Submission Guidelines
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Our next issue "A Light in the Dark" is scheduled for publication in early December. Submissions are currently closed.
Please get familiar with our standard submission guidelines below. We will open for submissions again in February 2024 for Issue No. 3. Theme to be determined!
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Are you looking to be published? We welcome all emerging and established authors and artists to submit original material for consideration. There is no fee to submit.
​Important: We accept only unpublished work that has not been published in another magazine, book, or anthology (either print or digital), including if the work has been published anywhere online in social media, websites or blogs (with the exception of art). We are happy to review simultaneous submissions, but kindly notify us in your cover letter of your intent to do so or simply withdraw the submission in Submittable if it has been accepted elsewhere during our review period. You may submit for different genres, and you may contribute to multiple issues annually.
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Once we have notified you of an acceptance, we will publish your work as a first-time publication with full credit given to you as the author. All rights revert back to you upon publication, but please credit Cool Beans Lit as the first home of your work should it find another one later.
Formatting
All written submissions must be submitted in one file per genre as either a Word doc or Google doc in a readable font (e.g., Arial or Times New Roman, Size 12). Double-spacing is preferred with the exception of Poetry.
POETRY: Submit up to 3 pieces with each poem on a separate page. Poems should not exceed 50 lines.
FICTION: Submit 1 piece for consideration (up to 3,500 words).
CREATIVE NONFICTION: Submit 1 essay for consideration (up to 3,500 words).
BOOK REVIEWS: Submit up to 3 book reviews (up to 1,000 words each).
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AUTHOR INTERVIEWS: Submit 1 interview (2,500 words).
VISUAL ART or PHOTOGRAPHY: Creators may submit up to 6 images (PNG or JPG format), which should be crisp and minimum 300 DPI. All art submissions must be original and may include drawings, paintings, collages, sculptures, photographs or mixed media.
Author or Artist Bio
Please include a short bio or cover letter (max 100 words) and provide your social media handle or author website link if you would like us to tag you in our posts about your work (i.e., Instagram, Twitter, Facebook).
We appreciate your attention to guidelines and reading periods. We strive to respond within 2-4 weeks. However, please understand that the review process can take longer during busy periods. At this time, we are unable to provide monetary compensation for accepted submissions, but we will have prize-awarded contests coming soon! All funds that we raise go towards the administrative costs of running the magazine.
Assistive Technology Users
For those who are unable to access our Submittable page, please feel free to email us your submissions directly.
Email: editors@coolbeanslit.com
Thank you for your interest in Cool Beans Lit. We are listed on Chill Subs, Duotrope, NewPages and clmp.org.