Submissions

1. Contrary accepts submissions only through the online form on this page. Your submission must be prepared in one of the following file formats and attached below:
                    • Word (.doc or .docx)                   • portable document (.pdf)
                    • text (.txt)                                        • hypertext (.html)
                    • rich text (.rtf)                                Please note that we cannot accept .wps files.
2. Please submit no more than three short works or one long work per issue. If you submit multiple works, please submit them in a single document. 
3. Please review the following guidelines before submitting your work:
Rights – Upon acceptance, Contrary acquires the following rights: 1. exclusive rights for the three-month period that the accepted work appears in the current issue of Contrary magazine, 2. the right to permanent inclusion of the work in Contrary’s electronic archive, and 3. the right to reproduce the work in print and electronic collections of our content. After the current issue expires, the author is free to seek republication elsewhere, but Contrary must be credited upon republication. Contrary rarely considers previously published work.
Payment – For original commentary, fiction, and poetry, Contrary pays $20 for each byline that appears on the left navigation bar on the inside pages, regardless of the length, number of works, or nature of the submission. Reviewers do not receive a flat fee but are paid annually based on our fundraising achievements. Domestic payments are made by check or Paypal. International payments will only be sent through Paypal.

Simultaneous submissions – We accept simultaneous submissions, but we ask that you inform us when submissions are simultaneous, and you must alert us immediately if the work is accepted elsewhere. A submission constitutes an agreement to publish in Contrary under the guidelines on this page.

Our deadline, response, and publication cycle – Contrary receives submissions throughout the year and publishes four issues per year, with the change of seasons. In Spring our deadline is March 1, and the issue appears with the vernal equinox on or about March 21. Following that pattern, our deadline for Summer is June 1, Autumn is Sept. 1, Winter is Dec. 1. We respond personally to each submission, but if you don’t hear from us, please feel free to contact us after the next solstice or equinox to check on the status of your submission, and we will respond: chicago at contrarymagazine dot com.
Mailing List — When you submit your work you will be automatically subscribed to the mailing list we use to communicate with our contributors. We use it to call for submissions no more than four times each year. You may unsubscribe at any time or otherwise manage your subscription here.

Before you submit, you may wish to read our:
specific guidelines for fiction, poetry, commentary, and reviews 
suggestions for manuscripts compiled by copy editor emerita Henriette Shapar. They’re brief.https://listhost.uchicago.edu/mailman/listinfo/contraryPoectionary.htmlChecklist.htmlshapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1shapeimage_1_link_2
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