Submissions
We are currently accepting submissions for our debut December 2026 issue!
Submissions are free of charge.
General Submission Guidelines:
Each narrative submission is read anonymously through our submission platform: Ola Submission Manager.
Each submission should be submitted in a single Word document. Artwork should be submitted as a JPEG or PNG file.
Work submitted outside this platform will not be considered. Previously published work in any form is not accepted. If you are simultaneously submitting your work, bravo, but please inform us immediately if your work has been accepted elsewhere.
We will respond to all submissions within two months, depending upon reading period.
We appreciate your patience!
Off Main Review welcomes new, emerging, and established writers from all backgrounds.
Literary representation is historically imbalanced, and we strive for diversity and inclusivity as redress.
To that end, we greatly encourage writers from underrepresented areas of society to submit their work.
Work we deem offensive in any way, shape, or form toward a particular gender, race, ethnicity, ability, sexual identity, socioeconomic class, or disability will not be published.
Any submissions submitted via email or social media DM will be ignored as it will not make its way
into our editorial queue.
Specific Category Guidelines:
Poetry
- Three semi-structured poems up to 30 lines each in a single submission.
- Please do not submit prose poetry.
- Bring us pieces that are full of introspection whether cued by nature or another cause. Steer clear of anything too obscure. Coherent pieces that take us off the main road of our daily ordinary apply best for our vibe.
Short Fiction
- 3,000-word limit. Stories that stay within the word count (or less) have a better chance of being accepted.
- We love the ironic, the humorous, and the seemingly straight-laced scenarios that end with a carefully maneuvered twist. Bring us narrative we can mull over for days.
Creative Nonfiction
- Personal narrative essays and memoir excerpts that stay within a 1,500-word limit.
- We seek diverse perspectives that reflect all paths of life and culture to inform us, entertain us, and put air in our tires that keeps us pumped long after we read. Broaden our horizons. Tell us what’s at stake during a particular place in your life—today or 25 years ago—as long as it’s not your average tale.
Artwork
- Three pieces maximum.
- Any medium (physical, digital, photography).
- Submit as JPEG or PNG.
- Thematically, artwork should relate to the literary magazine’s title, Off Main Review. Whether real or imaginative, artwork should allow the eye to linger and the mind to wander off the main path to a coveted travel location or a lightly speculative destination. Please take us somewhere which allows us an escape.
Terms & Disclaimers: Off Main Review reserves the right to edit for grammatical and syntactical accuracy on all submissions received. However, we will seek the contributor’s approval if any editing alters the piece.
Contributor Rights: All publishing rights revert to the author upon publication. Off Main Review requests acknowledgement and citation as first publisher upon reprint in subsequent publications of all work that has appeared in its issues. At this time we are unable to compensate our artists, but we hope to in the future.