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Taking Submissions: midnight & indigo Fourth Quarter 2023 Call

Name: Taking Submissions: midnight & indigo Fourth Quarter 2023 Call
Start: 2023-12-31T00:00:00-06:00
End: 2023-12-31T23:59:59-06:00
Location: midnight & Indigo

December 31, 2023

Deadline: December 31, 2023
Payment: $0.07 per word
Theme: Character-driven fictional short stories written by Black women writers. All genres are welcome.

We’re Currently Accepting Submissions!

Next Deadline: December 31, 2023 at 11:59 pm ET
(short fiction – all genres and narrative essays)
*updated 10/1/23

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT!

short stories. essays. melanin. Whether you’re an established writer or are just starting out, we want to hear from you!

midnight & indigo, a literary journal celebrating Black women writers, has issued a call for submissions to review short stories and narrative essays. We publish content on our digital platform and in our literary journals (paperback/ebook/audiobook). In 2024, we will publish our first long-form anthology!

Writers are invited to share their original, fictional, or personal stories. Stories can funny, entertaining, serious, or sincere. Stories must be character-driven and leave readers with something to think about. All genres are welcome!

How to Submit:

Format: All submissions should follow proper manuscript format and Microsoft Word .doc format. We will not accept submissions that do not follow our guidelines. All stories must be submitted via Submittable — we will not accept stories via email. You may submit up to three stories at any time. Our average response time is 120 days
Word length: Short stories: 1,500-8,000 words. Narrative essays: min. 1,200 words
Please note: Calls for Submissions will be held on a rolling basis with deadlines four times per year: March 31st, June 30th, September 30th, and December 31st. Submission does not guarantee that your work will be published. All submissions will be considered for our long-form anthology
Genres: All genres and writing styles are welcome. It may be helpful to view our current short stories, essays, and literary journals to get a general sense of what we publish, but don’t be afraid to push the needle!
Compensation: We pay for all accepted pieces. Information is available below

Fiction Guidelines

General Literary Fiction

We are looking for previously unpublished, CHARACTER-DRIVEN fictional short stories written by Black women writers. All genres are welcome. Subject matter and plots can run the gamut, but we want emotion, grit, soul, and writing that forges an immediate connection with the reader.

Word count requirement: 1,500-7,000 words
We offer $0.07 per word for Short Stories accepted for publication in our literary journal (eBook, print, audiobook, and/or podcast) and online publication on midnightandindigo.com. Rates and word count based upon the final, edited piece
Submissions should be submitted in proper short story manuscript format with your name, email address, and the story’s total word count on the first page. For our purposes, you do not need to include a mailing address or phone number. CLICK HERE for an example of proper short story manuscript format
All submissions will be considered for publication in our upcoming print anthology (est. December 2024)
We do not accept work created by AI. Any submissions not entirely created by a human author will be automatically rejected.

Black Speculative Fiction

We are looking for previously unpublished, character-driven, speculative short stories written by Black women writers.

Speculative fiction is a broad genre encompassing fiction with certain elements that do not exist in the real world, often in the context of supernatural, futuristic, or other imaginative themes. This includes, but is not limited to, science fiction, fantasy, superhero fiction, horror, utopian and dystopian fiction, fairytale fantasy, and supernatural fiction.

Word count requirement: 2,000 – 7,000 words
We offer $0.07 per word for Short Stories accepted for publication in our annual Speculative issue (eBook, print, audiobook, and/or podcast) and on midnightandindigo.com. Rates and word count based upon the final, edited piece
Submissions should be submitted in proper short story manuscript format with your name, email address, and the story’s total word count on the first page. For our purposes, you do not need to include a mailing address or phone number. CLICK HERE for an example of proper short story manuscript format
All submissions will be considered for publication on a rolling basis on midnightandidigo.com or in our annual Speculative fiction special issue (online and/or print – October 2024)
We do not accept work created by AI. Any submissions not entirely created by a human author will be automatically rejected

Essay Guidelines

We are looking for previously unpublished, first-person POV fictional essays written by Black women writers.

Essays can be funny, entertaining, serious, or sincere. Content must uplift, inspire, and leave readers with something to think about. We want emotion, grit, soul, and writing that forges an immediate connection with the reader around your experience. Submissions cannot include list formats or “5 Ways to…” inspirational instructionals.

Word count requirement: min. 1,200 words
We offer $150 for Essays accepted for publication on midnightandindigo.com
Submissions should be submitted in proper manuscript format with your name, email address, and the story’s total word count on the first page. For our purposes, you do not need to include a mailing address or phone number. CLICK HERE for an example of proper manuscript format
We do not accept work created by AI. Any submissions not entirely created by a human author will be automatically rejected

Rights:

Each author retains the sole, individual copyright on her contribution.

We only ask for first North American serial rights on any story we publish. This means that the story should not have appeared anywhere else, either in print or online. (This includes publication on an author’s own website).

We accept first world eBook, print, and audiobook rights, and non-exclusive anthology rights for our published anthologies. We also accept non-exclusive online rights to publish and archive your story on our website(s) or on our podcast. You will be asked to agree to our contract as part of the submission process.