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Taking Submissions: midnight & indigo Summer 2021 Issue

May 2, 2021

Deadline: May 2nd, 2021
Payment: $100 if for the magazine, $50 for online publication
Theme: All genres, character driven fictional short stories
Note: Only open for black women writers

Deadline: May 2, 2021 at 11:59pm ET

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 new literary magazine 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 2021, 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: min. 1,500 words. Narrative essays: min. 1,200 words
  • Please note:  Call for Submissions will be held on a rolling basis with deadlines three times per year: January 10th, May 2nd, and September 5th. 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 do pay for content. Information is available below.

Fiction Guidelines

General 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We are looking for previously unpublished, CHARACTER-DRIVEN fictional short stories written by Black women writers.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.
  • Stories must meet our minimum 1,500-word count requirement.
  • 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.
  • We offer $100 for Short Stories accepted for publication in our literary journal (eBook, print, and/or audiobook) and $50 for Short Stories accepted for online publication on midnightandindigo.com.
  • All submissions will be considered for publication in our upcoming print anthology (December 2021) at a rate of $125 per story.
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.
  • Stories must meet our minimum 1,500 word count requirement.
  • 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 2021).
  • We offer $100 for Short Stories accepted for publication in our annual Speculative issue (eBook, print, and/or audiobook – October 2021) and $50 for Short Stories accepted for publication on midnightandindigo.com.

 

Essay Guidelines

We are looking for previously unpublished, first-person POV fictional short stories 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.
  • Essays must meet our minimum 1,200 word count requirement.
  • 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 offer $50 for Essays accepted for publication in our literary journal (eBook, print, and/or audiobook) or midnightandindigo.com.

Rights:

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

We 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). You will be asked to agree to our contract as part of the submission process.

 

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT!

Midnight and Indigo.

Details

Date:
May 2, 2021