Submissions

SUBMISSIONS FOR MULBERRY LITERARY ARE CURRENTLY CLOSED.*

General submissions for Issue XI (Fall/Winter 2025) and Issue XII (Spring/Summer 2026) open midnight (CST/CDT) JUNE 1, 2024 and close 11:59 PM/midnight (CST/CDT) JULY 14, 2025. Check back June 1 for our submission guidelines, submission forms, and other information.

To keep up to date on changes and additions to Mulberry, as well as new awards and contests, check our blog.

Got a question in the meantime? Email us at mulberryliterary@gmail.com, and one of our editors will get back to you as soon as possible.

We look forward to reading and sharing your stories!

*If you were encouraged to submit by one of our editors during a closed reading period, feel free to send us your work at anytime.

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General Submission Guidelines

All submitters must follow the guidelines below to be considered for publication. Genre specific guidelines and their required forms can be found in the links below. Please fill out the form before submitting your work via email.
Submissions sent without the completed form are automatically rejected.

Your email should be addressed to the Mulberry Editors and include the word length or medium of your work. The subject line of your email should contain your full name and the genre of your piece. Please include your full name and page numbers in the header of your submission.

PLEASE NOTE: Mulberry Literary does not accept any copyright infringing pieces, AI-generated, or AI-prompted visual art, writing, or any such AI-created submissions.

  1. All submissions must be sent to mulberryliterary@gmail.com in ONE email and the form below must be completed beforehand.
    Submissions are currently free, but if you would like to receive an expedited TWO-WEEK response, please consider making a donation to help Mulberry’s growing platform for artists and writers. Our donation page here has more information. Donations do not increase your chances of being accepted for publication, contests, or awards.

  2. Simultaneous submissions are a-okay, but please inform us immediately if your piece has been accepted elsewhere. After a piece has been rejected or accepted, do not send us another entry during the same submission period. If you were published in a previous issue of Mulberry, please wait a full year before submitting again.

  3. During our summer reading period, those who submit are automatically entered into Mulberry’s Fresh Voices Award, which awards a cash prize to three applicants in each Issue. To learn more about our mission for this award and how we plan to pay all of our contributors in the future, click here.

  4. If your work is accepted, Mulberry Literary receives first American publication rights which, immediately upon publication, revert back to you. Feel free to publish your piece elsewhere afterward so long as you state Mulberry Literary as its first appearance.

  5. Written work accepted by Mulberry is subject to possible edits. An edited version of your work will be sent to you before the release of an issue. We encourage you to read it. If there are any changes you do not agree with or changes you would like to make in addition, do not hesitate to let us know.

Expect a response anywhere from an hour to a day to a week to a few months after you submit. If you do not hear back from us after 3 months, please reach out and make sure we received your submission. Publication date of Issue IX (Fall 2024) and Issue X (Spring 2025) will be announced.

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Please Note Before Submitting

  • Mulberry does NOT offer royalties or payment to our contributors at this time. We are hoping to be able to pay all our contributors in the near future. However, until then, those who submit are eligible for the Fresh Voices Award, which awards a cash prize to three applicants.

  • We do NOT accept full length manuscripts of books. Book manuscripts will not be read nor responded to.

  • We do NOT accept previously published material at this time.

  • Due to the large amount of submissions we receive, editors cannot provide personal responses to any submitters. Please know we honor the chance to read and view your work regardless of whether it was accepted for publication or not.