Submit
We welcome submissions in poetry and fiction from around the world. We enjoy working with polyphonic, eclectic styles and especially enjoy being surprised by a submission.
The Bombay Literary Magazine invites submissions on a rolling basis. We release about nine new issues a year. Before submitting your work, we strongly recommend that you read previous issues from our archives.
GUIDELINES
* Please send all submissions to submit.tblm@gmail.com
* All submissions must be previously unpublished.
* Please write a cover letter in the body of your email, including a short third-person bio note.
* For fiction submissions, please send 1 short story between 500-5000 words.
* For poetry submissions, please send 3-5 poems at a time. Please do not send us a single poem; we want to understand of your range and style through a substantial sample.
* We accept simultaneous submissions. However, please write to us immediately if your work has been selected elsewhere.
* We may take up to three months to respond. In the unlikely event that you haven’t heard from us after three months, please do write to us with a query email.
* If your submission has not been accepted, please wait for a period of six months before submitting again.
* We currently do not accept articles, essays, interviews, book reviews or artwork. If we are able to include these in the future, we will indicate so on this page.
FAQs
1) Do you accept translations?
Yes, we accept translations in English as long as the translator has acquired translation rights/permission from the author. If selected, the piece will be credited with the author’s and the translator’s names.
2) Do you accept submissions in languages other than English?
We currently accept fiction submissions in English and Hindi, and poetry submissions in English only. When we are able to accept submissions in other languages, we will indicate so on this page.
3) Do you accept international submissions?
Yes. We encourage submissions from authors of all nationalities and ethnicities. We particularly encourage submissions from underrepresented communities.
4) What are your submission periods?
We accept submissions throughout the year on a rolling basis.
5) Do you accept genre fiction?
Yes, we accept fiction in all genres.
6) Do you accept nonfiction?
We do not publish nonfiction, except in rare cases, when the piece is solicited. Please do not send us unsolicited nonfiction.
7) My work is previously published on my personal blog or social media pages. Is that okay?
Before submitting your work to us, please take it down from all blogs, social media pages and personal websites. Please also indicate in your cover letter that it was previously published and you have deleted it from all web pages.
8) Can I publish my work elsewhere after it is published at TBLM?
Yes. You own copyright of your work and you are free to reprint it. We request you to add the credit ‘first published in The Bombay Literary Magazine’ when your work is reprinted.
9) I am under 18 years of age. Will you publish my work?
We do not have any upper or lower age limit criteria. Statistically, however, our contributors tend to be adults.
10) Do you pay for selected pieces?
The Bombay Literary Magazine does not charge for submissions or subscriptions. All work featured here is free to access, and it will always be. Since we do not use a revenue-generating model, we are unable to pay contributors.
11) My question is not answered here. What can I do?
Please send your query to submit.tblm@gmail.com