General Submission Guidelines

Please read below prior to submitting stories to Does It Have Pockets.

We are looking for fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry. We also welcome pitches for columns (monthly or quarterly), interviews, book reviews, and other literary adjacent projects. Of particular interest are digital art, hybrid, and cross-genre works that straddle the lines of classification.

Some specifics:

• Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please let us know in your cover letter. We appreciate timely notification if a piece under consideration has been accepted elsewhere.

• We will be glad to look at previously published work (reprints) as long as:

  • You have the rights,

  • It has been at least 24 months since published online or three months if published in a small print-only run, and;

  • You provide the prior publication credit at submission.

• Poetry: 3-5 poems

• Fiction: up to 5K words

• Creative Nonfiction: up to 5K words

• Please limit submissions to two per category until we’ve replied.

• Flash fiction is welcome and you may send 3-5 flash pieces (up to 5K words) in a single document.

• Pitches: For periodic features or one-off interviews, reviews, etc., please use the pitch submission option. Explain your idea, intended frequency, and your intended audience. Pitch submissions are free.

• Artwork submissions are free. Your pocket artwork is especially welcome. All images must be sized as 1080 pixels by 1080 pixels and submitted as a jpeg. Please use the Pitch Pockets submission category.

• Submissions fees for literary works are $3 and are used for artist payments and administrative costs (Submittable, website, etc.). We hold fee-free periods for the last two weeks of every February and August, to ensure cost is not a barrier for any writer.

• All rights remain with the author before, during, and after publication. We request non-exclusive permission to feature your work on our site, our social media channels, archives, and special projects (anthologies, collections, etc).

• If published, we pay $10 per issue (including artwork). We understand this is nowhere near what writers/artists deserve, and we will raise rates as soon as we are able.