If you’re a teenager between the ages of 13 and 19, keep reading.
If you’re an adult (anyone 20 or older), click here to see what we’re looking for from you.
We actively seek five types of submissions from teens. Send us your very best work, and read the guidelines thoroughly and completely before sending anything:
1. Poetry. We definitely prefer poems of under 36 lines, but we’ll always consider excellent exceptions. Address to poetry editor Julia Shields and send in the body of an email to poetry@frodosnotebook.com.
2. Creative/Personal Essays. Creative nonfiction, preferably narrative-driving and reflective; not journalism or opinion. Address to editor in chief Daniel Klotz and send as a .doc (Word), .rtf, or .txt attachment to essays@frodosnotebook.com.
3. Fiction. Almost exclusively short-short stories of under 1200 words, though we will gladly look at longer pieces that promise to blow us away. We mostly want “literary” fiction, but send us your fantasy or sci-fi if it’s really good and not fan fic. Address to fiction editor Timothy Rezendes and send to fiction@frodosnotebook.com.
4. Articles. Reviews of current books, movies, and art, as well as cultural critique, op-ed, and original journalistic reportage, as long as it has a literary/artistic subject or slant. Usually under 1200 words. If you’re interested in writing this kind of prose for us, send a writing sample or two to editor at large Ben Carr at articles@frodosnotebook.com.
5. Visual art. We are not yet accepting submissions of visual art.
Wait, there’s more…
Please include your name in the subject line of your email submission. In the body of your email write a letter briefly introducing yourself and the work you’re submitting. Be absolutely sure to include your name, date of birth, the country and state/province in which you live, and your email address.
Wait until you hear from us (usually 1-3 months) before sending your work to other publications; we don’t accept simultaneous submissions.
We acquire first serial rights for any work we publish (which means we do not consider work previously published anywhere--including any website--except for small print publications like school literary magazines). All rights revert to the writer/artist after publication, and the works can then be reprinted (though we ask that Frodo’s Notebook get an acknowledgment as its place of initial publication). We permanently and electronically archive all submissions.
The editors reserve the right to edit accepted submissions for clarity, quality, or inappropriate content. Only slight changes will be made, and in most cases the writer will be consulted. Works requiring major changes will be rejected. It’s a good idea to read through our writing tips before you send us anything.
Your work will be carefully reviewed by one of our editors, and we make every conceivable effort to give a personalized response to each piece, even if we do not accept it for publication.
We look forward to hearing from you and seeing your work!