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Submission
Guidelines
Updated
Feb 1, 2008 for the 2008 issues
We
love the fact that writers around the world are inspired by our
first lines, and we know that not every story will be sent to us.
However, we ask that you do not submit stories starting with our
first lines to other journals (or post them online on public sites)
until we've notified you as to our decision (usually two to three
weeks after the deadline). When the entire premise of the publication
revolves around one sentence, we don't want it to look like we stole
that sentence from another writer. If you have questions, feel free
to drop us a line.
Fiction:
All stories must be written with the first line provided. The line
cannot be altered in any way, unless otherwise noted by the editors.
The story should be between 300 and 3,000 words. The sentences can
be found on the home page of The First Line's Web site, as
well as in the prior issue. Note: We are open to all genres.
We try to make TFL as eclectic as possible.
Non-Fiction:
500-800 word critical essays about your favorite first line from
a literary work.
All
Stories: Writers should include a two- to three-sentence biography
of themselves that will appear in the magazine should their story
run.
Multiple
Submissions: We don't mind if you want to submit multiple stories
for the same issue. However, it is unlikely we will use more than
one of your stories in the same issue.
Continuing
Series: We will consider only four-part stories using all the
sentences for a single year. All the stories must be submitted at
once (a single e-mail or snail mail) before the February 1st deadline.
Submissions:
We prefer you send manuscripts via e-mail to submission (@)
thefirstline (dot) com. We accept stories in MS Word or Word
Perfect format (we prefer attachments). Make sure your name and
contact information, as well as your bio, are part of the attachment.
Stories also can be sent to The First Line's post office
box. No manuscripts will be returned without an accompanying SASE
with sufficient return postage. Here is the submission schedule
for this year's sentences:
Spring
Issue Deadline: February 1st
Summer Issue Deadline: May 1st
Fall Issue Deadline: August 1st
Winter Issue Deadline: November 1st
Notification:
We don't make any decisions about stories until after each issue
closes. We typically send notices out within two to three weeks
after the issue's deadline to everyone who submitted a story. You
can also check the home page of the Web site as we will indicate
each issue's production status there.
NOTE:
For some reason, AOL won't show us any love. If you have an
AOL e-mail account, you may not receive notification. Please
change your settings to allow e-mail from our addresses, as
well as thefirstline (@) hotmail (dot) com.
Payment: We pay on publication $20.00 (US) for fiction and $10.00
(US) for nonfiction. We also send you a copy of the issue in which
your story or nonfiction appears. You'll receive your money and
issue at the same time.
NOTE:
Recently, we've received requests from some of the writers we've
accepted who would rather have a subscription, extra copies,
or even a book or two from the press instead of a cold hard
check. If you would like to spend your payment at the company
store, mention it to us when we send you your acceptance e-mail,
and we'll see what kind of deal we can give you.
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