Submission Guidelines
Black-Ink-Ocean Press is looking for Southern Gothic stories of every flavor. Deteriorating mansions, bloody soil, generational family curses—if it could be described as harrowing, we want to read it.
What to send Black-Ink-Ocean:
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Types of content we accept:
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Prose: Micro-fiction, Flash Fiction, and Short Stories (up to 2000 words, 1 submission per person)
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Poetry: Up to 3 poems
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Visual Art: Up to 2 art pieces. Can be any visual medium, such as photography, paintings, collages, graphic design, comic strips.
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Simultaneous submissions. Please email us ASAP if your work is accepted elsewhere.
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You can submit to multiple categories (prose, poetry, & art). Each category has its own google form to complete and submit. Read the details of each carefully.
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For ease of reading:
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Standard manuscript format
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Times New Roman, 12pt font, double-spaced (for prose)
.doc file type -
Do not include your name or other identifiable information on the document.
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You can grab our latest issue for free to see what we've published before. Or, check out our editor profiles on Substack! The most important thing is to not self-reject. If your piece fits the guidelines, please submit!
What we WON'T accept
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Multiple submissions to one category. Do not submit more than one entry to one particular category.
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Previously published work.
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We do not accept AI-generated work . Black-Ink-Ocean Press is a 100% human-run litmag and we value human creation. Please do not submit pieces that have used AI at any point in the creation process.
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Purposefully offensive work. We do not want you to sanitize your work, however, if we sense unchallenged or casual bigotry in your work against marginalized identities, your piece will be rejected.
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Pieces you've submitted before that have been rejected (unless explicitly encouraged to resubmit).
Upon Publication: Payment, Promotion, Author Rights
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At this time writers and/or artists will not be paid for their submissions or acceptances into the publication.
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In adherence to First North American Serial Rights (FNASR), BLACK-INK-OCEAN PRESS requests the rights to your work until after publication at which all rights belong to the author. Should you decide to publish the work in a larger collection or with another magazine, we ask that you credit us as the original publication site for your piece.
Poetry Subs
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You can submit up to 3 poems (no more than 100 words each)
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If submitting more than one, keep them both on the same document with a page break in-between.
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Format: Double-spaced, TNR, 12pt
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Upload: .docx or .doc file
Prose Subs
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Type of prose accepted:
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Short story (1000-2000 words)
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Flash Fiction (500-1000 words)
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Micro-Fiction (250-500 words)
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Drabble Fiction (under 100 words)
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Format: Double-spaced, TNR, 12pt
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Upload: .docx or .doc file
Art Subs
FOR ALL ART: SEND BOTH A COLORIZED & GREY SCALE VERSION (or just a grey scale version). ON THE SAME SUBMISSION FORM!
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You are allowed up to 2 art submissions at this time, and it can be of any two-dimensional medium (illustration, graphic design, painting, sketch, photography, etc.)
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COMIC STRIPS ARE ENCOURAGED:
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Panels must not exceed 3" width x 2" height
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Strips must not exceed 6 total panels (including the title panel)—no more than 3 panels wide and 3 panels tall.
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Upload: .png, .jpg, .jpeg, or .pdf file
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No commissioned work accepted.
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Photographers must also include written or digital permission from models at the time of submission.
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No branding materials (i.e., corporate logos, apparel, marketing flyers, or otherwise) is permitted in photographs. Any photographed objects must be in the public domain, free of use, or under the photographer’s ownership.
Visual motifs for this issue:
flowers, stars, bodies of water