When submitting, please include:

• An excerpt containing the first 7,000 words of your manuscript, ending at a natural break in the narrative (going very slightly over the word limit, if strictly necessary, is permissible).
• A traditional query letter, comprising a general narrative introduction to your book, 2-4 comparable titles, a brief third-person bio of approximately 100 words, and a note as to why you are sending your work to Iron Oak Editions.
• A synopsis of 1-2 pages, outlining the characters, situation, narrative arc, progression, themes, conflicts, resolutions, and overall conclusion (complete with spoilers). Note that there may be some overlap​ between the synopsis (a more detailed document) and the introductory portion of the query letter.​​
• We accept simultaneous submissions; please mention this in the initial query letter. Please also let us know straightway if your project has been either accepted for publication or if you have received a request for the full manuscript elsewhere.

General Formatting Guidelines

• ​We only consider literary fiction (no genre submissions).
• All submissions should be in Times New Roman, 12pt font, double spaced, one-inch margins.
• Please include page numbers.
• We can only consider work written in English, but welcome British, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand English in addition to American English.
• Please proofread and only send us polished, completed work.

WTR seek poems that perform Olympic feats with language that  leave a reader in wonder while still referring back to the basic things  that make us human. We want powerful imagery and enjoy the juxtaposition  of images in interesting and unexpected ways.
We want poems that make the reader think and feel, work that humbles us  with its joy, humor, embarrassment, anger, hope, grief, or all of the  above, and gravitate toward writing that has something important to  teach us--something that readers really need to know, but might not have  understood this was a need until the last word of the work.




NOTE: Submissions which do not meet the following guidelines will not be considered:
 

• All submissions must be previously unpublished and are limited to five poems per reading period and must be accompanied by a cover letter and a biography of no more than 150 words. Work submitted without a biography will not be considered.
• In your cover letter, please mention your social media handles (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter).  If you have a website dedicated to your writing, please include the link in your letter.
• Include a clear title for each poem.
• Submit poems as one reading packet and place what you consider your stronger work at the front of the group.
• Enter the title of each poem as your packet's submission title.
• Work must be submitted as a Microsoft Word file. 

Submit only once per reading period.  


While we offer free submissions the first week of each month (April to December), general submissions are typically $3 (to cover administrative costs).  

You may also choose to receive a quick decision about your work for $10, and may also receive a quick decision about your work along with personalized feedback from the editors for $25 (1.5-2 pages).   The response time for both expedited and personalized options is approximately 2 weeks.


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******** SUBMISSIONS OPEN 3/8/23-3/11/23 FOR AWP ATTENDEES

We look for fiction with a literary focus and prioritize characterization and psychological depth. No genre pieces considered.

​We  want stories that make the reader think and feel, work  that humbles us with its joy, humor, embarrassment, anger, hope, grief,  or all of the above, and gravitate toward writing that has something  important to teach us--something that readers really need to know, but  might not have understood this was a need until the last word of the work.

Manuscripts are read between April 1 and August 1 & August 15 to December 15.

NOTE: Submissions which do not meet the following guidelines will not be considered:

• All submissions must be previously unpublished and are limited to one entry per submission period.
• While we have no hard limit regarding story length, most pieces we accept are typically less than 5,000 words.
• Work must be submitted as a Microsoft Word file and include a clear title of the work
• Submissions must be accompanied by a cover letter and a biography of no more than 150 words. Work submitted without a biography will not be considered.
• In your cover letter, please mention your social media handles (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter).  If you have a website dedicated to your writing, please include the link in your cover letter as well.

Submit Only Once Per Reading Period.

While we offer free submissions the first week of each month (April to December), general submissions are typically $3 (to cover administrative costs).  

You may also choose to receive a quick decision about your work for $10, and may also receive a quick decision about your work along with personalized feedback from the editors for $25 (1.5-2 pages).   The response time for both expedited and personalized options is approximately 2 weeks. 

Please take a moment to follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter.

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

Please send us your best, unpublished extracts from novel-length works (8000-12000 words).
​​We  seek excellent writing, first and foremost. We prioritize work that  places an emphasis on character, language, and psychological depth; no genre pieces, please.
We  look for compelling stories with something important to say about the world in which they are made; work peopled by dynamic, complex  characters; rendered in fearless writing that is unafraid to innovate and experiment in form, style, and technique; that takes risks at the sentence level in language and perspective; and that challenges conventional ways of seeing the world. A work should not be so experimental, however, that it sacrifices clarity. It should illuminate a  facet of the human condition while being bold in its presentation and construction.
​Submissions in no way need to stand alone; we are not looking for long short stories. We hope that West Trade Review’s excerpt page can be a place where writers simply take the very best sections of their manuscript without worrying about and/or trying to retrofit into the project or section any type of neat narrative bow, or (artificial) sense of conclusion. In short, we simply want the best excerpts of the best  novels currently in progress.


Manuscripts are read between April 1 and August 1 & August 15 to December 15.
NOTE: Submissions which do not meet the following guidelines will not be considered.


​-Include a clear title of the work.
-Please adhere to conventional style and formatting rules. Times New Roman or similar, 12 point font, double or 1.5 line spacing, paginated. If you are including a synopsis please place it alone on page one, with the  body of the excerpt then beginning on page two.
-A cover letter is required and should include a third person bio and may  include a brief note as to the history, genesis, and literary ancestry of the excerpted novel, as we like to know a bit about the pieces we  consider. Please note, however, that cover letters are only read after  the submission themselves and their existence or content will in no way affect the decision to accept or deny.
--Please include social media handles.  If you have a personal website dedicated to your writing, please include the link in your letter as well.
-If your work is a simultaneous submission, please let us know immediately if it is published elsewhere.
-Writers may not submit more than once per reading period.
​
We  try to respond to most submissions as quickly as possible, and final  decisions typically do not take more than 3 months at most.

Submit Once Per Reading Period.

While we offer free submissions the first week of each month (April to December), general submissions are typically $3 (to cover administrative costs).  

You may also choose to receive a quick decision about your work for $10, and may also receive a quick decision about your work along with personalized feedback from the editors for $25 (1.5-2 pages).   The response time for both expedited and personalized options is approximately 2 weeks.


​Please take a moment to follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter.
Twitter
Instagram
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We are interested in personal essays, memoir, travel essays, and lyric essays of up to 6000 words that blend style with substance and reach beyond the personal to tell us something new about the world.

We  want creative nonfiction that make the reader think and feel, work that humbles us with its joy, humor, embarrassment, anger, hope, grief,  or all of the above, and gravitate toward writing that has something  important to teach us--something that readers really need to know, but  might not have understood this was a need until the last word of the work.

Manuscripts are read between April 1 and August 1 & August 15 to December 15.

NOTE: Submissions which do not meet the following guidelines will not be considered:

• All submissions must be previously unpublished and are limited to one entry per submission period.
• While we have no hard limit regarding CNF length, most pieces we accept are typically less than 6,000 words. We do accept flash nonfiction, but we find pieces are often undeveloped or unfocused.
• Work must be submitted as a Microsoft Word file (.doc or .docx). We have had issues with Apple Pages and Google docs. Follow conventional formatting (12pt readable font, double spacing, 1" margins).
• Include a clear title of the work, a brief cover letter, and a short biography no more than 150 words.  Work submitted without a biography will not be considered.  
• Please mention your social media handles in your cover letter.  If you have a personal website for your writing, please provide the link in your cover letter as well.

Submit Only Once Per Reading Period.

While we offer free submissions the first week of each month (April to December), general submissions are typically $3 (to cover administrative costs).  

You may also choose to receive a quick decision about your work for $10, and may also receive a quick decision about your work along with personalized feedback from the editors for $25 (1.5-2 pages).   The response time for both expedited and personalized options is approximately 2 weeks. 

Please take a moment to follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter.

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook