Please review our guidelines. It’ll make us super happy (and way more likely to publish your brilliant writing).
Guidelines
You can submit work in one category per submission period. We accept:
- fiction (1 piece under 3,500 words)
- poetry (1–3 pieces)
- creative nonfiction (1 piece under 3,000 words)
- reviews of fiction and CNF titles (850–1,000 words, including pull quotes) and interviews (1,500–2,500 words, with optional 250–500 word introduction).
We prioritize #OwnVoices submissions, so if your work centers on the knowledge or experience of a marginalized group, please also include an identity statement on the first page so we know your relationship to that group.
Generally, we only accept unpublished work. However, if you pulled your work because of harassment or bigotry, we’d like to consider it. Please explain your work’s publication history (to the extent that you’re comfortable) on the first page of your submission.
We’ve pledged with VIDA’s #saferLIT campaign. This means we don’t tolerate or accept anti-Semitism, racism, sexism, misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, fatphobia, Islamophobia, xenophobia, or stories that in any way perpetuate negative stereotypes.
We accept simultaneous submissions, but if your submission is published elsewhere, please let us know by withdrawing it in Submittable. If you need to withdraw one part of your submission but not the whole thing, send us a message in Submittable.
We take one-time nonexclusive electronic rights and archival rights to your work. At this time we don’t provide contracts. By submitting to us, you’re agreeing to the above terms
Longleaf Review is open all year for reflective and engaging book reviews on works of fiction and creative nonfiction as well as interviews with the authors behind the prose.
For reviews, we love a personal feel with a first-person point of view slant; sharing your connection to the work is welcome but not required. We’re not looking for a book report or a term paper, and you can generally keep the tone light and conversational. Aim for 850 – 1,000 words, including pull quotes.
For interviews, we want to see a Q&A format with enticing questions from the writer that aren’t always seen in other similar formats. Have fun and be creative while conversing about the book’s major themes, topics, connections to other works, and the author’s overall creative process. Aim for 1,500 – 2,500 words, with an optional 250 – 500 word introduction.
At this time we are not a paying market and are only open to finished drafts (no pitches, please). Be sure to familiarize yourself with our archives before submitting, including checking out our previous reviews and interviews to see what we’ve published in the past. We are committed to publishing work by, for, and about people who are frequently marginalized in literary spaces and especially seek submissions that amplify these voices.
A few tips to consider:
• We like seeing a critical assessment of the book weaved throughout the review and elaborated on in more detail as you discuss certain aspects of the book, such as the theme.
• Don’t go heavy on the plot summary. We want to entice our readers to read the book rather than give away all the key spoilers.
• Long quotations are also not needed. Be selective with your quotes, only using them to help add to the review in terms of tone, language, or character, rather than to take up space.
• Reviews and interviews should not be previously published on other websites, personal blogs, and social media platforms.
• Please disclose any personal relationship you may have to the author if one exists.
• Reviews and interviews should be double-spaced and paginated.
• Your cover letter should include the following: title of book, author's name, name of press, and publication date. In your cover letter, please also include your name, contact information, and a brief bio we can use should your review or interview be accepted and published.
Thanks for your interest in Longleaf Review. If you have any questions about submitting a book review or interview, please email Carissa Chesanek at editorial(at)longleafreview(dot)com.