Thank you for your interest in Big Other.
We have published work by Pulitzer Prize winners Rae Armantrout and Forrest Gander, National Book Award winners Daniel Borzutzky and Arthur Sze, Grand Master of Science Fiction and Fantasy Samuel R. Delany, and a host of other stellar writers, including Charles Bernstein, Cole Swensen, Edwin Torres, Norman Lock, Elaine Equi, Will Alexander, Andrew Joron, John Yau, Lance Olsen, Michael Martone, Stephanie Strickland, Debra Di Blasi, Victoria Redel, Terese Svoboda, Robert Lopez, Doug Rice, Marjorie Welish, Lisa Russ Spaar, Albert Mobilio, Osama Alomar, Ken Sparling, Kim Chinquee, J. A. Tyler, Joe Milazzo, Peter Markus, Curtis White, Michael Joyce, Sarah Blackman, Louis Armand, Miranda Mellis, Aimee Parkison, Elaine Castillo, and more.
We welcome submissions in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, lyric essay, art, video, short drama, and hybrid work from both established and emerging writers and artists. We are especially interested in experimental and innovative art, literary and otherwise.
We also accept reviews, interviews, book excerpts, and craft essays.
Big Other seeks to publish diverse voices, including works by women, people of color, and people who are queer, transgender, disabled, indigenous, international, and/or others underrepresented in literary magazines.
We accept and encourage simultaneous submissions, but please contact us immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. We charge a fee for most submissions. We are not a paying venue.
Big Other will hold exclusive rights (on the Internet and in print) to your piece for 90 days, after which you will retain the rights. Your story will remain archived online. Should your work be published in a collection at some later date, we’d appreciate the standard acknowledgment.
By submitting your work, you are acknowledging that you agree to all of the terms and conditions should we select to use your work for our publication.
We respond to all submissions within one year.
Deadline and Guidelines:
We are excited to announce the deadline and guidelines for the 2024 Big Other Book Awards! The awards aim to recognize excellence in literature and to promote and support the work of innovative writers and adventurous presses.
The winners will be announced at the 2024 Big Other Book Awards Ceremony, which will be aired virtually in 2025.
Here are the submission guidelines:
1. Books must be published between January 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024. E-books, audiobooks, and reissued editions will not be considered.
2. We will select one winner in each of the following categories:
- Fiction
- Nonfiction
- Poetry
- Translation
3. Books can be submitted by publishers and authors, although we reserve the right to honor any eligible book. Chapbooks are eligible in every category. There’s no limit to the number of titles a publisher or author may submit.
4. Two finished copies of each book submitted should be mailed directly here:
John Madera
49 Monroe Avenue
Ground floor
Staten Island, NY 10301
Galleys will not be considered.
5. The fee is $40 for each entry. Be sure to attach a cover letter with a press release.
6. Publishers are urged to send their submissions as soon as possible. Packages must be postmarked by January 31, 2025.
7. Finalists will be announced in the spring of 2025. Winners will be announced at the 2025 Big Other Book Awards ceremony in the summer of 2025.
On September 27, 2024, we announced the winners of the 2023 Big Other Book Awards. Click on the link to view the ceremony, where awards for lifetime achievement and outstanding service to the literary community were also presented.
3-5 poems.
Less than 6,000 words.
Up to 6,000 words.
Up to 10 images, 6,000 words, or five minutes of audio or video.
Up to 20,000 words.
Up to 10 images.
Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction up to 6,000 words.
We accept book, film, music, and art show reviews. Up to 6,000 words.
Up to 6,000 words.