Submissions Open Through November 15th

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The Masters Review is proud to announce our first chapbook contest! The winning writer will be awarded $3000, manuscript publication, and 50 contributor copies. The incredible Steve Almond is judging the inaugural contest! We’re seeking to celebrate bold, original voices within a single, cohesive manuscript of 25 to 40 pages. We’re interested in collections of short fiction, essays, flash fiction, novellas/novelettes, longform fiction or essays, and any combination thereof, provided the manuscripts are complete (no excerpts, chapters, works-in-progress, or other incomplete work), and function cohesively. The Masters Review staff will select a shortlist of 5-10 chapbooks to pass along to Steve Almond, who will select the winning manuscript. Steve Almond will provide a brief foreword/introduction for the manuscript upon publication. The published manuscript will be available for sale as a physical copy and distributed digitally through our newsletter.

Guidelines:

Winner receives $3000, manuscript publication, and 50 contributor copies

Second and third place finalists will be acknowledged on our website

Manuscripts should be between 25-40 pages (not including front/back matter) with each story beginning on a new page

Manuscripts should be double-spaced and paginated

Manuscripts should include a Table of Contents (if necessary) and an acknowledgements page listing any previously published material within the manuscript

Manuscripts may contain some previously published work, but should be but the published work cannot have appeared in any other chapbook or full-length collections

previously published work, but should be but the published work cannot have appeared in any other chapbook or full-length collections Self-published collections are previously published and therefore ineligible

As we are a prose-focused journal, we are not interested in poetry chapbooks, but will consider chapbooks which contain prose poetry

Electronic submissions only

Single author manuscripts only

International English submissions allowed (No translations)

Simultaneous and multiple submissions allowed (Please withdraw submissions if they are accepted elsewhere.)

Emerging writers only (We are interested in offering a larger platform to new writers. Self-published writers and writers with story collections and novels with a small circulation are welcome to submit. Writers with novels published with a circulation of fewer than 5000 copies can also submit.)

Entry fee: $25

Deadline: November 15, 2020

Individual stories or essays within the manuscript may be considered for publication in our New Voices series

We are not requiring blind submissions for this contest

requiring blind submissions for this contest Editorial letters for individual pieces within the manuscript may be requested, but we are unable to provide full manuscript consultations at this time

We don’t have any preferences topically or in terms of style. We’re simply looking for the best. We don’t define, nor are we interested in, stories identified by their genre. We do, however, consider ourselves a publication that focuses on literary fiction. Dazzle us, take chances, and be bold.

Steve Almond is the author of eleven books of fiction and non-fiction, including the New York Times bestsellers Candyfreak and Against Football. His stories and essays have appeared in the Best American Short Stories, the New York Times Magazine, and elsewhere. He lives outside Boston with his wife, his children, and his anxiety.

Guidelines

Our New Voices category is open year round to any new or emerging author who has not published a work of fiction or narrative nonfiction of novel length. Authors with short story collections are free to submit. We accept simultaneous and multiple submissions but ask that you inform us immediately if your story is accepted elsewhere. We pay New Voices authors $200 for short fiction and narrative non-fiction, and $100 for flash fiction up to 1,000 words, and we do not charge submission fees, but are highly selective. To read previously published stories, or to submit a piece of fiction or narrative nonfiction up to 7000 words, please see our New Voices page.

To view a list of our most commonly asked questions about submitting to The Masters Review, please see our FAQ page.

If you have further questions about submissions after reading through the FAQ or would like to query a current submission, please send an email to: contact (at) mastersreview (dot) com

New Voices Submission Categories:

Curious about submission fees? It’s an interesting issue and the camp is divided. Here’s our take.

To submit a story or learn more about our guidelines, click the submit button:



2020 Contests and Awards

To see a full calendar of contests and awards available this year, CLICK HERE.

Want to Write for The Masters Review?

We accept book reviews, interviews, and editorial pieces to publish on our blog. Our book reviews focus on authors with forthcoming titles and generally we like to review titles from debut authors. Reviews should include quotes from the text, comparisons to other titles, and are typically between 700 – 1200 words. For a look at the interviews and editorial content we publish, please visit: mastersreview.com/blog.

Submission questions, concerns, and inquiries can be sent to a staff member at: contact (at) mastersreview (dot) com