Iron Horse Literary Review publishes short fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and artwork.
General Guidelines:
• We open to submissions on a rolling basis for 3-4 weeks at a time. Please see the table below for dates.
| ISSUE | CONTENT | SUBMISSION PERIOD |
|---|---|---|
| Vol. 14, No. 1
Feb 2012 | Valentine's Issue II
Stories, poems, and essays--all things love | Aug 22, 2011 - Sept 9, 2011 |
| Vol. 14, No. 2
April 2012 | National Poetry Month Issue (annual)
Poetry issue, submit poems only | Oct 3, 2011 - Oct 28, 2011 |
| Vol. 14, No. 3
June 2012 | Twice-Told Tales
Solicited materials only | No unsolicited submissions |
| Vol. 14, No. 4
Sept 2012 | Open Issue, no theme
Stories, poems, and essays--any topic | Nov 21, 2011 - Dec 16, 2011 |
| Vol. 14, No. 5
Oct 2012 | Single-Author Competition
Story/essay collection, see competition guidelines | Jan 16, 2012 - Feb 10, 2012 |
| Vol. 14, No. 6
Dec 2012 | Open Issue, no theme
Stories, poems, and essays--any topic | Mar 5, 2012 - Mar 30, 2012 |
• Please submit prose manuscripts of 5,000 words or less and packets of 3-5 poems grouped in a single document. If submitting flash fiction or flash nonfiction, submit 1-3 pieces grouped in a single document.
• We do not publish previously published materials.
• We only respond to one submission at a time. Send your second manuscript only after we have responded to the first.
• Iron Horse accepts simultaneous submissions but please inform us immediately if a submission is taken elsewhere.
• We will review only three manuscripts by any one author during any one academic year; subsequent manuscripts by the same author will be automatically rejected.
• If you wish us to consider a photography feature or cover art, send us digital images/text electronically.
• Upon publication, we provide an honorarium of $40 per poem or short-short and $100 per story or essay.
• Please include a cover letter with name, email address and the title(s) of work submitted.
We recommend that you familiarize yourself with IHLR before you submit your work. Find more about the current issue as well as subscription information on our website.
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For further information on any topic, send us an email.
This year, Iron Horse Literary Review has opted to charge a $2 submission fee for each manuscript submitted to our office. Like every literary journal in the country, in these economic times, we're compelled to demonstrate that we are both a fruitful project, with many benefits, as well as self-sufficient rather than a drain on limited funds.
With the exception of our two managing editors (who work for a small salary, the equivalent of a teaching assistantship), the editorial staff is comprised of volunteers. No person receives any of the $2 submission fee. It costs us approximately $2,700 to produce one issue, and we publish six a year. From the $2 submission fee, we receive $1. This generates approximately $100 a week, and because we read for approximately 24 weeks each year, our total support from the submission fee is around $2,400 each year. This helps us produce one issue entirely on our own, which is one small step we can take toward self-reliance.
Together, with your help, we can keep the literary arts alive, and we hope you will be happy to spend $2 for your submission rather than giving that money to an office supply store and the post office.
2-Year Subscription - $25.00
12 issues, $25. Gift Horse promotion: With your purchase of a 2-year subscription, we will also send a 1-year gift subscription to a person or library of your choosing, absolutely free!Instructions:
1. On the "Enter Your Billing Information" page, input your billing address and credit card information. If you prefer, you may instead pay with PayPal by clicking the link at the bottom of the page.
2. Click "Process Payment and Continue."
3. On the "Enter Your Submission Content" page, enter your mailing address and tell us how you heard about Iron Horse. To take advantage of our Gift Horse promotion, also enter the name and address of the gift subscription recipient.
4. Click "Submit to Iron Horse Literary Review."
Note: The process is not complete until you submit your address on the final form. You must input the mailing address on the "Enter Your Submission Content" page, even if it is the same as the billing address.
SUBMIT
1-Year Subscription - $15.00
Six issues per year, $15. Instructions:1. On the "Enter Your Billing Information" page, input your billing address and credit card information. If you prefer, you may instead pay with PayPal by clicking the link at the bottom of the page.
2. Click "Process Payment and Continue."
3. On the "Enter Your Submission Content" page, enter your mailing address and tell us how you heard about Iron Horse.
4. Click "Submit to Iron Horse Literary Review."
Note: The process is not complete until you submit your address on the final form. You must input the mailing address on the "Enter Your Submission Content" page, even if it is the same as the billing address.
SUBMIT
Purchase a Back Issue - $5.00
Single issues $5 each. Instructions:1. On the "Enter Your Billing Information" page, input your billing address and credit card information. If you prefer, you may instead pay with PayPal by clicking the link at the bottom of the page.
2. Click "Process Payment and Continue."
3. On the "Enter Your Submission Content" page, specify which back issue you wnat and enter your mailing address, and tell us how you heard about Iron Horse.
4. Click "Submit to Iron Horse Literary Review."
Note: The process is not complete until you submit your address on the final form. You must input the mailing address on the "Enter Your Submission Content" page, even if it is the same as the billing address.
SUBMIT
Single-Author Competition, 2012, Prose (stories or essays) - $15.00
(pdf, doc, docx)
Size limit: 50 to 65 manuscript pages
Iron Horse is accepting submissions for our annual single-author issue.The winning collection of stories or essays will be published in 2012 as a separate issue. Full-color cover art will reflect the collection’s content and emphasize the title, not the name of Iron Horse. The published collection will look like the single-author book that it is. The winner also receives a $1,000 honorarium.
Formatting Instructions:
• Entries must be between 15,000 and 20,000 words (50 to 65 manuscript pages).
• Manuscripts must be typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, 12-point font.
• While one or two of the stories/essays may have been published elsewhere, the majority of the collection must be previously unpublished.
• Postal submissions: The author’s name and contact information (including email and mailing address) must appear on a cover sheet, but it must NOT appear anywhere else on the manuscript. Electronic submissions: Paste author's name and contact information (including mailing address) in the "comments" field; do NOT include it in the uploaded manuscript.
• Pages must be numbered.
• Each entry must include the $15 reading fee, which also purchases a one-year subscription to Iron Horse. Postal submissions should include a check made out to Iron Horse Literary Review.
• Entries must also include an email address for results notification.
• You may upload your document here (one file per chapbook) or send a hard copy to Iron Horse Literary Review, Texas Tech University, English Department, Mail Stop 43091, Lubbock, TX 79409-3091.
• Postmark deadline for entries is March 15, 2012.
Entries failing to meet formatting instructions will be automatically disqualified.
Additional questions should be directed to the editors at mail@ironhorsereview.com.
SUBMIT