
Since we accept submissions of a variety of topics and disciplines, we ask that you remain consistent regarding style and format. We accept submissions and seek out pieces of professional merit, high quality, and original thought. We accept simultaneous submissions, under the condition that you inform us and withdraw your submission should it be accepted elsewhere. Multiple submissions are fine, and they can overlap in terms of discipline(s), human condition feature(s), content, or ideas. We do not accept pieces that have been previously published elsewhere.
All Submisions Must Include
- Author/Artist headshot
- Short Author/Artist bio (~100 words)
- Statement indicating whether submission is simultaneous submission
- 60-word description explaining the connection between the submission and the human condition
Fiction
Flash Fiction
Short Story
Script / Screenwriting
– Short story preference: 1,500-4,000 words.
– Flash fiction preference: 100-1,000 words.
– Script preference: less than 4,000 words.
Poetry
– If poetry submission needs copyediting, we reject.
– No more than 10 poems at a time. (If we receive more than 10 poems from a single submission, we reject without reading.)
– Please list all poems in a single word document.
– If submitting more than 1 poem, we publish as a collection. Please include a submission title for the entire collection (i.e., please do not list the names of your individual poems as your submission title.)
Visual Art & Photography
Painting
Mixed Media
Photography
Illustration
Drawing
Comics
Sculpture
– 3 – 10 visual art pieces.
– Accepted image files: .png, .jpg.
– Must include either captions for each image OR written essay to accompany visual art submission (or both).
Personal History
Memoir
Biography
Autobiography
– Essay length; not full manuscript.
Nonfiction Essay
Journalism
Article
Essay
Critique
Column
Op-Ed
Commentary
– Preference: sources as hyperlinks.
– 800-1500 words.
– This is NOT Personal History.
– Nonfiction essays must have an argument.
– Stick to a specific citation style.
How does your submission relate to a feature, situation, characteristic, or experience of human existence/the human condition? Minimum: 60 words.
- Original content in one of the disciplines or topics listed above
- New cutting-edge and seminal ideas
- Openness to unique ideas
- Articles, essays, literary pieces, or art that adds something new to the understanding of human existence, or expresses an old concept in a new and inventive way
- Plagiarism
- Inconsistency in style & format
- Failure to make a valid argument
- Pieces that have nothing to do with the human condition
- Poor writing quality
- Pieces that do not answer the question above ^^ or that do not explain how the submission relates to the human condition
The Abstract Elephant Magazine LLC does not pay for submissions. However, we greatly appreciate all who are invested in our mission and who contribute to this publication.
- We will respond to everyone who submits to us, usually within a month.
- We read submissions in the order they are received.
- As long as your piece relates to the human condition, is original, is of high-quality, and follows the specific discipline instructions, it will most likely be published on The Abstract Elephant Magazine.
- On pieces that need it, we copyedit.
- For nonfiction essays, we might add headers and format for SEO.
- All written pieces will have images/artwork added.
- All files and information contained in this website have been published or licensed by The Abstract Elephant Magazine LLC, and may not be duplicated, copied, modified or adapted, in any way without our written permission.
- We do not retain copyright for the “Arts,” or any and all visual or performing arts (e.g. art, photography, music, or videos) contained in this website. The author retains copyright of these materials.
- Our website may contain our service marks or trademarks as well as those of our affiliates or other companies, in the form of words, graphics, and logos. Your use of our website or services does not constitute any right or license for you to use our service marks or trademarks, without the prior written permission of The Abstract Elephant Magazine. Our content, as found within our website, blog and services, is protected under United States and foreign copyrights. The copying or publication by you of any such content, is strictly prohibited. Your use of our website and services does not grant you any ownership rights to our content.
- By accepting publication for our site (https://abstractelephant.com/), the author grants The Abstract Elephant Magazine first publication rights, first electronic rights, and archival rights. After it appears in The Abstract Elephant Magazine, the author retains copyright and may publish elsewhere, though a “first published in ” credit is required.
- By accepting publication for our site, the author gives The Abstract Elephant Magazine LLC the right to publish the work on https://abstractelephant.com/, to archive it indefinitely on our website, and to be included in future issues and editions of our up-and-coming referred journal publication. (Note: We might re-feature work on the homepage, though this does not constitute a new publication.)
- By accepting publication for one of our issues, the author gives The Abstract Elephant Magazine LLC the following rights: first publication rights, first electronic rights, archival rights, and copyright.
- All images displayed on https://abstractelephant.com/ that were not submitted and accepted for publication are either public domain or used in accordance with fair use policy.