Guidelines

UPDATED: 8/22/16

WHAT WE WANT: Issues are themed. Check the Call for Submissions page to view the current themes and deadlines.

We are looking for drabbles, poetry, micro-fiction, flash, and (occasionally) short stories. The Word Counts for each are as follows:

Drabbles: 100 words exactly (not counting title).

Poetry: Up to 50 lines (no fancy formatting).

Micro-Fiction: (101-750 words).

Flash (751-1000 words).

Short Stories (1001-2000 words).

Beginning with the next issue The Traveler will no longer accept stories over 2000 words, and we will be limiting the number of short stories we publish in each issue. We will probably take no more than two or three. Kill your darlings.

Submissions should be sent to were.traveler@gmail.com

Send your stories/poems as Word documents in an attachment to your email. You may use italics. Indent paragraphs 5 spaces only. Usually that’s the space you get in your Word program when you hit the TAB button. Use double-spacing throughout the body of your story. DO NOT use extra spacing between paragraphs, though.  Use 12 pt. Times New Roman font.  

Please include with your submission a 50-100 word author bio. You can include a brief publication history and any web/social media links you’d like readers to know. You don’t have to send a bio if you don’t want to, but it’s a good way to send readers to your website and build strong readership.

For the subject line, follow the directions listed for each issue on the Call for Submissions page. The basic format is: NAME OF ISSUE-TITLE OF YOUR STORY. In all caps. Easier to sort out the junk mail that way. If you have a question for the editor (me), put QUESTION in all caps in the subject line. If you have suggestions, send them to me as well, I want to know what you’d like to see here. Put SUGGESTION in the subject line.

ALSO: If you want to edit your story after you’ve been accepted, please edit it yourself and re-send it to me. I don’t have time to do it for you.  Make sure your stories are clean: proper spelling and grammar BEFORE you send it in. Find yourself an honest beta reader who will tell you what needs fixing.

CONTENT: No gratuitous sex or violence. If it fits the story, that’s fine, but nothing over the top. I can be scared without all that blood-and-guts imagery. As far as language goes, I’ve got no restriction there. I won’t publish anything racist, or in another other way offensive.

PAYMENT: For now, payment will be in the form publication. Sometimes, we have contests with gift card prizes and stuff. And we do nominate favorite original poems, drabbles, and stories for awards.

REPRINTS?: Okay, but let me know where your piece was previously published, and please make sure the publishing rights have reverted back to you. We do not take many reprints in each issue.

SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS?: Yes. I’ll take them. If your story gets published somewhere else before here, please drop me a follow-up email to withdraw.

MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS?: Yes. That’s good news, isn’t it? I may not accept everything you send, but you never know. But please send no more than 3 stories (drabbles, flash, or short stories) and no more than 5 poems. Please email stories separately. You may send all your poems in one document.

RIGHTS: Authors retain all rights to their work. Your stories would probably still be considered “reprints” if you tried to get them published somewhere else after they’ve already been published here on this puny little rag. So, if you have a Hugo-winning story you’re polishing up, send it to Fantasy & Science Fiction or Asimovs for f**k’s sake! You should always try to get your best work published with a magazine that pays real money. Recognition is great, but beer money is better!

ARCHIVES: Stories will be moved to the Issue Archive at a certain point after publication on the main page. Links will be provided to your stories there.