Submission Guidelines

Print submissions are currently closed. Online submissions are currently open.

We publish a print annual every January. We publish flash fiction online every week, as well as reviews, essays, apt comparisons, and other miscellanea as they arrive.

The reading period for our annual print issue is March 1-September 30. Submissions sent outside that period will be deleted, unread.

The reading period for online publication is October 15-August 15.

During those reading periods, we only accept submissions sent via Submishmash.

PRINT:
We accept fiction, poetry, essays, visual and sequential art. We only accept one submission from each contributor per reading period. Please do not send more than one print submission between March 1 and September 30.

ONLINE:
We accept flash fiction (no more than 1000 words), reviews, essays, short scripts, narrative visual art, sequential art, video, and quippy musings for our apt comparisons feature.  We do not accept unsolicited poetry submissions for online publication. Please do not submit more than once every 30 days.

INSTRUCTIONS:
Poetry: Send 3-5 pieces included in a single document. In other words: If you have to upload more than one file through Submishmash, you’ve exceeded the limit. We do not accept poetry submissions for online publication.

Fiction: Send no more than 5000 words–if you’re submitting flash fiction for online publication, please send 1000 words or less. If you’re sending more than one piece, everything should be included in a single document.

Essays: Send no more than 1000 words. See above.

apt comparisons: Pick two things. Compare them. Stop somewhere before 2000 words.

Reviews: If you’ve written a review, feel free to send it to us. Length should not exceed 1000 words.

Plays: No more than two ten-minute scripts please. Standard formatting is fine. We’ll tweak it for publication.

Narrative visual art: Please do not send static images if they do not tell a story. We adore random static images. However, we do not publish them.

Bios: Include a bio written in the third person. If you do not include a bio and we accept your work, we will make something up. It will be complimentary, but likely not factual.

RESPONSE TIME:
We respond to all submissions within four weeks.

LEGAL:
We reserve first printing rights, including publication in apt in both printed and ebook formats, and the right to excerpt portions of accepted work online in order to promote you, your work, and the journal. The copyright to your work is always held by you. If we publish your work on the website, we reserve first North American electronic printing rights and the right to keep it here in archives indefinitely. All other rights remain property of the author. If you reprint any of your work which originally appeared in apt, we ask that you acknowledge that fact.

PAYMENT:
All contributors with work featured in print issues will receive one contributor’s copy of the issue in which their work appears. There is no payment for online publication.