Submissions

Before you submit to Goblin Fruit, there are a few things you might find useful to know; for instance, the submission guidelines. If any question you have has not been addressed below, feel free to query at goblin.fruit[at]gmail[dot]com, and please do read our Frequently Implied Questions for additional information.

What is it we want?

We want poetry that we can call "of the fantastical", poetry that treats mythic, surreal, fantasy and folkloric themes, or approaches other themes in a fantastical way. Re-write a fairytale, ponder an old story, consider history from an unusual perspective — really, it's up to you, so long as the fantastical element is there. Since what qualifies as "the fantastical" is easily debatable, however, here's what we're not interested in: science fiction poetry (it's not you, it's us), horror for horror's sake, and poetry that's self-consciously gothic.

We have no prejudice against traditional poetic forms, rhyme, or meter. We'd like to stay that way, so please let the form serve the poem, not the other way around. Prose poems will be harder to sell, mainly because so many of them straddle the flash fiction line.

How much do we pay?

Beginning in January 2016 we will be paying $15.00 USD on publication for original, unpublished poems, and $5.00 for solicited reprints. If you'd like to submit a poem that has been published elsewhere, please query first with the poem's title, where it was originally published and when. We purchase first North American serial rights and first Worldwide Electronic rights for three months; after that rights revert to the author, although we do request permission to keep the poem in our archives indefinitely.

When can I submit?

We are accepting submissions during the following times:

April 9th - June 1st

July 9th - September 1st

October 9th - December 1st

January 9th - March 3rd


How can I submit?

Send an e-mail to goblin.fruit[at]gmail[dot]com with your name, address and the title of your poem. Please put "Poetry Submission" in the subject line, followed by your poem title. No cover letter or bio is necessary, but we do appreciate a hello, and won't bite until thoroughly riled. Include your poem in the body of the e-mail, in plain text, indicating italics _like this_. We accept up to five submissions from an author per reading period and no more than three submissions per e-mail. Simultaneous submissions are okay, as long as you let us know you've submitted the work somewhere else as well, and give us a shout if it's accepted before we get back to you.

We are working through a substantial backlog just now, and request your patience; once we have caught up with it, we will be in a better position to announce a sensible turn-around window.

There are more important things to know about this whole submission thing?

Yes.
  1. If your e-mail address will only accept replies a list of approved senders, approve us in advance; you have our e-mail address. We should not have to request the ability to reply in order to respond to your submission.
  2. When you resubmit, as we hope you will, open up an entirely new message and begin the submission process afresh. Do not reply to our reply with another submission.