New Zealand Magazine 'Headland' Looking for submissions #seanocarolan.com #Writing #Submissions #Headland

Submission Guidelines


Headland welcomes unsolicited submissions, but we do ask you to read these guidelines thoroughly to ensure that you do not spend your energy on preparing a submission that we will be unable to accept.

We accept submissions year-round, with rolling deadlines. The next deadline, for our second issue, is Friday 20 February.

We are looking for literary short fiction and creative non-fiction. At this time we are not looking to publish poetry, novel excerpts, scholarly essays, reviews, genre fiction, or art. We will publish what we love. Our process is as subjective as that, so please do not be discouraged if we do not select your writing for Headland.

While we publish a majority of New Zealand writers, we look to include an international writer in every issue, and so we would strongly encourage writers from all over the world to submit their work.
Formatting and other FAQs

Submissions can be made via email. We do not accept submissions by post. Please format your subject header by genre and the title of your piece, e.g. ‘Nonfiction_The House at Pukawa’. Include in your email a very brief writer’s bio.

All work should be previously unpublished. This includes self-publication on a blog.

We ask for pieces between 2,000 and 5,000 words in length. Please submit your work as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file (but note that we may ask for a different format if we select your piece for publication). Please use Times New Roman, Cambria, Calibri, or other non-distracting fonts, use 1.5 or double spacing, and always number your pages.

We want to judge your work on its own merits, so please do not include your name anywhere in the body or file name of your document. Please include in the header of your document:
Title
Word count
Your nationality
And, if relevant, ‘Unpublished Author’

If we are umm-ing and aah-ing over whether to select your piece, it may just tip the balance in its favour if we know that we have the opportunity to introduce a new voice and, hopefully, make someone’s day.

Please only submit one piece at a time. We are happy for you to submit your piece elsewhere, provided that you advise us immediately if your work becomes unavailable.

We aim to accept or decline all submissions within two months, so please wait at least this long before contacting us. Any delays are merely indicative of our work load, and our desire to make the best decisions possible.

At this stage we are unable to pay writers, but we will be a strong advocate for your work. We ask for first publication rights, after which all rights revert to the author. We kindly ask that you acknowledge Headland in any reprints.

We encourage you to report your submissions to Duotrope.