THE WAITING ROOM
Submission Guidelines
Prose Guidelines:
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Zero Reading Fee
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Single author, original, previously unpublished writing between 3,000 and 8,000 words
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Double-spaced, PDF
*All genres considered except for work in translation
Poetry Guidelines:
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Zero Reading Fee
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Single author, original, previously unpublished writing. Up to four poems
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Single-spaced, formatting/ stanzas clearly indicated, PDF
*All genres considered except for work in translation
Art/ Photography Guidelines:
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Zero Reading Fee
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Original, previously unpublished. Up to four pieces.
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Professionally captured. PDF, PNG, JPG
Music/ Audio Guidelines:
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Zero Reading Fee
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Original, previously unpublished. Up to two songs/ files.
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Professionally recorded and mixed.
General Terms & Conditions:
1. Submissions are open year-round.***
2. Submissions are welcome from anyone, anywhere in the world.
3. Submissions must be written in English, no translations accepted.*
4. Work must be previously unpublished and original.
a. Entries will be deemed ineligible if they are under contract to another publisher or organization.
b. Previously published, prize-winning, or broadcasted work will not be accepted. (Previous online appearances constitute
prior publication).
5. Prose: double-spaced and limited to 8,000 words.
6. Poetry: single-spaced, stanzas clearly defined, submit up to four poems.
7. Art/ Photography: professionally captured, up to four pieces.
8. Simultaneous submissions are accepted. Please notify us of acceptance elsewhere ASAP.
9. ZERO reading fee, ever.
10. If accepted, you will receive one copy of The Waiting Room.
11. Recipient pays shipping cost.
12. No royalties will be paid out for accepted work at this time.
13. There is no age limit. However, if you are under the age of 18, you must submit a signed permission slip from your
parent(s) and/ or legal guardian before submitting any work.
14. Submissions must be sent through the online submission portal/ email address (below).**
15. Entries should be submitted in PDF format (A Word Doc will be needed if your work is accepted).
16. Please include a cover page and table of contents, all in a single PDF document.
17. Do not include any personal information in your cover page. That will go in the cover letter.
18. In your cover letter, please include your name, email, phone number, current mailing address, and a brief bio.
19. The author’s name must not appear anywhere in the work or in the name of the digital file (if your name is in a work,
please update it to “[author name]”).
20. By submitting work, you agree to your email being added to our email list (less than three emails a month).
21. Entries must not infringe upon anyone’s copyright.
22. Entries that are deemed to be works of plagiarism will be disqualified.
23. Any work that espouses racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia or any other notions of hate will be immediately
disqualified.
24. Works are selected by the editorial staff through a blind read process.
25. By submitting your work, you declare that the work is your own work and has not been previously published,
broadcasted, or awarded anywhere at any time. You are acknowledging that you have read all the terms and
conditions and agree to abide by them.
26. Our eager editorial staff can't wait to review your work!
Failure to follow all guidelines will result in immediate disqualification. PLEASE follow all guidelines, we want to read everything!
*Work in translation is only acceptable if the author has originally written the work in both languages.
**If you are unable to send your work through the online system, contact us for details on how to send through the USPS.
***We may close submissions periodically when we are heavy into review, so we don't get overwhelmed. They will re-open as swiftly as possible.