How to submit

This is the part where most literary journals say “read our issues to see if we’re a good home for your work.” We don’t have any—yet. But, your submissions should fit the volume’s theme and comply with our code and ethics. We plan to publish at least biannually online, and in print if donations are enough to cover the cost of printing and post after expenses. With time and supportive readers, our most important priority is to be able to pay our contributors because writers and artists deserve to be paid for their work.

We’re accepting the following categories for Vol. 1: Still Life until Feb. 21, 2021…

Poetry (up to 3 per submission)
Short Fiction (up to 2 per submission, max. 1000 words)
Memoir or Essay (1 per submission, max. 2000 words)
Criticism or Review (1 per submission, max. 2000 words)
Visual Art (up to 2 per submission)
Audio/Visual media (1 per submission)

Guidelines

  • Make sure your work fits the volume’s theme.
    Feel free to elaborate in your short artist’s statement.

  • One category submission per writer/artist.
    Ex: One cannot submit both poetry and short fiction for the same volume, but you can submit multiple pieces in the category. (see limits above)

  • We accept previously unpublished work only.
    That is, unless the current submission cycle specifies otherwise. Simultaneous submissions to other publications are fine with us!

  • If your work gets accepted elsewhere in the meantime, let us know.
    Congrats! Please send us an email with the subject [Withdrawal Vol. #] and we’ll withdraw your submission.

  • We ask for first-time digital publication rights.
    Your work always belongs to you first. However, please     don’t publish a piece we’ve accepted before it appears in Pareidolia Literary. Once it’s been published, all rights revert back to the author. We kindly ask that if your piece is published elsewhere in the future, that you please credit Pareidolia Literary with its initial publication.

  • Submissions should be bundled into one email and attached to it.
    Inline-text submissions will not be accepted due to readability reasons.

  • Double-space fiction, poetry can be single-spaced.
    We need it for readability. Much appreciated!

  • We accept .doc /.docx, .odt, .rtf, or .txt files.
    If your piece requires special formatting, please also include a PDF so we can format it correctly. NOTE: Files with .doc or .docx preserve edit histories, so please remember to copy-paste into a new file to keep private info from making its way to us.

  • Please include any relevant content warnings.
    Please use your best judgement when sending us pieces with depictions of graphic or distressing themes and add a content or trigger warning in the body of your mail or document. This isn’t to make things difficult, it’s common respect.

  • Make sure your work is proofed beforehand.
    Our team is extremely small, and we cannot at this time accommodate edits that may come up after submission.

  • We cannot accommodate providing feedback at this time. We’re considering a tipping model for feedback in future.

    Please allow up to 8 weeks for a response. We know this is a bit long, but we’ll work to improve our response time with subsequent volumes. We promise! You can, however, expect a confirmation of submission typically within 3 days of receipt.

To submit:

Send an email with your submission in an attachment to info@pareidolialiterary.com with the subject line SUBMISSION Vol. 1: [category].

Please include a short artist’s statement about how your piece fits the theme (max. 100 words) and a bio (max. 100 words) so we get to know you a little. If you so wish, feel free to note any relevant social media handles, especially if you use Twitter—we want to hype our authors and artists!

Special consideration is given to first-time authors and artists, those underrepresented in literature and the arts, BIPOC/BAME and LGBTQIA+ creators, and people with disabilities.

Thank you, and we look forward to your submission!