Submissions Now Open!
Exposed Bone has EXTENDED our submission window to midnight on July 22. Responses will be sent on a rolling basis but should be received by August 1.
We use Submission Manager to accept and decline work. If you're ready to submit, want to update your information, or check your submission status, click the button below.
Guidelines & Information
Exposed Bone publishes fiction and poetry in an annual 8.5x5.5 print edition. Hybrid and creative nonfiction works may be published on occasion, and writers of those genres should see the guidelines below. Creators are also welcome to submit for our cover contest.
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Note that we're committed to publishing and uplifting the voices of those from all racial and ethnic backgrounds, members of the LGBTQIA2+ community, and those from other disenfranchised or underrepresented groups. If you're not alright with that, this likely won't be your piece's home.
General
Work must be previously unpublished, and you must be over 18 years old when submitting. We accept simultaneous submissions, but please withdraw your submission ASAP if it's accepted elsewhere (and in that case, congrats from us!). If your work is accepted, we will reach out to you to verify that your piece is still unpublished and that you're continuing to allow us to publish it. At that time, we'll request a bio and your socials, so make sure you've got a short description of yourself ready to go.
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There is no hard ban on content. Please just understand that we are a journal produced for everyone, so anything hateful will be rejected. Besides that, we welcome unconventional and sensitive topics.
Our Rights and Yours
As editors, we reserve the right to make small edits in grammar, punctuation, and spelling per our house style. We will reach out with questions about larger changes, but do note that refusing certain edits may mean a rejection of your piece.
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By submitting to us, you allow us first world English rights for physical and electronic publication, exclusive until our publication. All rights will then revert to you. We also take nonexclusive archival rights, which allow us to display and house your work on our site for a maximum of five years.
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We reserve the right to submit to third parties for awards and secondary outlets. For example, Verse Daily.
Fiction Works
We will consider up to five (5) pieces in each reading period, and each should have a max word count of 3,000. Format should be in Times New Roman in 12 pt. font. Please submit pieces individually as a .doc or .docx file.
Compensation & Response Time
Unfortunately, compensation cannot be monetary at this time, and we will instead be giving contributors one (1) free copy of the edition they're published in.
We will respond no later than August 1. If you do not hear from us by then, please contact us.
Poetry
We will consider up to five (5) poems in each reading period. Each poem has a two (2) page limit and must be submitted as individual documents in 12 pt. Times New Roman. Please note that, because of the way we read and select, we will not accept packets, or a series of poems in one document. Due to the experimental nature of poetry, we understand the need for occasional deviance, but please do note printing restrictions will apply to what pieces we accept. A 8.5x5.5 book only allows for so much, unfortunately.
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Visual poetry is accepted and should be submitted to this category. However, please note that our content pages are done with only black ink at this time. These can be accepted as .jpg or .png files.
We Don't Want
Essays, reviews, opinion pieces, erasure poems (blackout poems), translations, pieces fully in other languages, and excerpts will not be accepted.
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As writers, editors, and readers, we do not condone the use of AI, and we will not accept any pieces written through any AI software.
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Pieces that stray from our guidelines may be taken into consideration, so please ask us!
Hybrid/CNF Pitches
Due to the lower volume of hybrid works and Shauri begging Scum for CNF inclusions, these two genres will operate via email pitches. If we think the pitch is something that will fit with our mag, we'll invite you to send us your piece for consideration.
Our friends at Mangoprism have awesome advice on how to write a pitch, but keep in mind that we want you to pitch a fully publication-ready piece.
FAQ
Q: Can previous contributors submit again?
A: Yes! While we obviously want to bring new contributors into our mess of a bone pile, we also love getting to read and publish pieces from those we've had in previous issues.
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Q: Can I resubmit a piece that didn't make it in the first time?
A: Of course! We could have turned your piece down for multiple reasons (not ready for publication, not our vibe, or maybe we just didn't have room to publish it in that edition), so if you've made some changes and want to send it our way again, please do.
Cover Contest
Having a contributor design our front cover was a highlight of our inaugural edition, so we've decided to continue our contest and upped the submission limit to five (5). Please note that, when you submit, you should give us your design WITHOUT our provided overlay. The overlay is intended to serve as a sizing guide and a means of allowing space for the Exposed Bone text. That way, we don't hide any of your design that should be visible!
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