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Submission Guidelines

Please note: We only accept submissions during two submission periods, Oct. 1 – Dec. 1 (Winter Issue) and April 1 – June 1 (Summer Issue). All submissions sent outside of these periods will not be read or considered for publication.

General Guidelines: All pieces should be sent as attachments (.doc file or .rtf file for text, .jpg or .png for photography and artwork).  In the body of your e-mail, please include a brief description of yourself (three sentences or less, which includes your name, location, and previous publications [if any]) that will be included with your piece if published.  Any piece containing egregious grammatical errors or spelling mistakes will not be considered, so please proofread your work before submitting.  We encourage you to take the time to browse through the Wanderlust Review and get a good feel for what we are about and what we are looking to publish.  We are happy to accept older work or new work written expressly for the Wanderlust Review.  However, we do not accept previously published work.

Send all submissions to wanderlustreview@gmail.com. The subject of your e-mail must read as follows: GENRE – Title – Last Name

Examples:

FEATURE – Orchid Fever – Orlean

FICTION – Tale of Two Cities – Dickens

DRAMA – Glengarry Glen Ross – Mamet

POETRY – Howl – Ginsberg

PHOTO – Rose and Driftwood – Adams

ARTWORK – Portrait of Suzanne Bloch – Picasso

Features: We accept feature essays (3,000 words or less) written in a journalistic or literary nonfiction style. Features should adhere to the general thematic guideline of travel or journeying. We publish features with unique perspectives and fresh ideas. If you’d like, you may attach up to two photographs (either .jpg or .png files) to accompany your feature.  On a limited basis, we accept pitches (in lieu of completed pieces) for feature articles.

Fiction: We accept high-quality short stories or excerpts from longer manuscripts that can stand alone with literary integrity (3,000 words or less).  There are no specific style guidelines, but travel, either tangible or intangible, should be the predominant theme in your prose piece.

Drama: We accept high-quality dramatic pieces or excerpts from longer manuscripts that can stand alone with literary integrity (3,000 words or less).  There are no specific style guidelines, but travel, either tangible or intangible, should be the predominant theme in your dramatic piece.

Poetry: You may submit up to three poems. We prefer free verse, but welcome form poems if they are well executed and adhere to the general thematic guideline of travel.  We tend not to publish poems with rhyming patterns, though near rhymes and witty or affecting rhymes within free verse poems are acceptable.  We are looking for poems that use descriptive language to evince fresh and original imagery.  If your poem uses non-traditional formatting or pagination, we will try our best to preserve this while formatting it for the journal, but if we’re unable to, we will contact you to see if you would still like it to be published.

Photography: For stand-alone images, we accept one piece at a time. In the body of your email, please include a 1-3 sentence caption describing or explaining your piece.  Photos must be black and white for consideration in our print journal.  Color photos will only be considered for publication online.

Artwork: We invite color or black and white artwork submissions for inclusion in the journal and will also consider each piece for our cover (front and/or back).  Artwork may be abstract or open to interpretation, but please also be mindful of our travel theme when submitting.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When is the submission deadline?
You may submit work during two submission periods, Oct. 1 – Dec. 1 (Winter Issue) and April 1 – June 1 (Summer Issue). All submissions sent outside of these periods will not be read or considered for publication. Most pieces will be considered for the issue directly following the submission period. However, if it is a better fit, a piece may be considered for the subsequent issue.

How long until I hear if my piece is accepted or not?
You should hear back from us one to two months after the close of the submission period.

What do you publish?
We publish feature essays (under 3,000 words), short stories (under 3,000 words), dramatic works (under 3,000 words), poetry, photography, and artwork.

Does my piece need to be travel-related?
Yes, in one way or another, your piece should deal with the travel experience (either foreign or domestic) – though this can be interpreted in many different ways. When in doubt – submit.

Do you publish previously unpublished writer/photographers?
Absolutely.

Do you accept simultaneous submissions?
Yes, but please let us know if the piece you submitted has been accepted elsewhere before we publish.

Do I retain rights to my piece if it’s accepted?
For previously unpublished work, we acquire first North American serial rights: rights revert back to the author or artist once the work is in print. Please credit the Wanderlust Review if your piece is re-published. We also ask for the non-exclusive right to publish and archive the work online, though contributors are welcome to request to have their work removed at any time.

Will I be compensated if my piece is published?
Pay for publication is one contributor copy.

Do you publish everything that is submitted?
We don’t.

How do I raise my chances of having my piece accepted?

Here are a few tips on making sure your piece is as competitive as possible:

  • Don’t forget to spell-check your piece. The quickest way to get rejected is to send us something rife with spelling and grammatical errors.
  • Don’t send us a first draft that you haven’t proofread.
  • Don’t ignore our submission guidelines.
  • Also, don’t ignore the travel theme of the journal.
  • Don’t submit without reading the things we have previously published.

Do you proofread accepted pieces?
Yes and no. Submitting a typo-ridden piece is a quick way to be rejected, but an occasional spelling or grammatical error in an otherwise stellar piece will be fixed at our discretion.

PLEASE read and re-read these guidelines before submitting work to us.  Work that is submitted with complete disregard to these guidelines will not be receive a response. 

Thank You!!