General Notes:
Baubles From Bones is an inclusive and open-minded publication that encourages submissions from all walks of life, around the globe, and especially from under-represented groups. We will not tolerate, under any circumstances, submissions that include any kind of discrimination against minorities, religious groups, sexual orientations, genders, or ethnic groups. We don’t mind a bit of spice in our stories, but Baubles From Bones does not publish erotica. Works produced by AI are not allowed. Pay attention to how we like things formatted. Seriously, respecting our standards is an easy way to start on our good side.
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The easiest way to get an idea of what we like is to read what we publish! All of our stories and poems are available for free online while physical issues are available on our Etsy site.

​Below you’ll find the requisites for each style we accept:

Fiction Guidelines:
We accept fiction that broadly falls in the realm of science fiction and fantasy. We’re open to most subgenres and themes but have a particular fondness for compelling adventures, folk-retellings, stories of hope in the dark, emotional healing, love of all sorts, environmentalism, and the humanity (or lack of it) among the fantastical and speculative. Good characters pump the hearts of our favorite stories, and we live for lushly-built worlds, though magical realism can be just as inspiring as a dyson sphere or floating castle. Experimentation and strangeness excite us, but they are by no means a prerequisite for quality. Above all else, we’re eager to be surprised and thrilled, made melancholy and heartbroken by imaginative sci-fi and fantasy tales.

Length: All stories must be between 1,000 to 8,000 words. [Please be aware, longer stories are harder – but not impossible – to sell due to our current space and budget.]
Format: Manuscripts should be in standard manuscript format and submitted as a .doc, .docx, or .RTF file type.
Payment: $.01/word.
Rights: We purchase exclusive, first serial electronic, print, and audio rights for one year, after which time the author is free to place their story elsewhere.
Reprints: We do not accept reprints.
Simultaneous Submissions: Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please let us know if your piece gets accepted elsewhere!
Multiple Submissions: We do not accept multiple fiction submissions. Only send us one story at a time and please wait until you’ve gotten a response from your previous submission before submitting another one, otherwise it will be rejected.
Response time: Expect a response from us within 60 days. If you haven't heard from us by then, send a query.

Poetry & Prose Guidelines:
Any form, meter, or style of poetry that deals with the fantastical, supernatural, or speculative is welcome in our book. We're looking for pieces that construct captivating scenes and tell stories with a flourish of emotional grace. Give us poetry that challenges our perception of well-explored genre tropes, offering inventive explorations of what we think we know. We want to be left pondering and re-reading as we find meaning in the mundane, the magical, and the minute. Most of all, we want to come away changed by what we find in new fantasy and sci-fi poetry and prose.

Length: All poems must be less than 40 lines long, and prose pieces must be less than 600 words.
Format: Manuscripts should be in standard manuscript format and submitted as a .doc, .docx, or .RTF file type.
Payment: $10/poem/prose piece
Rights: We purchase exclusive first serial electronic, print, and audio rights for one year, after which time the author is free to place their piece(s) elsewhere.
Reprints: We do not accept reprints.
Simultaneous Submissions: Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please let us know if one or more of your pieces get accepted elsewhere!
Multiple Submissions: One can submit a maximum of 3 pieces at once, all in one document but clearly separated. If a submission contains more than 3 pieces, we will only consider the first 3 poems on the document. Please wait until you've received a response from your previous submission before sending another, otherwise it will be rejected.
Response time: Expect a response from us within 60 days. If you haven't heard from us by then, send a query.

Additional Feedback:
While we at Baubles From Bones never plan to charge a fee for general submissions, we do offer paid editorial feedback for stories and poetry. Ideally, we would love to have the time and manpower to give detailed feedback to all of our submissions, but since our team of editors and slush readers are all volunteers, it's just not feasible. However, with a small, voluntary fee, we can offer feedback for interested writers. This feedback is not meant to tear apart the writer's work but to give them constructive and encouraging notes to build off of. Our feedback comes in two forms:
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Editorial annotations:
We deliver a marked-up copy of the manuscript with some in-line comments and annotations. This is not an in-depth line edit but rather a look at where in the piece certain thoughts and critiques strike us.

Written feedback:
We send you a write-up about our thoughts and feelings on your piece: what worked for us and what didn't. This feedback is more detailed than the annotations and allows us to focus in on bigger points of the piece that swayed our ultimate decision. Actual length of feedback will vary, but you can expect at least 200 words.​

Additional Feedback:
While we at Baubles From Bones never plan to charge a fee for general submissions, we do offer paid editorial feedback for stories and poetry. Ideally, we would love to have the time and manpower to give detailed feedback to all of our submissions, but since our team of editors and slush readers are all volunteers, it's just not feasible. However, with a small, voluntary fee, we can offer feedback for interested writers. This feedback is not meant to tear apart the writer's work but to give them constructive and encouraging notes to build off of. Our feedback comes in two forms:
​
Editorial annotations:
We deliver a marked-up copy of the manuscript with some in-line comments and annotations. This is not an in-depth line edit but rather a look at where in the piece certain thoughts and critiques strike us.

Written feedback:
We send you a write-up about our thoughts and feelings on your piece: what worked for us and what didn't. This feedback is more detailed than the annotations and allows us to focus in on bigger points of the piece that swayed our ultimate decision. Actual length of feedback will vary, but you can expect at least 200 words.​

Last updated: January 1st, 2025

Submissions are currently: closed