Hello! We're so excited that you're considering sending work to us. Driftwood Press is an independent magazine publisher & press. We publish chapbooks, full-length poetry collections, comics, novellas, and a robust literary magazine yearly. We're also a paying market for both our press authors and those who place work in our magazine.
On this page, you will find our submission categories that are currently open. If you have any questions, never hesitate to email us at editor@driftwoodpress.net or through Submittable’s messaging system once you’ve submitted.
TERMS & AGREEMENTS
By clicking on the 'submit' button, you are agreeing to the following terms:
1) The work you are submitting is an original work and belongs to you, the Contributor. It is not a violation or infringement of any existing copyright or license and has not been previously published elsewhere.
2) The Contributor accepts responsibility for obtaining permissions for publication at your expense of any materials in which copyright vests in any other person or party.
3) The Contributor consents to receiving emails with Driftwood Press opportunities, though they may easily unsubscribe at any time.
Overview: Driftwood Press is excited to announce an updated version of our Editors & Writers Seminar! Instead of being offered on specific dates with large groups of students, you are now able to begin the seminar on any Monday you'd like! Read below to see what this new seminar offers.
This five-week seminar will be most useful to three types of writers: (1) writers who are submitting to magazines and want tips and tricks to fight through the slush pile to round two; (2) writers who want to be editors of short fiction or run a literary magazine; (3) writers who want to become better editors of their own and others’ work.
Each week, the student will receive a pre-recorded video lesson from the instructor (Driftwood Press’ Managing Fiction Editor James McNulty) and a few reading assignments. Throughout the course, the student will also receive four total writing or revision assignments and detailed feedback on each of these four assignments. Those who take the class will also receive a copy of the brilliant craft essay collection On Writing Fiction (David Jauss), shipped directly to them near the beginning of the course.
Application: Once you've paid the fee and told us which Monday you'd like to begin the course on, we'll confirm your date or discuss alternates if we have a conflict. To apply, please provide the following:
- Statement of Interest: A 200-word statement of interest detailing how this online course would benefit you or why you are interested.
- Brief Biography: A short, 100-word biographical statement outlining any work history, editorial experience, publications, or upcoming projects you are involved in.
Cost: Cost for the entire five-week course is $250.00 USD. The course-cost includes:
- Five video lectures available exclusively to students.
- Four assignments, two of which will be revision assignments.
- Detailed instructor feedback on <500 words of prose assignments each week for all four assignments.
- Digital reading assignments
- A copy of On Writing Fiction by renowned craft writer David Jauss delivered directly to you near the beginning of the course.
- Open communication with Managing Fiction Editor James McNulty. While taking the course, feel free to shoot over craft and career questions and concerns, and James will be happy to help as he can.
Lectures: Most lectures are approximately one-hour, but some are much longer. These lectures were recorded when the seminar was offered as a multi-person class, so I may very briefly address a body of students at one or two points. The lecture topics are as follows:
- Common Missteps (1hr.): Here, we’ll be looking through a hodgepodge of different mistakes that flag submitters as amateurish. This first lecture will be a head-spinning crash course on the most frequently botched craft issues at play in submissions. We’ll cover everything from the four modes of fiction (description, action, dialogue, and interiority) to stories that lack specificity to repetitive sentence structures.
- On Beginnings (1hr.): Next up, we’ll work through roughly a dozen opening paragraphs and pages, looking for why an unforgiving editor could kick a story from consideration early on. We’ll also talk through some submissions that caught our eye on the first page and what made those stories stand out.
- From the Editor (1hr.): An exploration of what it looks like on the editor’s side. This includes an explanation of how Driftwood is run as well as a walkthrough of the submissions manager from the editor’s perspective. We’ll talk about what exactly it takes for a submission to be rejected or accepted, and we’ll cap the lecture with a brief discussion of the financials of a literary magazine.
- Editorial Philosophies I (1hr.) & II (2hrs.): What are the philosophies of an editor? Here’s a quick rundown on our philosophical editorial policies at Driftwood, including a talk on prescriptivism/descriptivism, the five types of drafts, mandatory changes, overstepping, and other related topics that will be useful to writers, too. We’ll wrap up the lecture by showing—in detail—a writer’s path to acceptance with us. In the bonus two-hour lecture, I'll go even more in-depth to show how our revisions process works with our published authors.
- Personalized Lecture (1.5hrs.): Based on questions and counterpoints brought to my attention by two old classes, this lecture is a hodgepodge of miscellaneous but relevant mini-lectures and questions answered.
Timeline: The class timeline is as follows:
- Mondays: I will send you a lecture, the week's prompt, and the week's reading assignment (often alongside optional, additional readings).
- Sundays: You will turn in your <500 word prompt response, which I will return with comments before the following prompt is due.
About the Instructor: James McNulty holds an MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. He’s been the Managing Fiction Editor of Driftwood Press for nearly a decade. For more about James and Driftwood, you can read this recent interview.
Below are the full contest guidelines. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email us at editor@driftwoodpress.net. We cannot wait to read your work!
Timeline
- Submissions will be open from September 1st until January 15th.
- To alleviate wait times on your end, we will be declining and accepting submissions as we read them. All submissions accepted will initially be given runner-up status. In April or May, one of the runner-ups will be awarded the Grand Prize.
- Winner and runner-ups will be published in our annual anthology.
Awards
- The Grand Prize winner will receive $400 USD and five copies of the issue in which the story appears. The winner will also have the opportunity to be interviewed about their work; the interview will be published alongside the story.
- Runner-ups will be offered publication, an accompanying interview, $200 USD, and one copy of the issue in which their work appears.
Guidelines
- Fiction only.
- 1,000-5,000 soft word limit.
- A standard, 12-point font and single-spacing is preferred.
- The work must not have been previously published.
- Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please withdraw the work if the story has been accepted elsewhere.
- Submit works written in English only, no translations.
- Please submit your manuscript in a .doc, .docx, or PDF format.
- We read submissions anonymously, so please do not include your name, email, or any identifying characteristics on the manuscript itself. All work is considered by two editors.
- While AI may be useful as a researching tool, we do not accept AI generated submissions.
- Submission fee is $30.00 USD. Each submitter will receive a free copy of a Driftwood Press fiction title of their choosing in the mail.
Driftwood Press is excited to announce that we are accepting novella-length book submissions for our Editors’ Pick Novella Prize. Novellas will be chosen by our Managing Novella Editor. See below for guidelines, timeline, and award information. We cannot wait to read your phenomenal novellas!
What We're Looking For...
- Read past issues of our magazine and anthologies for a sense of what we publish. The same editors who chose the short fiction will choose our next novella.
- We want novellas that exude a love of language. We want well-crafted sentences and honed rhythms. And yet, we are not interested in novellas that are merely “stylistic.” We want narrative momentum, dimensional characters, and a plot that delivers the sense of arrival.
- We stray away from young-adult, fantasy, romance, and mainstream mystery.
Timeline
- Novella submissions are currently open. If our editors need to catch up, we will temporarily close them.
- Novella submissions typically take four to nine months. Our target is six.
- Our editors love to collaborate with authors. When we accept your novel, we offer an in-depth critique, working alongside you to improve all aspects of your novella.
Guidelines
- Fiction only.
- Recommended length is 15,000-30,000 words. While this is our sweet spot, we will consider works slightly outside of these parameters. Distinguish, though, between the novella and the novel. 50,000 words, for instance, feels more like a novel.
- Preferred formatting: standard, 12-point font and single-spacing. Manuscript should appear in a .doc, .docx, or PDF format.
- Excerpts of the novella may have been published individually, but 50% of the novella may not have appeared in a single prior publication.
- Simultaneous submissions are accepted. Please withdraw your submission immediately if the work has been accepted elsewhere.
- Submit works written in English only. At this time, we do not accept translations.
- We read submissions blind, so please remove any identifying information from your manuscript.
Awards
- Winners will receive a cash reward and 10 copies of their printed novella. Payment is contingent on word count (see below).
- 15,000 - 17,500 Words: Awarded $300
- 17,500 - 22,500 Words: Awarded $400
- 22,500 - 30,000 Words: Awarded $500
- A print run of the novella will be sold on our website and through affiliate bookstores. Additionally, your work will be nationally and internationally distributed by Ingram & Asterism.
- The winner will partake in a multi-round interview about their work; this interview will be published in the pages following the novella.
- All of our novellas receive a moderate publicity push by our in-house team. We’ll try our best to get you a few reviews, podcast appearances, in-person readings, or features around the web.
- After the first 100 copies are sold, the writer receives 20% royalties. Copies bought by or awarded to the writer do not count toward the number of copies sold.
- Depending upon scheduling and availability, authors may also have the opportunity to take part in an author signing & reading at future AWP conventions.
We are excited to announce Driftwood Press' poem contest is open! This yearly contest will honor a single poem that stands out to our editors as truly exceptional. This year's contest has no theme, and is open to anyone. We want your most beautiful, most mind-bending, and most devastating poems.
Below are the fully contest guidelines. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email us at editor@driftwoodpress.net. We cannot wait to read your work!
Timeline
- Submissions will be open from September 1st to January 15th.
- Winner will be announced in April or May.
- Winner & finalists will be published in our annual anthology.
Awards
- The winning poet will receive $300 USD, five copies of the anthology they appear in, and the opportunity to participate in a standout interview about their work.
- Up to five finalist will be selected as well. Finalists will receive $50 USD, publication in Driftwood Press' annual anthology, and a free copy of the anthology they appear in.
Guidelines
- Submitters may send up to five poems in a single document for consideration.
- Each poem must not exceed sixty lines.
- Prose poetry, experimental poetry, and poetry with a visual element are all welcome. Collaborations are also welcome, just know that you will be required to evenly split the $300 USD reward money amongst however many contributors there are.
- We do not accept translations, and any submissions should be written primarily in English.
- We do not accept previously published poems.
- We read submissions anonymously, so please do not include your name, email, or any identifying characteristics on the manuscript itself.
- You may include a cover letter/biography, but these are not read by editors and hold no sway in our selection process.
- While AI may be a useful tool for research, we do not accept AI generated works.
- Submission fee is $25.00 USD. Each submitter will receive a free copy of a Driftwood Press poetry collection of their choosing in the mail.
Driftwood Press is excited to announce that we are accepting full-length book submissions for our Editors’ Pick Poetry Prize. One or more full-length poetry collections will be chosen by our Managing Poetry Editor. See below for guidelines, timeline, and award information. We cannot wait to read your phenomenal poems!
We’re Looking For…
- Fresh voices full of artistic merit. We want books that push against tradition, that wow and dazzle with their attention to craft. Experimental poetry, hybrid work, poetry with a visual element, prose poetry, and any avant-garde poetry are welcomed! We love work that thoughtfully pushes poetry into new realms and realities.
- We welcome all poets but would love to see works from marginalized voices. That said, submissions are read anonymously.
- Cohesive collections: We want to see that a writer has thought about overall theme and poem placement. The collection should be as powerful whole as the poems are individually.
- We encourage you to read our anthologies and previously published collections to learn more about what we love! We are always fans of work centered in place, language, and ekphrasis.
- We stray away from strict rhyme and cliché that shows no awareness of either.
Timeline
- Submissions are open year-round, but may close temporarily if our editors need to catch up or if our book catalogue fills.
- Submissions will be accepted and rejected on a rolling basis. We aim for a three to six months response time.
Guidelines
- Poetry only. Though we do consider hybrid works, the bulk of the manuscript should be poetry.
- 45 – 100 pages of poetry. If you are a few pages under or over, no problem.
- Submissions should be primarily in English, but collections with a moderate bilingual component will of course be considered.
- A standard, 12-point font is preferred.
- Please submit your manuscript in a .doc, .docx, or PDF format.
- We read submissions blindly, so please do not include your name, email, or any identifying information within the manuscript itself.
- Please include a Table of Contents page.
- Individual poems from your manuscript may have been previously published in magazines, journals, anthologies, or chapbooks, but the collection as a whole must be unpublished.
- You must include an Acknowledgements page, citing prior individual poem & chapbook publications of poems within this collection.
Awards
- 1 – 3 collections will be chosen for publication per year.
- Poets will work closely with the managing poetry editor to polish their collection and complete a multi-round craft-centric interview, to be included in the final publication.
- Each accepted collection will receive: $500 USD, 20 copies of their collection, and a 20% royalties package.
- Winning collections will be sold online, in bookstores, at events, and distributed through Ingram & Asterism.
- Winning collections receive a moderate publicity push by our in-house team. We’ll try our best to get you a few reviews, podcast appearances, in-person readings, or features around the web. Depending upon scheduling and availability, winners may also have the opportunity to take part in an author signing & reading at a future AWP convention.
This is the Premium Poetry submission category, where you can receive an extremely quick, roughly one-week response if you purchase our upcoming or back issues. At Driftwood Press, we understand that an artist's time is precious, and we are happy to provide this service for our submitters. You can submit up to five poems. Please, and we can't stress this enough, make for sure you include all poems in a single submission. In addition, the fee does not guarantee that your piece will be accepted! We judge each poem fairly and with the same reverence we would want our own work to be judged with. Finally, we thank you for choosing this option of submission. We are truly excited to find the greatest poetry in the most effective, timely way possible.
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Whether you are seasoned or a beginner brimming with poetic inspiration, we call upon your abilities. At Driftwood, we are devoted to finding poetry of the highest caliber; we seek poetry of literary importance. Some of our favorite poets are T.S. Eliot, Carolyn Hembree, Adrienne Rich, and Allen Ginsberg. Overly romanticized, antiquated, or colloquial poetry is not our focus. Experimental forms and content that reveals your unique style are welcomed.
Poets can submit up to five poems, each being no longer than 60 lines. When submitting, please send all poems in a single document. We read all submissions blind, so please remove any identifying information from your manuscript.
Over the past five years, we’ve had the pleasure of bringing you a quarterly magazine featuring some of the best poetry, fiction, and visual arts on the web. As we transitioned to the new, biannual release schedule, we branched out in the form of contests, an editing service, and chapbook publications; now, we’re proud to announce open submissions for graphic novel manuscripts, which will burgeon our ever-growing catalog.
Some of our favorite graphic artists are Jaime & Gilbert Hernandez, Joe Sacco, Brecht Evens, Taiyo Matsumoto, Anders Nilsen, Jillian Tamaki, Olivier Schrauwen, Eleanor Davis, Gipi, Simon Hanselmann, Michael DeForge, David Lapham, and Inio Asano. Please do not send us superhero narratives or scripts without an artist attached.
What to Submit
Samples: We do not commit to publication from samples alone; however, if we are interested in the sample, we will contact you to learn more about the project. Please note: we do not match up artists with storytellers or vice-versa.
Full & Partial Manuscripts: You may submit either a full or partial manuscript. We prefer to see the full manuscript.
You’ll generally hear back from us within a month. If a month has passed, feel free to reach out to check on the status of your submission.
Payment
Dependent on page count. Paid out upon contract signing.
Royalties
- 15% royalties for the first 1,000 copies
- 20% royalties for all sales above 1,000 copies
Individual graphic works may range from a single image to twenty-two pages of comic art. Please submit no more than five photographs unless they are in a series, in which case you may send up to twenty. Please send us the highest resolution possible for any visual art submission; a work may be denied simply on the grounds that the resolution is not high enough for publication. Upon acceptance, we may ask for a specific file type to publish with. If your work does not have a title, please label it 'Untitled'.
We can serialize longer graphic works, but the first chapter of the work and a series outline must be presented before serialization is promised. If we accept your series, we will publish individual chapters of no more than twenty-two pages in each issue. Some of our favorite graphic artists are Jaime & Gilbert Hernandez, Brecht Evens, Anders Nilsen, Christophe Chaboute, Simon Hanselmann, Michael DeForge, David Lapham, David Mazzucchelli, Dash Shaw, and Scott McCloud.