VerbSap

Concise Prose. Enough Said.

Submissions

VerbSap publishes the best in minimalist writing. We look for stark, elegant, concise prose.

VerbSap accepts submissions during posted reading periods. Our next reading period dates will be announced shortly.

Length under 3,000 words.

Really: 3,000 words or less. We have short attention spans. Our minds wander. It's embarrassing how easily we drift off. So be brief. Even if you have a Pushcart Prize. Even if you have a Pulitzer.

OK. If you have a Pulitzer you can go over. But not by much.

We accept short stories, flash fiction, creative nonfiction, and novel excerpts that stand alone.

Editorial Idiosyncrasies

Good: Stories with strong plots and vivid characters; clarity; research; originality; focus; stories that make us weep; stories that make us laugh; depictions of human frailty; depictions of human resilience; absurdity.

Not So Good: Fictionalized violence or depictions of drug use; thinly-veiled rewrites of CSI or Law & Order episodes; stories comprised entirely of dialogue; stories comprised entirely of internal monologue; fables; the torturing of small animals; strong odors; bodily fluids; surprise endings.

Getting Your Work To Us

You've produced a work of prose so achingly spare and emotionally engaging that we'll wish we'd written it ourselves. Congratulations. We want to read it, so follow the steps below.

1) Make sure it's under 3,000 words.

2) Paste it in the body of an email.

3) Write "Submission," the genre and your name in the subject line. E.g., "Submission: Fiction by Tim Winton."

4) Include your name, email address, and a brief bio.

5) Append the following sentence to your submission: "I own the rights, title and interest in this work and it does not violate the copyright of any third party." Please note, VerbSap accepts only original, unpublished work. We consider work posted any website or blog to have been previously published.

6) Address your submission to

7) Press "send" and relax. Your part is done for now.

Response

We live to read. That said, life is short. There are hikes to take, waves to surf, dogs to walk, and kids to cuddle, not to mention bills to pay. So, while we make every effort to respond to your submissions quickly, we're only human. Please send a query if you haven't heard back in two months.

Recompense

Knowledge of a job well done, the thrill you get from seeing your name in print, and clips to show your friends and agent: these we can arrange. However, VerbSap currently does not pay its contributors. Rest assured you'll be first on our list when the money comes rolling in.

Rights

Acceptance of your work grants VerbSap exclusive electronic rights for 60 days and the one-time right to feature your work in a print edition and/or subsequent VerbSap anthology. All material published online will be archived.

Authors represent their work as their own and as previously unpublished. VerbSap accepts no liability arising from publication of an author's work.

Subsequent publication of work appearing in VerbSap should credit VerbSap as the original publisher.

Submission to VerbSap constitutes acceptance of these conditions.

Home | Top