NOTE: Unfortunately, we have reached our limit for free submissions this month as dictated by Submittable’s submission cap. We will next be open for free submissions at the start of July, and we recommend submitting early in the month. 

We are also committed to encouraging marginalised and underrepresented writers to submit, particularly writers of colour, working class writers, writers with disabilities and writers who are queer, transgender, non-binary and/or gender non-conforming.

We are interested in a wide variety of topics and styles of writing. Writers should carefully review the guidelines below before submitting work via our online portal. Similarly, we find those who are familiar with the publication stand a far better chance of having their submissions accepted, so we do recommend reading the latest copy of our print journal which can be purchased using the link below:

Guidelines

We will be open for free submissions during the following periods:

1 – 30 September
1 – 30 November
1 – 31 January
1 – 31 March
1 – 31 May
1 – 31 July

We advise submitting nearer to the start of the month as we have to close our free submission window when we reach the submissions portal’s quota. We charge a small fee of £3.50 for submissions outside of those windows. During periods in which our prizes are live, we will be closed for open submissions in that genre. 

Non-fiction pieces should be between 800 and 2,000 words. These can be essays, reviews, interview or pitches of pieces you want to write. For reviews, we tend to publish pieces that assess contemporary or current literature or art. We can arrange proof copies where necessary.

For short fiction, above all we look for elegance in style, structure and characterisation. We are open to both experimental and traditional forms, although we do not normally publish genre fiction such as science fiction or fantasy writing, or erotica. Please make sure they are no more than 4,000 words in length, and only submit one story per submission.

Poetry should display a commitment to the ultra-specificities of language, and show a refined sense of simile and metaphor. The structure should be tight and exact. Poems should be no longer than 40 lines. Please submit no more than 5 poems in any one submission.

Submission Process

Work should be submitted via Submittable. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please do not duplicate material and we ask that you notify us if your submission is accepted elsewhere. Please allow up to 12 weeks for us to review your work.

We wish you the best of luck with your submission.

A note from the editors

Commissioned articles received by a member of the editorial team are subject to editorial approval. Those accepted for the website will only receive a fee unless they are accepted for print also.

While we do occasionally publish extracts from existing books and collections, for general submissions to The London Magazine please only send previously unpublished work. If you are interested in publishing an extract with us, please email editorial@thelondonmagazine.org with ‘Extract’ in the subject line.

• Please do not duplicate submissions.
• If submitting multiple pieces through Submittable, please combine them into one document.
• We only publish original material, i.e. first-ever publication. We cannot run a piece that has already appeared on the web or elsewhere in print. We can, however, publish an original translation if the work has previously appeared in another language, but never before in English.
• Please ensure you have submitted your piece through the correct Submittable category. For example, a short story submitted in the poetry category will not be considered. Note that running competitions will have their own Submittable category, which will be clearly signposted.
• We no longer accept postal submissions.