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Submission Guidelines



Submitting Poetry

MindFlights accepts all forms of poem – structured or free, long or short – and we publish both established names and first-time poets. We particularly encourage student contributors.

Our main criteria for acceptance are simple:
1. Did we enjoy it? Was it interesting?
2. Was it compatible with our values and principles?
3. Does it evoke our emotions or make us think?

What We Are Looking For

Almost all of the poems we publish are speculative in nature, be that science fiction or fantasy. However, we do publish the occasional science poem. We are open to all poets, regardless of experience. We are open to all styles, forms, and lengths of poetry, from free verse to villanelles, from haiku to skaldic epics. We do ask that if you choose to write to a specific form, you make sure that the form suits and adds to the content of the poem. We also note that, while well written formal poetry can be wonderful, there are few things worse than poorly written rhyming poems.

We also keep an open submission policy without specific reading periods. We don't have a long list of topics we like or don't like; just entertain us and be sure to stay within our content guidelines.

If you are thinking about sending us something seasonal, please send it at least two months before you'd expect it to be published.

Payment and Rights Purchased

We are asking for rights as follows:

  • Non-exclusive Electronic Publication Rights, for publication in the English language. (Internet format)
  • Non-exclusive Print Publication Rights, for publication in the English language. (Print format)

MindFlights pays 1/2 cent (US) per word with a minimum of $5.00 and a maximum of $25.00. For nearly all poems, this means a $5.00 payment. Authors whose works appear in the print version will also receive one contributor copy.

Reprints

We do occasionally accept reprints, but only if (a) we think they are excellent, (b) you tell us where they were previously published, and (c) you have retained the right to sell reprints.

A poem counts as a reprint if it has been previously published on general release anywhere in the world or electronically, including on personal blogs and discussion boards. Posts to members-only critique groups or in limited-distribution workshop collections do not count as reprints. If you are in any doubt whether your poem counts as a reprint, please just send it to us with a brief explanation and we'll take it from there.

Multiple Submissions

We do accept multiple submissions, but please don't send us more than three poems at once. Please submit each poem, one at a time. You will title your submission, and if accepted, that title will be displayed to readers as entered. Therefore, each poem needs to be titled individually, and the best way to do that is for each poem to be submitted individually.

Formatting Guidelines

Submission at MindFlights are done completely through the web tool. For poetry, you will not upload any files, as the submission will be entirely sent through the form. The instructions are detailed. You will be asked to classify your submission (as Poetry and into a genre), then provide title and other information. We ask that you provide a present tense blurb that will appear in the contents to entice website visitors to read your work (this might be edited for various reasons if the piece is accepted).

Next, you will be asked to enter your submission in full into the next box (some formatting instructions are given). Lastly, you can enter your "cover letter" before saving and previewing. When you save/preview, your submission will be presented for your inspection and in the middle of the page you will find a button that says "Approve Submission and Notify Editors." You may click that button to finalize your submission or scroll further down to make additional changes and repeat the save/preview process. Once you approve your submission, the editorial team is notified that a new submission has been received. Your submission will then appear in a list in your Author-Artist Tools.

In all, if your poem is open in a word processing document, you can submit it in about two or three minutes. It REALLY is easy.

What Happens Next?

Once you've sent us your poem, it is sent to our team of editors for their consideration. We'll then get back to you with a decision as soon as we can, often within two to three weeks.

If we like your poem and want to publish it, we'll let you know by e-mail.

If we decide not to publish your poem, we will always tell you why in the form of an edited version of our editors' comments. These comments are intended to be helpful rather than critical, and we see this an integral part of our aim to help develop new talent. If you'd rather not receive this feedback, please let us know in your cover letter.

If we like your poem, but don't think it is appropriate for MindFlights , we may refer you to one of our sister magazines: TeenAge, Fear and Trembling, Haruah, and Ray Gun Revival.

Thanks for reading. If you'd like to submit a poem to us, please click the button below to enter our submissions process.


Submit to MindFlights - Click Here

More Process Information

 

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