The answers to all of the questions we most frequently receive can be found below. Please read carefully before contacting us.
Q: What are your writers’ guidelines? Do you accept simultaneous submissions? What about electronic submissions?
A: Here are the complete writers’ guidelines. We accept simultaneous submissions as long as you notify us as soon as possible if the manuscript has been accepted elsewhere. We generally devote 6-14 pages to each poet, so please submit manuscripts with this length requirement in mind.
Q: If I submit to Marrow Magazine, how soon can I expect a response?
A: Our standard response time is about 3-4 months, though we often respond a little sooner. However, depending on the time of year, response times regardless of submission method will vary. While you might receive a response in as little as a month over the summer, at other times — especially if your piece was submitted in the late fall and/or is under serious consideration — a response may be longer in coming.
Please give us at least six months before contacting us about your work. According to Duotrope.com, our typical response time is closer to two months, but since we do have a small staff, we can be slower around the holidays and the semester breaks.
Q: How much do you pay your authors, and what rights does Marrow Magazine buy when accepting a manuscript?
A: We are currently in the process of exploring author payment for print issues, which we hope to roll out by the end of the year. Like most literary magazines — and indeed many commercial periodicals — Marrow Magazine buys first serial rights and limited other rights that are stated in our contract. Please query the editors if you would like to know more. Rights to republish the work in another venue or in book form revert to the author; we ask that you acknowledge Marrow Magazine as the original publisher on any republication in book form.
Q: Are author notes required?
A: Author notes are not required but encouraged. If you wish, a brief note providing contact and/or relevant biographical information (highlights only) can be included. Detailed lists of publications are not necessary, nor are summations of your work.
Q: Do you accept book reviews and interviews?
A: We do not accept book reviews at this time, but we may reach out for interviews or for soliciting interviews by contributors; we suggest you query us first via email. While we don’t have any specific restrictions about interviews, it is a good idea to read some of our recent interviews first to get an idea of who to interview and what sort of questions make for a good, intriguing interview.
Q: Do you accept previously published work? What is TMR’s definition of previously published? Do publications on my personal blog count?
A: No. We do not publish any previously published work. Our definition of “published” is material distributed in any manner to the public, print or web, so work posted on your blog should not be submitted to us for consideration.
Q: I’ve received a rejection notice with some nice written comments. Does everyone get these?
A: No. Due to the sheer volume of manuscripts we receive, it is impossible to respond in writing even to many quality submissions.
Q: What happens to my submission when it reaches Marrow Magazine?
A: Pieces are assigned to readers using our online submission form, which allows each reader to comment on the piece before meeting as a group to discuss.
Generally, if there are two enthusiastic reactions to a piece, it’s a good sign. Final decisions are made by all four co-editors. A request for a revision or an acceptance for publication is offered to the writer as quickly as possible.
Q: What kind of stories do you see too much of? How about poems?
A: Some story types very frequently encountered by our readers include coming of age stories, sexual awakening stories, family trauma stories, and grieving process stories. We are always excited to see stories that introduce something memorable and fresh.
Similarly, we receive a large number of poems each week that deal with either love or loss (sometimes both). Too often, the writers rely solely on the poignancy of the situation to carry the day. Ultimately, however, poems are judged not on what they are about but on how they are written — i.e., the freshness of the language and the evocative power of the images used.
Q: The Missouri Review promotes itself as a forum for new writers. Do writers who’ve never published before really have a chance?
A: Some magazines talk about discovering new writers, but we really do it. We had a visitor in the office recently who wanted to know how we found so many new writers. He had seen ten first story publications in only five issues of TMR. In fact, we’ve published the first story of more than 100 new fiction writers. In 2016 alone, we were first publishers of Siobhan Phillips, Charles Harmon, and Dan Musgrave.
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