Submissions for 2016 are open year-round.
We accept fiction of any genre (except erotica) up to 5,000 words in length.
Payment for accepted manuscripts is $25 plus 2 contributor copies of the printed story.
Formatting/Presentation: 10 or 12 pt, double-spaced. Name, contact information, and word count should appear in the upper left corner of the manuscript document.
Simultaneous submissions are okay, but please advise us immediately if your story has been accepted elsewhere.
Regarding previous online publication: It’s okay if your submission has been previously submitted on a blog, an online magazine, or in Kindle (or other self-published form), as long as you have sold fewer than 100 copies.
When a story is accepted for publication, we are buying first-publication rights. Once we’ve published your story, you are free to, for instance, include it in your own collection.
Having one or two typos does not worry us as long as the words are all present. When stories are accepted, authors have the opportunity to suggest edits at that time. Unless there are serious errors—such as a truncated .DOCX file—there is no need to be concerned. When we open your file to full screen in our program, it usually corrects formatting and layout irregularities. We will let you know if we cannot read your story.
Submissions can't be changed after they are submitted, so be sure to take advantage of the offered pop-up review of the story before finalizing it, and be aware that if we fall in love with a story, you'll have the opportunity to suggest edits at that time.
Two situations where it is appropriate to email about a submission you've made:
1. If your story has been accepted elsewhere and must be withdrawn.
2. If—after finalizing your submission and checking My Submissions—you find that the story is illegible or your .DOCX file is truncated, we'll be glad to issue a refund so you can resubmit.
Regarding File Types:
No images (such as photos, clip art, special characters) are allowed in documents.
.DOCX files sometimes truncate—do check that offered pop-up window before finalizing. If you missed that opportunity and have finalizing a truncated submission, here's what you do:
To save your .docx file as a .doc file and resubmit, go to your own .docx file on your computer and save it as a .doc file. (NOTE: The only reason NOT to translate your .docx to a .doc is if your original file is a WordPerfect file—just submit the original WordPerfect file, and all should be well.) This is the step-by-step process:
1. Click on the "office" button in upper left corner when you're in your .docx file,
2. Scroll down to "save as," and select "Word 97-2003 document."
3. Then make a brand new submission and send in an email to submissions@flyleafjournal.com with your name and story title in the subject box. Attach the new file to this email. Once we have made sure the submission fee has already been paid, we will review the new file (ignoring the old, illegible one).
Thank you for sharing your story with us. We look forward to reading each submission!