Submissions

We look forward to discovering great literature and encourage all writers to submit their work. Literary Laundry rejects the belief that authors must pay in order to have their work read. We therefore require no submission fee.

Literary Laundry Competitions

Each issue of Literary Laundry is accompanied by a writing competition. All pieces submitted to us for review will be entered into consideration for our Awards of Distinction. We offer the following cash awards:

$500 for best poem
$500 for best short story
$250 for best one-act drama

In addition to considering undergraduate works for the Awards of Distinction, we will also consider them for the following undergraduate awards:

$250 for best poem
$250 for best short story

Lastly, each issue of Literary Laundry will feature the work of one visual artist. The "Featured Artist" will receive an award of $100.

Submissions for our fifth issue are due June 1, 2012. There is no fee to submit.

Novellas and Chapbooks: The Literary Laundry Series

Literary Laundry is now publishing (in print) both novellas and poetry chapbooks. Authors selected for publication will receive $250 in upfront payment and 33% of all royalties earned on sales.

Submissions for these two series are rolling. There is no fee to submit.

See the submission policies below for further details.

Literary Laundry Submission Policies

In order to submit work to either the journal or the showcase , authors must subscribe to Literary Laundry and create an account with username and password.

Click here to view submission policies for the Journal.

Authors may submit only one work per category during each review cycle. Authors can, however, submit work in multiple categories during one review cycle.
Poets may submit up to three pages of poetry. It does not matter to us whether we receive one three page poem or many short poems on three pages. Poems, however, must be submitted in one document. This document should not be formatted with multiple columns to a page unless such formatting is integral to the endeavors of the poem.
Authors submitting prose fiction may submit one short story (or one chapter from a larger piece) per review cycle. We ask that submissions be single-spaced and kept to less than 10 pages single-space.
Authors submitting one-act drama may submit one piece per review cycle. We ask that submissions be single-spaced and kept to less than 15 pages single-spaced.
Submissions should be formatted using 1 inch margins and a minimum font size of 11 points. Of course, if formatting manipulation is required by the artistic aims of the piece, it is permissible.
Authors must include a cover letter as a preface to their submission. This cover letter should contain a one paragraph biography and a one to two paragraph “abstract” explaining why the writing submitted is intellectually evocative or of interest to a contemporary audience. This cover letter should be included in the document submitted.
Undergraduates should indiciate their school, year of study, field of study, and undergraduate status beneath their signature on the cover letter.
The Signature should be formatted as follows:

Name
University, Class of (Year)
B.A./B.S. Candidate in (Field of Study)
Undergraduate

Failure to provide such details in the cover letter signature may jeopardize consideration for undergraduate awards.
We welcome work that does not conventionally fall in one of these three genres. Please submit the work to the genre of your preference and explain its form in the abstract.
All submissions must be previously unpublished.
In order to submit work to Literary Laundry, authors must subscribe to the journal and create an account with username and password.
Literary Laundry is committed to ensuring that authors retain full rights to their submissions. Literary Laundry will reproduce accepted works only for publication in the issue's print retrospect. We merely request that pieces selected for publication not appear in other literary journals within 18 months of online publication by Literary Laundry. If a work published on Literary Laundry is published again in the future, we ask for an acknowledgment that the piece first appeared in Literary Laundry.

Click here to view submission policies for our Featured Artist.

Featured Artists should submit between 8-10 works in their portfolio. Not all works from the accepted portfolio will be published.
Images should be submitted as JPEG files.
All artists must provide a biography of approximately 1-2 paragraphs.
All portfolios must be accompanied by an "abstract" of approximately 250-350 words. The abstract should describe the artist's inspirations and aspirations, style and substance. The abstract presents an opportunity for the artist to explain the intricacies of his/her work to the Literary Laundry readership. It will be published in the journal on the "Featured Artist" page.
The Editors reserve the right to modify abstracts before publication on the "Featured Artist" page.

Click here to view submission policies for our Author Showcase.

Authors must include a biography (picture is optional but would be preferred).
Authors must include an “abstract” explaining both the aesthetic character of their writing in general, and why the particular pieces submitted for showcase exemplify their endeavors. This "abstract" should also detail why submitted work is intellectually evocative or of interest to a contemporary audience. It should be approximately 300 words.
Authors submitting only poetry for showcase should submit between 8 and 10 works. At least 3 must be previously unpublished.
Authors submitting only prose fiction for showcase should submit between 3 and 4 short stories (or chapters from larger works). At least one must be previously unpublished.
Authors submitting only one-act drama may submit between 3 and 4 pieces. At least one must be previously unpublished.
Authors wishing to submit in multiple categories may submit a total of 10 pieces. Of these 10 works, no more than 4 can be prose-fiction or one-act drama. At least 1/3 of submissions must be previously unpublished.
Authors must indicate which pieces are previously published and which are previously unpublished. Authors must identify the place and time of publication for previously published work.

Click here to view submission policies for our Chapbook Series.

Please submit your chapbook as a PDF. The book interior should be formatted exactly as the author (you) would like to see it published.
Files should be formatted to trim size 5.5'' x 8.5''
Chapbooks should not exceed 50 pages. This count includes table of contents, prose introduction, author biography, and any necessary appendices.
Each chapbook should contain a 5-10 page, single-spaced prose introduction that reflects upon the book's aesthetic aspirations. (Note: Because this introduction will be written in 5.5'' x 8.5'' trim, it will be much shorter than a 5-10 pages in a standard document).
Chapbooks should contain a table of contents.
With the exception of the introduction, authors are free to format the remainder of their chapbook however they choose.
- Chapbooks may contain images, in either color or black and white
- Poems may be formatted in any fonts, colors, justifications, etc.
- Authors may include appendices as they see fit.
Chapbooks must contain at least 10 previously unpublished poems. Previously published poems should be noted on an appendix page that lists which poems were previously published and where.
Chapbooks must include an author biography at the end of the book. This biography should be less than a page in length. Personal photo may be included (though this is optional)
Books selected for publication will receive $250 in upfront payment and 33% of all royalties earned on sales.
Please do not query until 6 months following submission.

Click here to view submission policies for our Novella Series.

Please submit your novella as a PDF. The book interior should be formatted exactly as the author (you) would like to see it published.
Files should be formatted to trim size 5.5'' x 8.5''
Novellas should be between 10,000 and 30,000 words in length.
Each novella should contain a single-spaced prose introduction that reflects upon the intellectual/aesthetic aspiration of the book. Introductions should be between 5 and 10 pages in length.
With the exception of the introduction, the author is free to format the remainder of the novella as he/she chooses.
- Novellas may be formatted in any fonts or justifications. They cannot, however, contain color.
- Authors may include appendices as they see fit.
- Please include a table of contents if the novella is divided into multiple sections..
All novella submissions must be previously unpublished.
Novellas must include an author biography at the end of the book. This biography should be less than a page in length. Personal photo may be included (though this is optional).
Books selected for publication will receive $250 in upfront payment and 33% of all royalties earned on sales.
Please do not query until 6 months following submission.

Frequently Asked Questions.

Does Literary Laundry accept submissions from authors of all ages?

Yes. Though we receive many submissions from students (both undergraduate and graduate), a substantial portion of our submissions come from non-students. We understand that masterful writing transcends age. As such, we encourage all writers to submit.
Does Literary Laundry accept submissions from outside the United States?

Yes. We love to read these works as well.
Does Literary Laundry accept work written in languages other than English?

No. We will, however, accept work translated into English. If we select for publication a poem translated into English, we will happily publish the original text beside it.
How strictly should submissions adhere to the submissions guidelines?

Quite simply, the answer is strictly. Submissions that lack cover letters or submissions that flagrantly violate page length/formatting regulations risk disqualification from our competition.

The Literary Laundry Editors want, first and foremost, to facilitate literary exchange. Poetry submission that run 3.5 pages or short stories that run 11 pages, for example, are unlikely to upset anybody. That said, authors enter such waters at their own risk.
Many of Literary Laundry's editors hail from Stanford. What is the relationship between the journal and the school?

Literary Laundry is not affiliated with Stanford University in any official capacity. Many members of our editorial team possess personal connections to the university because the Executive Editors created the journal while studying together at Stanford.

Literary Laundry operates independently of any external affiliation. It is managed entirely by its editorial team.

Deadlines and the Literary Laundry Calendar

The submission deadline for our next journal issue (and fourth round of competitions) is December 1, 2011.

Click here to view our submissions calendar.

A Note:

Literary Laundry strives to be accessible and writer-friendly. Nonetheless, our primary aims are fast turn-around and the production of a high-quality journal. We do not intend to hold your work for longer than one journal cycle. All submitters to a particular issue will be notified within 6 months following the release of the prior issue.

If you submit work to Literary Laundry, you will receive either an acceptance e-mail or a notification that the new issue has been published. We attempt to announce publication releases within 24 hours of loading the journal online. We assume that our submitters support Literary Laundry's desire to showcase masterful and intellectually engaging works of creative writing. Rather than "reject," we invite our submitters to read the journal and discuss it on the site.