☞ Please submit in just one category. It’s a good idea not to wait till the end of the month, because we have a cap of 400 submissions in each category (the first 400 fiction submission, the first 400 poetry submissions, etc.). Once we are maxed out, we can no longer accept submissions in that category.
☞ We are looking for unpublished contributions. Appearance in blogs, college magazine articles, social media posts —anything accessible to a larger audience— counts as a publication.
☞ FICTION SUBMISSION: The short story should be between 2,000 and 7,000 words in length.
☞ POETRY SUBMISSION: Please submit five poems, all in one document. Please do not send us fewer than five poems— we wish to understand your range and style through a substantial sample. We are publishing a poet, not a poem.
☞ TRANSLATION: We welcome translated poetry (3-5 poems) or translated short fiction. Each is considered a separate category. In the main document, we recommend including: (1) proper citation for the original source + (2) a translator’s note. Before publication, we will need to verify you have the permission/legal right to translate the text.
☞ GRAPHIC FICTION: We are looking for innovative graphic fiction (aka “comic books”) suitable for adults. The length is up to you. We’ve published 20+ page fictions as well as 3-6 pagers.
☞ ESSAYS & VISUAL NARRATIVES (Photo-essays): Currently, we directly commission these two types of narratives.
☞ You may send your work to other outlets (i.e. we are fine with simultaneous submissions). However, please inform us (help@bombaylitmag.com) if your work has been selected elsewhere. We remember such acts of courtesy. Please note that if more than 2 of your poems are accepted elsewhere, we will not have enough material to consider your submission, and it will therefore be marked withdrawn.
☞ We look forward to reading your work.