Submission Guidelines The Externalist is now accepting submissions. Please browse the site and read our guidelines carefully. If you come to us from Duotrope Digest, please remember to report your acceptances and rejections. These statistics are very helpful to us and to other writers. We are actively seeking quality art and photography for future issues. Please follow these guidelines precisely. We receive an incredible amount of junk mail and submissions with odd subject headers are almost sure to sneak by us and into our spam folder. Submissions sent to the incorrect editor will no longer be forwarded to the correct one or read by the editor who received it. Note: We do not publish chapbooks or books of any genre and will not consider these as submissions. Special Guidelines for "Gut Reaction": Send your 50-200 word response to any poem, story, or essay that appears in The Externalist to editor@theexternalist.com with "Gut Reaction" in the subject header. No response will be given for these letters. By submitting to "Gut Reaction," you agree that we can publish your letter on our web site with your name (unless designated 'anonymous') permanently and at no charge.
General Guidelines - Submissions containing any hate language toward any population including, but not limited to, any race, gender, sexual orientation, or disability will be rejected. Period.
- Submissions should be in the body of an email addressed to the appropriate editor. If special formatting is required, you may email a query to the appropriate editor for permission to send as an attachment. Unsolicited attachments will not be opened, read, or responded to.
- The subject header of your email should read: SUBMISSION - CATEGORY (poetry, fiction, nonfiction) - Your Last Name. This helps us filter spam and get to your submission more quickly.
- All submissions should be accompanied by a brief cover letter that includes your name, address, email address, and an alternative email address if available. Also include a brief (50 words or less) bio and a link to your web site for inclusion if your work should be accepted. Note if this would be your first publication. Prior publication credits are optional--work will be chosen for its content and quality, not name recognition.
- Simultaneous submissions are fine if noted. You must inform the appropriate editor immediately if the submission has been accepted elsewhere.
- Reprints are fine if noted and you retain the rights to the piece.
- Wait until you hear about one submission before sending another. If we notice your name on more than one submission at any given time, both submissions will be rejected. No exceptions.
- We anticipate a three to four week response. If you have not heard from us within two months, it is acceptable to send a status inquiry to editor@theexternalist.com and make sure that "status inquiry" is the subject of your email.
- Manuscripts about failed marriages, relationships, or courtships are unlikely to be accepted unless the reason for the failure is a socially significant issue (i.e. global warming made me do it).
In the event that you do not have access to email, you may snail mail submissions to: Larina Warnock, PO Box 2052, Corvallis, OR 97339-2052. This is not an option for people who simply don't want to use the email process, but rather an effort to make the submission process accessible to people in a variety of situations that limits their ability to submit via email.
Poetry - 3-5 poems per submission
- Any style, any form so long as the content is appropriate for The Externalist
- Highly experimental work (e.g. fragmented words, words without spaces between them, single lines containing only a few letters) is strongly discouraged.
- Submit to poetry@theexternalist.com
Fiction
Nonfiction - 500-7000 words
- Creative memoir, social commentary, or reflective essays. No strictly academic pieces or magazine articles. No how-to.
- Reviews on books that match Externalist ideas will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
- Outside sources must be cited in standard MLA format.
- Submit to nonfiction@theexternalist.com
One Act Plays, Artwork, and Photography - We are considering black and white art and photography that somehow relates to the concept of externalism. Submissions should be sent (no more than 3 at a time) by attachment to editor@theexternalist.com. We prefer .jpg, but will also consider .gif file types. Excessively large attachments will not be considered. We may choose to look at photo galleries if we are sufficiently intrigued by a submission. If we accept a photo that includes a person, a signed Model Release Form must be mailed to us prior to publication.
- For one act plays, send a query letter with a brief synopsis to editor@theexternalist.com. We will respond within two weeks asking for an attachment to consider if we are interested.
Acceptance and Publication Procedures - Contributors will receive acceptance letters via email outlining terms of publication including rights purchased. They are expected to respond to this email accepting the terms within two weeks.
- We purchase First North American Serial and Electronic Rights. In the case of reprints, we purchase Reprint Rights.
- Youth contributors (under 18) will be required to send a Permission to Publish form signed by their parent or guardian. This form will be sent upon acceptance with the appropriate mailing address.
- Contributors may be contacted after publication for inclusion in an annual "Best of The Externalist" issue.
- Publication occurs within one year of acceptance.
Payment Information - We regret that we are unable to provide cash payment at this time.
- All contributors will receive a pdf copy of the issue in which their work appears via email.
- Contributors may request, within one year of acceptance, a link to an upcoming or published book valid for a minimum of six months on our Contributors page.
Selection Criteria As a writer, I've always wondered what criteria editors use to determine what gets published. Here are ours: - Quality. This means the piece stands out through adept use of language and the many tools writers have available. Grammar, syntax, and punctuation are all important considerations.
- Content. The foreground for The Externalist demands that we consider content carefully. Content of the work here contains some element of human experience and reflection on that experience. Politics are fine. Social issues are fine. The day I went to the market with my Grandma is fine so long as it has significant potential to instruct, inspire, or otherwise mean something to someone else. Therapy writing is strongly discouraged.
- Originality. This means we haven't read it before and if we Google the first sentence of your poem/story/essay, we aren't going to get 10,000+ hits.
- For poetry, obvious consideration for word choice, line and stanza/strophe breaks, figurative language, choice of style and form, trope and imagery are all important considerations. Ambiguity and abstraction, if well used, are welcome here. If you don't know what at least most of these words mean, don't submit.
- For short stories, character and plot are equally valued. Excessive predictability or use of plot crutches are submission killers. The editor has a strong appreciation for well-written satire.
- For creative nonfiction, excellent use of language and the ability to translate experience are musts. If outside sources are used, they must be cited in standard MLA format. Plagiarism is grounds for rejection of all future submissions by that author.
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