Please don’t do these things when submitting
When reviewing submissions, these are the things that drive us crazy and make us want to reject submissions out of hand.
1. Not following our manuscript formatting guidelines. Please do so.
2. Inconsistent author name. We get submissions that have one name on the email address; something different on the signature in the cover letter; yet another variation in the manuscript file; and if we accept it, yet another name in their contributor’s bio. Which one do we use on the website?
Now, we understand that the email address might be a little different, but there is no excuse for the others. We don’t care is you want to use a nickname or a shortened form of your name, or initials (with or without periods and spaces in between), or a first name and an initial, or you want to include your middle name, or hyphenate your last name — just use the same variation throughout. If you want to use a pseudonym than tell us that in no uncertain terms. Please, please be consistent!
3. Inconsistent manuscript titles. Sometimes the file name in the Submittable queue is different from the title mentioned in the cover letter or the title line in the file. This happens often with novel excerpts—please use the title of the novel, and again, please be consistent.
4. Multiple submissions of the same story (with slight variations). Please don’t do this — it’s very confusing. Or if you must, withdraw the older version from the Submittable queue. And, please, we know writers are forever tinkering with their copy, but once a piece has been accepted, do not send us a newer “better version”. We accepted the version we read originally.
Summer Schedule
As usual, commuterLit will take the summer off. Our summer hiatus will start Monday, July 4, 2022; we will return sometime in September (date to be determined). As always the general submission portal will remain open; but you will not hear from us until September.
Contributor News
Carla Sarett‘s debut collection of poetry, She Has Visions, will be published by Main Street Rag Press in Fall 2022. It is available for preorder (paperback only) at the publisher website.
