Submissions
Submission Guidelines
What is Blood+Honey looking for?
We are looking for innovative, compelling, and well-written poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction that will blow our readers us away, as well as challenge us see the world we live in a different way.
We are also open to submissions of literary articles, book reviews, and even art. Want to write a column for Blood+Honey? We’re open. Just shoot us an email with a proposal and we will go from there.
Send queries to submissions@bloodhoneylit.com and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Promise.
What are Blood+Honey’s submission guidelines?
Prospective contributors may submit original work to one of the categories below:
Poetry - up to 5 poems
Fiction - up to 3 stories (max of 7,500 words combined)
CNF - up to 3 essays (max 5,000 words combined)
Reviews/articles - max of 1,500 words (single submission; . . query first)
Digital Art /Comics - up to 5 files (.jpg, .jpeg, .png; query . . first)
Contributors may submit to another category after receiving a final determination for their previous submission. If we have accepted your work, please wait 6 months before submitting again.
Does Blood+Honey accept simultaneous submissions?
Absolutely! We more than anyone want artists to get their work circulated and seen. Just let us know right away if your work has been been accepted elsewhere, so we can congratulate you and remove said piece(s) from consideration.
How long before Blood+Honey makes a decision on a submission?
We strive to respond to potential contributors within 30 days; however, response time is pretty contingent upon the volume of submissions Blood+Honey gets. Generally, however, folks will likely hear from us way before the 30-day mark.
Does Blood+Honey reprint previously published work?
While we do prefer to publish original work from our contributors, Blood+Honey will consider reprinting previously published work if (1) said piece was published in a now defunct publication or 2) if it has been over year since said piece appeared online. Previously published material may be submitted for review sooner than one year IF it only appeared in a print publication.
Potential contributors must possess right to reprint their work and must attest to that in their submission email, also providing the name of the original publisher. We would like to give credit where credit is due.
***Blood+Honey abides by the DMCA and assumes no liability for unlawfully submitted material.***
Does Blood+Honey pay its contributors for publishing their work?
We would, if we could, but we can’t, so we don’t. In all seriousness, we would love to pay contributors, but Blood+Honey is a fledgling project with absolutely no income stream of its own. While we cannot pay contributors in money, they do receive:
—the thrill of being in a cool AF lit mag;
—promotion of their work on social media and the
Blood+Honey website;
—some serious street cred (We only accept the best
of the best); and
—our undying gratitude.
Of course, as we grow, things may change and paying contributors may become a reality. Until then, know that Blood+Honey is so very grateful for your support.
Does Blood+Honey edit accepted submissions prior to publication?
Prior to submitting, potential contributors should ensure that their work is “publication ready,” meaning submissions should already be proofed, edited, and revised. If it is determined that minor edits are necessary to “make ready” a piece for publication, changes will be made without notice. Editorial privilege is a real thing, y’all!
For pieces that may require more than minor edits, but show exceptional promise, Blood+Honey may (on occasion) assist respective artists with the revision process.
Is there a required wait time to reprint original work published by Blood+Honey?
Absolutely not. All rights revert back to the artist once work is published in Blood+Honey. As far as we are concerned, if we loved it, so will some other lucky publication. Make the rounds and get your shit seen!
NOTE: All accepted work will remain on the Blood+Honey website indefinitely and will not be taken down to meet the reprint guidelines of other publications. Just something to keep in mind when submitting your “little darlings.”
What needs to be included in submissions to Blood+Honey?
All submissions should be accompanied by a cover letter and brief third-person biography in the body of the submission email; an artist photo will be requested by Blood+Honey upon contributor notification of an acceptance.
Creative work MUST be attached to submission emails as Word (or Word-compatible) documents.
In the email’s subject line, submitters must include
Genre of the submission (Ex: Poetry, Fiction, CNF, etc.)
Submitter’s name
Number of pieces
Ex: “Poetry Submission: John Smith (5 poems)
Email submissions to submissions@bloodhoneylit.com.
What is Blood+Honey’s position on AI assisted/generated submissions?
See below…
What rights does Blood+Honey ask for?
We ask for First Electronic Rights and Non-Exclusive Archival Rights to publish writing. Following publication, all rights revert back to the writer; we only ask that contributors credit Blood+Honey as the place where published original work first appeared.
NOTE: Blood+Honey will use published work (in part and/or as a whole) not only as content for its online magazine, but for promotional purposes via our website, social media platforms, and/or podcasts, as well as interviews, digital/print issues, anthologies, and print articles.
What is Blood+Honey’s AI Policy?
No submissions created with AI (either partially or totally) may be submitted for consideration!
EIC will pull out his bedside copy of The Black Pullet and banish any such abominations to the deepest, darkest nether regions of Hell to writhe, burn, and gnash teeth for all eternity, as he grins and smokes a Lucky Strike.
Blood+Honey’s Virtual (Micro)Chap Series
***Submissions open for July/August until June 15, 2025 @ 11:59 PM CST***
Blood+Honey seeks to publish at least one vanishing (mirco)chap of poetry, fiction, or non-fiction that will last only two months on our site (after which, it will disappear into the vastness of the cyber-world’s nothingness). We will also consider hybrid submissions. Published (micro)chaps may include:
Poetry - 5 to 10 poems
Fiction - up to 3 short stories (between 1,000 and 3,000 words each, but there is some flexibility)
Nonfiction - up to 3 essays (between 750 and 3,000 words each)
Hybrid - content will vary
Successful submissions generally will follow a common theme (or vibe) and—more importantly—work as a collection. Individual pieces must uniquely shine on their own but also resonate with each other to create a singular, cohesive experience overall.
(Micro)chap submissions should include:
Poetry - up to 15 poems (enough to give us something to chew on)
Fiction - 4 to 5 short stories (between 1,000 and 3,000 words each, but there is some flexibility)
Nonfiction - 4 to 5 essays (between 750 and 3,000 words each)
Hybrid - Content will vary; however, submissions should contain enough material (for each genre represented) to curate a final product.
Submissions may include previously published material; HOWEVER, no more than 10% of the submission’s content may be previously published. Authors must also hold the right to reprint said piece(s) and include the name(s) of the publishers in their submissions.
*Individual pieces from submissions that are not chosen to publish as a (micro)chap may be reviewed for possible publication as a Blood+Honey general submission at the discretion of our Editors.
***As Blood+Honey is a non-paying publication, remuneration comes in the form of the sincerest “warm squishies,” undying gratitude, and never-ending praise of your genius…plus we’ll promote the hell out you and your work. Definitely a viable proposition for those wanting to give audiences a “sneak peek” of soon-to-be published, larger works coming down the pike.
How to Submit
In the email’s subject line, submitters must include
Genre of the submission (Ex: Poetry, Fiction, CNF, etc.)
Submitter’s name
Number of pieces
Ex: “Disappearing Virtual Fiction (Micro)Chap submission: John Smith (5 short stories)
We accept .doc, .docx, and .pdf files for poetry and prose submissions, as well as .jpg, .jpeg, and .png files for Digital Art, as well as short audio and video files (.mp3 and .mp4) submissions. Include a short bio (up to 100 words) with your submitted work. Contributor photos will be requested upon submission acceptance.
Submit your work via Blood+Honey’s submission email: submissions@bloodhoneylit.com.
No submissions created with AI (either partially or totally) may be submitted for consideration!
