Prick of the Spindle: Print Edition Guidelines and Information

Prick of the Spindle print edition.

Purchase a 1-year subscription:

Prick of the Spindle print edition Issue 3 released late October 2012.
Single issues of the print edition are available below, at $10 each.

Order Issue 4 (April 2013)

Order Issue 3 (Oct. 2012)

Or order the Issue 3 Kindle edition here.

Order Issue 2 (April 2012):

Or order the Issue 2 Kindle edition here.

Order Issue 1 (Oct. 2011):

Or order the Issue 1 Kindle edition here.

Prick of the Spindle (Print Edition) is a biannual print literary journal that is open to forms in both traditional and experimental modes, with a special bent toward fresh and innovative voices using language in unique ways. If you are interested in being considered for publication in Prick of the Spindle, please take care to read the guidelines for submitting your previously unpublished work.

Reading fees vary from free-$5 depending on category, and submissions are read year-round. A complimentary copy of an issue is provided to fee-paying submitters. Authors selected for publication will receive token compensation, at this time, of $5 plus a complimentary copy of the print edition. The first issue debuted in October 2011.

We do send a courtesy e-mail notifying authors that we have received their submission; if you do not hear from us with a decision within six months of submitting, please feel free to send a query.

Entries should include a brief 3rd person bio in the cover letter. Submissions should be formatted to read title first, name, then body. Please do not use text smaller than 12 point or any unnecessary formatting, such as excessive bolding and italics, unless it is inherent to the spirit of the work.

We allow simultaneous submissions only on the condition that you notify us immediately if your work is accepted for publication elsewhere. You may submit up to five pieces per category. Upon acceptance, Prick of the Spindle acquires first North American serial publication rights, after which the copyright reverts to the author. We ask that you wait a year before submitting again after being published. However, if you submit and your work is rejected, you may continue submitting once per (biannual) reading period.

To give yourself the best chances of acceptance, read the journal to get a feel for what we like before submitting.

Please direct general questions and inquiries for reviews and interviews to pseditor (at) prickofthespindle (dot) com. We generally do not review self-published works.

For questions on anything not covered by the Submission Guidelines,
please feel free to query the editor at
pseditor [at] prickofthespindle [dot] com

Postal correspondence may be directed to:
Prick of the Spindle
P.O. Box 1180
Covington, LA 70434

Prick of the Spindle is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. All donations are tax-deductible. To contribute, please contact pseditor (at) prickofthespindle (dot) com or mail your donation to the above address. Patron sponsorship levels are as follows:

COUNCIL: $3,000 for acknowledgement in the print journal for 3 years and two lifetime subscriptions.

PATRON: $1,000 for acknowledgement in the print journal for 2 years and a lifetime subscription.

FRIEND: $500 for acknowledgement in the print journal for 1 year and a lifetime subscription.

Prick of the Spindle announces the print edition! Issue 4 releases late April 2013. Order here. Check out our guidelines and submit here.

Congratulations to Zimbabwe writer Melissa Tandiwe Myambo for her story published in Prick of the Spindle Vol. 4.2 , "La Salle de Depart," which was shortlisted for the 13th Caine Prize for African Writing.
See more on the prize here.

Congratulations to the 2011 Prick of the Spindle Pushcart Prize nominees:

Jennifer Juneau, "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun"
Bob Ritchie, "Pedro Gets a Dog"
Josef Firmage, "The Boy in the Whale"
Phyllis Green, "Provisions"
Sahar Delijani, "Another Birth"
Matthew Harrison, "Yes to Ice Cream"

We accept short film submissions. To submit your work, send an inquiry with a link to your work to pseditor (at) prickofthespindle
(dot) com.

Aqueous Books, a print publisher, a relative of
Prick of the Spindle.

Congratulations to Monique Hayes, whose play, "Echoes," was selected through Prick of the Spindle's Outreach Initiative for Youth Drama Competition for production through the Pensacola Little Theatre. See the press release and poster. Production was May 12 and May 13, 2011 for the world premiere in Pensacola, Florida.

We are interviewed on Fictionaut.