SUBMISSIONS/CONTRIBUTIONS CURRENTLY OPEN FOR ISSUE 7 (JANUARYISH)

Next Issue's Theme: "Permanence"

Nothing is lasting, or maybe only some things are lasting... Something about Shelley and Ozymandias. What is permanence? What has endured throughout your whole life? What has been ephemeral? What will remain once you are gone?

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

If you're interested in submitting an article, short story or artwork to LETTER GOTHIC, please read the following guidelines:

How to Submit

All submissions should be made by email to editor@lettergothic.com.

What THE EDITOR is Looking For

We are open to short stories and articles between 250 and 500 words throughout the year; artwork should fit, if loosely, within an A5 (148 x 210 mm or 5-7/8 x 8-1/4 inches) or A6 (105 x 148 mm or 4-1/8 x 5-7/8 inches) space.

Articles can be accompanied by photos or illustrations as long as they are:

  • Open source or otherwise attributable to the author;

  • Black and white;

  • Potentially pixelated if necessary in order to adhere to LETTER GOTHIC's general design language.

Each issue of LETTER GOTHIC is loosely themed. At any time, you can come to this page and find out what the next theme will be at the top of the page.

We strongly recommend reading our issues before submitting: every zine has different tastes, and if you take the time to discover what we publish, you'll find it much easier to decide what to send us. 

We are looking for articles, stories, and artwork that is uncanny and surreal. For example, this is a reaction THE EDITOR overheard from a Croatian economist in Moulin-Sur-Mer, Haiti in 2010:

While lying on the beach, next to the economist, a barbaric, loud noise stormed across the bay. The economist looked up and observed as a teenager on a jet ski tore through the waves, incessantly, in circles.

"The truly absurd thing," he said, "is the amount of engineering, material science, knowledge of aerodynamics, buoyancy, fluid dynamics and mechanical science needed to build that machine, only for some shithead to use it to annoy the hell out of me. It is inverosimile."

Inverosimile is an Italian word that loosely translates to "Devoid of any correspondence with reality." 

In this example, the setting is dubitable but plausible (why would anyone be at a beach resort the year of the Haiti earthquake?). The reasoning of the Croatian economist is sound but absurd. His final statement is verifiably untrue but understandable.

Your article/story/artwork could (but doesn't have to) be "devoid of any correspondence with reality" not only by its topic but also by its narrative structure or by the demands it places upon the reader, especially those that mean it has to be read a certain way. For example:

  • Perhaps you beseech the reader to read your article under certain conditions (on a rainy day, at the queue at the super market, etc.);

  • Perhaps it is written in boustrophedon.

Topics to be explored include imaginary places, typewriters, tea-time, observing things from above and below, the way his hair fell upon his shoulders.

What THE EDITOR is Not Looking For

Please do not submit anything that isn't original or that has been published elsewhere before.

Word Count

500 - 800 words is about right for 1-2 pages of LETTER GOTHIC

Response Times

THE EDITOR aims to reply to all submissions and other communications within one week.

FAQ

Can I send it to you already typed-up?

Send us an email and we can see what we can do, but generally speaking, no. The reason is the typesetting when creating the issue is a lot easier if done in-house.

Will I be credited for the story?

Yes. Your name will appear with "Guest Writer" in parentheses next to it.

Do I own the rights to my story?

I think so. We're a small team. We might be just one guy. It's hard to tell. This isn't a business, really… it's mostly a way to pass the time.

Can I send more than one article/artwork/story?

Yes, but not everything may be published. If you have an idea for a longer series, then let's talk about it.

Do I have to submit a finished work or can I send drafts?

You can send a draft, you can send a concept, you can ask a question. We're open here. If you send a finished work, it is likely that THE EDITOR will revisit it with you to make sure that it applies in the best way possible with what LETTER GOTHIC is.

Do I have to submit in English?

No, you can submit in any language you like.

Will I be interviewed for Radio Machuca?

Possibly.

What's the process for submitting?

Write to THE EDITOR at editor@lettergothic.com. He will be in touch and explore with you whether your idea for a submission or finalised submission works with the issue that is currently being prepared. If it works, then great, we'll put it in. If it doesn't work, don't despair, this is a collaborative effort, we'll see what we come up with.