Read our full submission guidelines here.
Please submit only completed pieces to the categories below.
If you haven't got a piece written yet but have an idea, pitch us at editor@litrousa.com.
Litro Represents considers a small number of representation enquiries on a highly selective basis.
We are interested in distinctive, book-length work with literary ambition, clarity of voice, and long-term potential. Litro Represents operates as a boutique, editorially engaged agency: small by design, selective in intake, and committed to developing work with care.
We are currently open to enquiries in the following areas:
- Novel
- Short story collection
- Memoir / Narrative non-fiction
- Essay collection
- Hybrid / Experimental
We are not currently seeking children’s books, picture books, genre series fiction, poetry-only collections, stage or screen scripts, or journalistic proposals outside the literary and narrative space.
Before submitting, please prepare:
- a short representation note
- a concise synopsis or project overview
- sample material
- a brief author bio
What to submit
If your manuscript is complete, please submit sample material and a clear synopsis or overview of the work. If your project is still in development, tell us what stage it has reached and include the strongest material available.
Your representation note should tell us:
- what the project is
- where it stands
- why you are seeking representation from Litro Represents
We review enquiries selectively and may not be able to respond to every submission individually. If we feel the project may be right for us, we will be in touch.
Word limit: 5,000 words
The Litro print magazine only publishes themed stories, but the Litro website is open to submissions of short fiction that is not theme-specific, published every Sunday with the Twitter hashtag #StorySunday.
You can submit more than one piece at a time, but please make separate submissions.
Please also note that we have a rough policy of not publishing another piece by the same author within six months.
Word limit: 4,000 words
The Litro print magazine only publishes themed stories, but the Litro website is open to submissions of short fiction that is not theme-specific, published every Sunday with the Twitter hashtag #StorySunday.
Due to the volume of submissions we receive, please submit only one piece at a time. Additional submissions will unfortunately not be considered.
Please also note that we have a rough policy of not publishing another piece by the same author within six months.
Word limit: 4,000 words
The Litro print magazine only publishes themed stories, but the Litro website is open to submissions of short fiction that is not theme-specific, published during your lunch-break with the Twitter hashtag #LunchBreakFiction.
Due to the volume of submissions we receive, please submit only one piece at a time. Additional submissions will unfortunately not be considered.
Please also note that we have a rough policy of not publishing another piece by the same author within six months.
In order to publish works more quickly, editors may choose to publish submissions under another fiction section during the week—but writers will always be informed.
The Litro print magazine only publishes themed stories, but the Litro website is open to submissions of short fiction that is not theme-specific, published every Tuesday with the Twitter hashtag #TuesdayTales.
Due to the volume of submissions we receive, please submit only one piece at a time. Additional submissions will unfortunately not be considered.
Please also note that we have a rough policy of not publishing another piece by the same author within six months.
In order to publish works more quickly, editors may choose to publish submissions under another fiction section during the week—but writers will always be informed.
The Litro website is open to submissions of flash fiction, published every Friday with the Twitter hashtag #FridayFlash. Stories do not need to fit our monthly themes, although you are welcome to submit work that does. You can submit more than one piece at a time, but please make separate submissions.
Please also note that we have a rough policy of not publishing another piece by the same author within six months.
The Litro print magazine only publishes themed nonfiction work, but Litro Online is open to submissions of creative nonfiction essays that are not theme-specific, published every Saturday.
This section includes, but is not limited to, personal essays, memoir, and travel dispatches, the more creative you are with the term "essay" the better. Stories should be entertaining, engaging and in-keeping with our wider goal which is to find stories that help people look at themselves, or the world they live in, in a new way.
Ideally, we're looking for pieces of no more than 2,000 words, but for an outstanding piece this is negotiable. Please make sure you have both proof read your work and thoroughly checked it for unnecessary sentences before you submit - brevity is a writer's best friend.
PLEASE NOTE: we now have a separate section for articles and reportage. These should be submitted via the Online Nonfiction page.
You can submit more than one piece at a time, but please make separate submissions.
The Litro print magazine only publishes themed nonfiction work, but Litro Online is open to submissions.
The travel and lifestyle section gives brief insight on global affairs, travel, reportage, and design told through personal essays and stories that deal with the fascinating aspects of everyday life. As we believe real culture is in the details of life as its being lived, day by day.
Ideally, we're looking for pieces of no more than 2,000 words, but for an outstanding piece this is negotiable. Please make sure you have both proofread your work and thoroughly checked it for unnecessary sentences before you submit - brevity is a writer's best friend.
You can submit more than one piece at a time, but please make separate submissions.
The Litro print magazine only publishes themed nonfiction work, but Litro Online is open to submissions of creative nonfiction essays that are not theme-specific, published every Saturday.
This section includes, but is not limited to, personal essays, memoir, and travel dispatches, the more creative you are with the term "essay" the better. Stories should be entertaining, engaging and in-keeping with our wider goal which is to find stories that help people look at themselves, or the world they live in, in a new way.
Ideally, we're looking for pieces of no more than 2,000 words, but for an outstanding piece this is negotiable. Please make sure you have both proof read your work and thoroughly checked it for unnecessary sentences before you submit - brevity is a writer's best friend.
PLEASE NOTE: we now have a separate section for articles and reportage. These should be submitted via the Online Nonfiction page.
You can submit more than one piece at a time, but please make separate submissions.
The Litro print magazine only publishes themed nonfiction work, but Litro Online is open to submissions.
The travel and lifestyle section gives a brief on global affairs, travel, reportage, design told through personal essays and stories that deal with the fascinating aspects of everyday life. As we believe real culture is in the details of life as its being lived, day by day.
Ideally, we're looking for pieces of no more than 2,000 words, but for an outstanding piece this is negotiable. Please make sure you have both proof read your work and thoroughly checked it for unnecessary sentences before you submit - brevity is a writer's best friend.You can submit more than one piece at a time, but please make separate submissions.
Word limit: 3,000 words
Word limit: 1,500 words
Books — including Book Club Reviews (example)
Films
Art & Design exhibitions
Performance
Festivals & Events
Word limit: 1,000 words
Tell us about one of your favourite short stories. This is not so much a review—and is most definitely not a summary or give-away of a story—but more a short personal essay on your experience of a short story: how you came upon it, why you loved it, why everyone else should read it.
Examples: http://litro.co.uk/category/columns/share-a-short-story
Word limit: 3,000 words
We sometimes feature standalone stories—fiction and nonfiction—on Litro Lab. It can follow the month's theme, or not.
Submit an MP3 recording of your short story; it must be your story, but you can get someone else to read it if you'd prefer (please credit them with a link, if applicable).
Please also submit a written version of your piece.
*You can submit MP3s of pieces previously published elsewhere in written form, but please make sure you have the right to let us publish it in audio form. We are not responsible for the copyright infringement of work submitted to us.
Note: We also run audio interviews and readings with authors, episodes exploring a particular theme/subject such as Japanese folk tales, and even real-world reportage. If you'd like to participate — either as a guest or a producer — or if you just have a bright idea, please get in touch with the editor at online@litro.co.uk
Word limit: 3,000 words
We sometimes feature standalone stories—fiction and nonfiction—on Litro Lab. It can follow the month's theme, or not.
Submit an MP3 recording of your short story; it must be your story, but you can get someone else to read it if you'd prefer (please credit them with a link, if applicable).
Please also submit a written version of your piece.
*You can submit MP3s of pieces previously published elsewhere in written form, but please make sure you have the right to let us publish it in audio form. We are not responsible for the copyright infringement of work submitted to us.
Note: We also run audio interviews and readings with authors, episodes exploring a particular theme/subject such as Japanese folk tales, and even real-world reportage. If you'd like to participate — either as a guest or a producer — or if you just have a bright idea, please get in touch with Litro Lab litrolab@litro.co.uk.
Litro invites submissions of editorially driven visual work for its Arts & Culture section.
We publish illustration, comics, photography, cover art, and visual essays with a strong point of view and clear editorial intent.
What to submit
- Up to 6 images (JPG, max 5MB each), or
- 1 PDF, or
- 1 portfolio link
If submitting a series, think like an editor: cohesion + surprise.
Disciplines accepted
- Photography / Photo Essay
- Illustration
- Comics / Graphic Narrative
- Cover Art
- Visual Essay / Experimental
Your submission should include
- Title of the work or series
- Your name
- Optional captions and credits
- A short artist statement explaining what we are seeing and why it belongs with Litro
Rights Only submit work you own and can license for publication. If selected, we will request final high-resolution files and confirm credits and permissions.
Response times We review submissions on a rolling basis. Due to volume, we may not be able to respond to every submission individually. If your work is shortlisted, we will be in touch.
Theme: After the Flood: London
Litro is currently reading short fiction, essays, poetry, and hybrid work for its print edition theme, After the Flood: London.
We’re interested in work that engages with aftermath, climate, renewal, resilience, rebuilding, memory, and reimagined life after loss. Literal, metaphorical, speculative, and oblique responses are all welcome.
Categories & word counts
- Short Fiction: 1,000–3,000 words
- Essay / Non-fiction: 1,000–2,500 words
- Poetry: up to 3 poems per submission
- Hybrid / Experimental: up to 3,000 words total
Exceptional work outside these ranges may be considered, but please keep submissions close to the stated limits.
Requirements
The essentials we apply to every submission — so your work lands cleanly in our reading queue.
Original work & publication status
Please let us know whether the work, in full or in part, has appeared elsewhere.
Simultaneous submissions
Simultaneous submissions are welcome. If your work is accepted elsewhere, please withdraw it from Litro promptly.
Length guidance
Print space is limited, so we favour work that sits close to the stated category lengths. Exceptional submissions outside these ranges may still be considered.
One piece per theme
Please submit one piece per theme. You may submit to different themes at the same time. If we publish you in one issue, we will usually wait before running another piece by the same author, in order to make room for new voices.
Licence summary
If accepted, you grant Litro an exclusive licence to publish the English-language work in print, audio, and electronic form worldwide. You retain the right to publish the work later in a book-length collection of your own writing, or as part of a volume from which the work is an extract.
Formatting
Upload your work as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file. Please include the title and word count on the first page.
Response times
Standard response time is 14–18 weeks. Fast-Track aims for 10 business days and covers response speed only, not acceptance.
FAQ
Can I submit to more than one theme?
Yes — but please submit only one piece per theme.
Do you accept previously published work?
Please indicate clearly if the work, in full or in part, has appeared elsewhere.
Can I submit work outside the stated word counts?
Sometimes — but we strongly prefer submissions that stay close to the stated ranges.
Do you accept hybrid or formally unusual work?
Yes. We welcome hybrid and experimental work if it is strong, finished, and editorially readable.
The Litro print magazine only publishes themed nonfiction work, but Litro Online is open to submissions of nonfiction, commentary that are not theme-specific, published every Saturday.
The online politics section wants comments/opinions/personal essays on anything that falls under the word 'political' - from LGBT rights to sexism, racism to human rights, war to education. Whether it be serious or satire, we want the politics section to comment on the political world around us.
Ideally, we're looking for pieces of no more than 2,000 words, but for an outstanding piece this is negotiable. Please make sure you have both proof read your work and thoroughly checked it for unnecessary sentences before you submit - brevity is a writer's best friend.
PLEASE NOTE: we now have a separate section for articles and reportage. These should be submitted via the Online Nonfiction page.
You can submit more than one piece at a time, but please make separate submissions.