 1500 words. We encourage writers to push the boundaries of what is considered fiction.
- For Poetry, submit 4–6 poems in a single document, and please limit the page count to 8. Keep in mind that due to our digital platform, not all poems may render exactly as they appear in a PDF.
- For Graphic Narrative, we are interested in both traditional and non-traditional forms of visual storytelling. Submit up to 3 pieces of narrative illustration, comics, mixed media narrative, or genre-negative oddments. For comics, each piece should contain a minimum of 3 panels. The total page count of your submission should not exceed 20 pages.
- Please submit all genres in .doc, .docx, or PDF.
- Please submit only once per category.
- Work previously published in any form cannot be considered.
- Please include your email address.
- If your work is selected, we offer a total payment of $100.
- Writers with a submission pending with Recommended Reading may still submit to The Commuter.
All submissions will be accepted through our Submittable page. For a sense of the kind of work we publish, check out recent issues of The Commuter, our 280-character contest winners, and Recommended Reading’s 300th issue.
For candid advice from our editors on how to make your poems, flash, graphic, and experimental narratives stand out, watch our video "How to Get Published in The Commuter."
Recommended Reading General Fiction Submissions—opens Wednesday, February 1 2022 (12:00am PST) through Sunday, February 12 (11:59pm PST), or until 1,500 submissions are received
Members of Electric Literature can submit year-round. Join today!
- Recommended Reading publishes fiction between 2,000 and 10,000 words. (For fiction shorter than 2,000 words, check for open submission periods to The Commuter.)
- Simultaneous submissions are accepted but please notify us immediately if a piece is accepted elsewhere. Work previously published in any form cannot be considered.
- Response time is six to eight months.
- Upon acceptance, we can offer authors $300 for publishing rights.
- During the general submissions periods, writers may submit one piece per period. (This does not apply to year-round submitting members. For more information on member submissions, please refer to the welcome email you received when you signed up as a member or reach out to alyssa@electricliterature.com.)
- Writers with a submission pending with The Commuter can still submit to Recommended Reading.
For candid advice from our editors on how to polish your first pages and revise your work, check out our "Submission Roulette II" event and our video "How to Get Published in Recommended Reading."
Essays—open for submissions
Electric Literature's essays examine books and culture through a personal and critical lens. For greater accessibility, Electric Lit does not require full submissions on spec. Instead, email a detailed pitch to editors@electricliterature.com. Pitches should describe the subject matter of the essay (which must be about books, writing, or narrative media like movies, games, and TV) and give a sense of the argument you plan to make or the story you plan to tell. We welcome thoughtful considerations of new releases, overlooked classics, childhood favorites—anything that can illuminate or be illuminated by the human experience. Requests for Electric Literature to cover your book or your client's book are not considered pitches. If your story is immediately time-sensitive or news-responsive, indicate this in your subject line; otherwise, please wait at least a week to follow up.
For candid advice from our editors on how to make your pitches stand out, watch our video "How to Pitch Electric Lit."
Electric Literature accepts internship applications with deadlines three times a year: Aug 15 for the fall semester, Dec 15 for spring, and April 15 for summer. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and evaluated after each deadline.
Electric Literature internships introduce undergraduate and graduate students, emerging writers, and aspiring publishing professionals to literary digital publishing. Because we are a small, not-for-profit publisher, we provide unique opportunities for professional development and resume-building.
Responsibilities
- Write book lists and news items for electricliterature.com
- Provide feedback on pitches and submissions with written responses, and in editorial meetings
- Select images to pair with articles and brainstorm headlines
- Format, copy edit, and draft articles in Wordpress
- Perform administrative tasks as needed
- Draft and schedule social media posts
Skills
- Experience using Wordpress, Canva, and Submittable is preferred but not required
- An enthusiastic, informed, and unique perspective on literature and culture
- Strong copy editing skills, and a firm grasp of grammar and spelling
- Organized and fastidious
The Ideal Candidate
- Has an educational background in journalism, literature, or creative writing
- Has prior internship or entry-level job experience at another publishing, media, or non-profit organization
- Undergraduate applicants should be in their junior or senior year, and should preferably have off-campus work or internship experience
- Regularly reads new book releases as well as literary magazines and literary websites (including but not limited to Recommended Reading, The Commuter, and electricliterature.com)
- Believes strongly in Electric Literature’s mission: to make literature more relevant, exciting, and inclusive
- Is hard working, pays attention to detail, and can work independently
- Writes clearly and with personality
- Has an eye for design and knows what images will grab a reader’s attention
Details
This is a part time, remote internship (15 hours/week) with a $250 per month stipend. 10–12 hours per week will be spent in the virtual office, with 3–5 hours per week spent reading submissions (~10 submissions per week, fiction and nonfiction). Candidates must be able to work at least 2 days per week (Monday–Thursday) during East Coast business hours (9am–6pm ET). We ask that interns make a minimum 3-month commitment, with the opportunity to extend the internship up to 8 months.
How to Apply
To apply, please submit the following via Submittable at your earliest convenience. We are looking to fill the position immediately and applications will be considered on a rolling basis.
- A cover letter and resume. (Current EL readers need only send an updated resume; a cover letter and reading list sample are not required.)
- Write the headline and 2 to 3 paragraph introduction for a reading list (you can look at the Reading Lists on our site for inspiration). Include 5–7 book titles that you would include on the list, and a short capsule description of one of those books.
Calling all fiction lovers! Electric Literature is looking for new manuscript readers to join our editorial team. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed as need.
Recommended Reading is the weekly fiction magazine of Electric Literature, an organization dedicated to making literature more relevant, exciting, and inclusive. Recommended Reading publishes one story per week: a mix of original work, forgotten classics, and forthcoming excerpts, each with a personal foreword by today’s best writers.
Because Recommended Reading receives a large volume of submissions, a committed corps of volunteer readers is essential to helping the editors find new, unknown, and/or overlooked talent.
Responsibilities include:
- Reading ten manuscripts per week, ranging from 2,000 to 8,000 words each.
- Providing concise but thorough responses (one to two paragraphs) to these manuscripts, with a clear YES or NO recommendation for each.
- Meeting weekly reading deadlines, and clearly communicating with editorial staff when scheduling conflicts arise.
The ideal applicant is:
- An avid and attentive reader.
- Self-motivated and able to meet deadlines.
- Able to express herself clearly in writing.
- A regular reader of Recommended Reading who is familiar with its back catalogue.
- An educational background in literature and/or professional experience in literary criticism, editing, and fiction writing is a plus, but not required.
- An active participant in their local literary scene, and an avid reader of contemporary literature.
This is a volunteer position that requires a commitment of approximately six hours a week for six months, with an opportunity to renew. Readers will work remotely and on their own schedules (as long as they meet the weekly deadline).
Current readers are not allowed to submit their own fiction for consideration in Recommended Reading. Discussion of submissions outside of Recommended Reading is strictly prohibited, and will result in immediate termination.
For a sense of the kind of stories you’ll be reading, visit the Recommended Reading homepage here.
Please submit your résumé and a two-paragraph response/critique of a story published in Recommended Reading. If your resume is selected, the application process will also include a reading test and interview (in-person or video call.)
Applications will be accepted year-round, and we will review and take on new readers as needed.