Submissions

We are currently accepting submissions for our September, 2010 issue of Beginnings and Ends.

General Guidelines

1. We are looking for serious writers with an appreciation for language and the craft of writing. We want fiction with memorable characters and realistic plots, poetry that is fresh and original, and nonfiction that is both thoughtful and entertaining.
2. We will accept writing of any genre except erotica and children's literature. While we do consider ourselves to be a mainstream literary e-zine, we believe skillfully written genre fiction will be appreciated by people who are not educated in all things elfin or alien.
3. We will accept only writing that has been proofread for spelling and grammar. Trust us on this one. Francesca keeps her machete very sharp for people who are grammatically challenged.
4. People of all ages read Halfway Down the Stairs so we will not publish any pieces that contain explicit sexual content, unusually violent content, or repetitive swearing.
5. Please do not send us any of the following: poetry that sounds like it ought to be on a Hallmark card, poetry you copied from a Hallmark card, how-to articles, first drafts of anything, fanfiction, previously published work, anything full of sentimentality, or religious and/or political propaganda disguised as fiction.
6. This ought to be obvious, but only send us your own work. If you send us anything plagiarized, remember we have a machete.
7. For legal reasons, we can only publish authors aged thirteen and up.
8. The editors are all responsive to shameless flattery and to gifts of chocolate.

We regret that we cannot pay our authors as our quest for a rich and eccentric man to fund our publication proved to be an utter disaster (though we did get several nice marriage proposals).

Poetry Guidelines

We accept poetry of roughly 500 words or less, although we are not terribly strict about this guideline.  We are willing to be lenient with the theme when it comes to poetry, but only if the submission is very good.

Please note that we only accept three submissions of poetry at any one time from a single author, and we do not accept simultaneous submissions of poetry.  If you would like to submit more than the permitted maximum, please wait until you have received a response on the first three.

Fiction Guidelines

We accept fiction of roughly 5,000 words or less related to the theme of the issue.  

Nonfiction Guidelines

We accept creative nonfiction of 3,000 words or less related to the theme of the issue.  We also accept book reviews for novels, short story collections, memoirs, and poetry collections that were published within the last year.  All reviews must be for books that can be found in major bookstores.

Please submit only one piece of fiction or creative nonfiction at a time.

The Submission Process

1. Please send all submissions to submissions @ halfwaydownthestairs . net.
2. Your subject line should look like this: submission, genre, and title of your piece.  (Example: "Submission, Fiction, Monsoon Nights.")  If you are submitting multiple poems, state the number of poetry submissions instead of the title of the piece.  Please do not submit multiple genres in a single e-mail; if you would like to submit poetry and fiction, send us two separate e-mails.
3. Within the body of your e-mail, give us the following information: the title(s) of your submission(s), the name under which you wish to be published, your e-mail address, if the piece you are submitting has ever been published elsewhere, if the piece you are submitting is a simultaneous submission, if you are over the age of thirteen, and a brief introduction written in the 3rd person point of view.  If you are submitting multiple poems, include these statements at the beginning of your e-mail, and follow it with the actual poems.  Example:
   

   Monsoon Nights.
   by William C. Fredrikson.
   crazywillie57@gmail.com.
   No, Monsoon Nights has never been published elsewhere.
   No, Monsoon Nights is not a simultaneous submission.
   Yes, I am over the age of thirteen.

   William C. Fredrikson teaches grade seven social studies in British Columbia.   His students think he looks exactly like Jack Nicholson.  In his spare time, William enjoys playing the guitar, reading Hemingway, studying World War II history, and making fun of reality television.

   If we do choose to publish your piece, we will also publish your biography. Your e-mail address is confidential, and we will never publish it or give it out.
4. After your introduction, please post your piece within the body of your e-mail.  Please do not send your work as an attachment.  We are almost as afraid of viruses as we are of spiders, and therefore, we wont open attachments.  (We dont accept spiders either.)  Please single space your work, double spacing between paragraphs.
5. Optional: Let us know how you found us.  Were curious as to where our readers and writers are coming from.

We will respond to all submissions within four weeks of receiving them.

Deadline for Next Issue: August 15, 2010.

Publication Details

Upon publishing your work, Halfway Down the Stairs will require exclusive electronic rights to it for 6 months, or the length of one issue.  After the six month period is over, we will request nonexclusive electronic rights so we may include it in our archives.