Our Submission Guidelines

Here at Locution we are looking to publish quality writing and artwork, such as prose, verse, script, photography, and illustration. General guidelines are as follows (see “Art Submissions” at the bottom the page for information specific to artwork):

We ask that pieces of writing be in English or understandable to an English-reading audience.

As a rule, we like to see pieces that touch us emotionally or make us think. Genre fiction for its own sake is unlikely to fare well; this applies also to mindlessly plot-driven stories or pieces that rely completely on prettiness of sound (read: purple prose).

All types of work are accepted, from poetry to creative non-fiction to artwork, from fantasy to historical. Our editing staff has a wide variety of tastes, so we will publish a wide variety of work. There are two main aspects of a work that we tend to look at: readability and enjoyability. If we have miniscule problems reading a submission and enjoy it, chances are that we will seek to publish it.

This also applies to subject matter and profanity. If a work is done to a high standard, uncomfortable subject matter or the use of swearing can have merit. Be warned, though, that works that are intended only to shock tends to be gimmicks that fall short of true cleverness. There is also a clear link between the mastery of grammar, if not necessarily adherence to its rules, and “literary merit.”

To see what kind of work we publish, take a look at our first issue. If you are new to submissions, check our article on getting published.

As a free E-zine, Locution does not offer payment for publication at this time. We offer a venue for writers to receive publishing credits and public appreciation within a non-localized distribution model. We request online, private-print, and first-run physical rights, though you retain all peripheral rights and may submit your work to other publications 6 months after your Locution publication. All online and physical distribution of your work will be non-profit, unless we contact you; for instance, rights for a paying anthology.

To save shipping costs and to simplify matters, Locution only accepts electronic submissions. The email address is submissions@locution-zine.com.

We prefer attachments in the form of .rtf files, although we will accept .doc files too. As a last resort, the piece can be included in the body of the submission email.

Please include a cover page with your name, email address, and a brief biography. The biography will be included in the magazine should be twenty-five to sixty-five words long—keep it interesting and keep it brief. Here are two example biographies to help you get started:

Michelle Baker writes at work and everywhere else. Her elliptical wanderings produce training manuals, poetry, short stories, curriculum, and the occasional grocery list. Between projects, she studies art while consuming books and chocolate in equal quantities.

Jeffrey Vales Kennedy is a previously unpublished author. He lives in Toronto, Canada and attends the University of Toronto where he is currently studying Literary Studies and Philosophy. He also has a job showing the world how waitering should be done at a cozy, little, French restaurant right downtown.

If your work has any unusual formatting such as shape, fonts, or images, make sure to include any notes regarding it. Be aware that we may not be able to comply with your layout requests, so please indicate the importance of the layout as well as alternatives. If your submission is accepted and these are not included, we may have to postpone its inclusion in the magazine.

We aim to respond in 2 to 5 weeks to submissions, and within a week for queries.

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Photography and illustrations are soon to be presented in Locution Magazine, with standards equal to our literary submissions. If you wish to submit your artwork, you may query a singular piece or related series to our art editor at art@locution-zine.com.