BODY SHOTS is now OPEN for submissions. That’s right, the literary journal that believes genre is just a construct, genre does not exist, is back. Once again, we are looking for quality short fiction and black-and-white photography! Please read all of the guideilnes below thoroughly before submitting, as submissions that do not follow these guidelines will be unread/unviewed.

WHAT WE LOOK FOR:

From a genre standpoint, anything goes. In the past, we’ve published slice-of-life, stream-of-consciousness, horror, comedy, science fiction, slipstream, transgression, crime fiction, weird fiction, contemporary realism, surrealism, the light, the dark, the soft, the edgy, the experimental, and the traditional. What matters to us is that we’re publishing writers’ big swings—show us what you’ve really got, deep down, when you are most in tune with your own voice and you push that voice to its absolute limits.

WORD COUNT:

We prefer works in the 5000-to-7500-word range, but this is not a hard line; shorter stories have been published in previous volumes. However, for longer stories, we suggest you consider submitting to our sister publication, Body Lines, instead, as it focuses exclusively on novellas and long fiction—your chances fare better there.

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Each issue of Body Shots also showcases stunning work by one or more black-and-white photographers. If you are a photographer, please submit your work for consideration. We will choose the photo—or photos—that most resonate with us in the construction of the front and/or back cover of the book.

RIGHTS (WORDS):

Subtle Body Press acquires First Worldwide rights for print, e-book/digital, and audiobook with a one-year exclusivity. If your work is accepted by a recognized "Year’s Best" anthology to be published in print form within that timeframe, that is acceptable as long as Subtle Body Press is given appropriate credit as the first publisher within the anthology as detailed in the publishing agreement you will sign upon your story's acceptance.

RIGHTS (PHOTOS):

We acquire nonexclusive worldwide rights and transformative rights for use in the print, e-book/digital and audiobook covers. Previously released work will be considered in this category, but make sure your other licensing agreements are nonexclusive and will not infringe upon our rights to use the photo(s) for Body Shots.

COMPENSATION:

Body Shots pays $150 for works of 5000+ words, $75 for works of 2500 to 5000 words, and $35 for works of 2500 words or less. For photographs, we are paying $150 per photo.

SUBMISSION FORMAT AND WHERE TO SUBMIT:

To be clear, we only accept short fiction that has not been previously published in any medium! Please send your words (DOCX only, in Shunn format only: 12-point, double spaced, Times New Roman or Courier only, please; if you fail to adhere to these guidelines, your story will not be read) or photos for consideration to bodyshots (at) subtlebodypress (dot) com. We DO accept simultaneous submissions, but please let us know if your work is placed elsewhere before you hear back from us.

THINGS TO INCLUDE (AND NOT) IN YOUR SUBMISSION:

You do not need to pitch the story—please let the story speak for itself. You can acclimate us with a general sense of its genre or genre intersections if you like. We do not need trigger warnings—our editor prefers to go into the text fully unguarded and fully protected from even the assumption of spoilers. But please do include your name, bio, and social-media contact and/or your website in the email, as well as your story’s title and word count. Please use the subject line: BODY SHOTS SUB [YOUR TITLE] [YOUR NAME].

NOTIFICATION:

Body Shots received a freakishly high volume of submissions for such a small team—and our editor reads everything, there are no slush readers here. Therefore, we do not offer feedback or send rejection emails for Body Shots!

If your story is accepted, you will be notified by email.

If we begin announcing the authors who were selected for our second issue and you haven’t heard from us yet, it means your story was not accepted.

If your story is not accepted, please don’t take it as a reflection on you or your writing. We are also authors and understand this process—trust us when we say, submissions are a gauntlet of subjectivity and circumstance, so you shouldnever let it discourage you from writing!

Works that are not accepted remain in our queue to be considered for future issues, unless you let us know that your work has found a home somewhere else.

GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY WRITING!