Frequently Asked Questions

This Frequently Asked Questions area is for those of you who've always wanted to ask the editor of a major literary magazine those pressing questions about writing and publishing, especially pertaining to our magazine.

We invite you to send questions directly to us.
We'll try to have the responses posted as soon as possible.

Q: What are your writers' guidelines? Do you accept simultaneous submissions? What about electronic submissions? 'Flash fiction'? Haiku?

A: Here are the complete writers' guidelines. We do accept simultaneous submissions as long as you notify us as soon as possible if the manuscript has been accepted elsewhere. As noted in the guidelines, 'flash fiction' is considered but rarely accepted. Similarly, haiku is also considered but would be accepted only in exceptional circumstances. One final note: we generally devote 6-14 pages to each poet, so please submit manuscripts with this length requirement in mind.

We currently offer, for a small fee, the option to submit electronically as well. Please note that this electronic option is offered for the convenience of those not wanting to pay postage and printing costs -- the fee is meant to cover the printing and other administrative costs on our end. Acceptance rates for electronic and regular submissions are the same: currently, less than 1%.

Q: If I submit to The Missouri Review, how soon can I expect a response?

A: Our standard response time is about 10 weeks, though we try to respond a little sooner to electronic submissions. However, depending on the time of year, response times regardless of submission method will vary. While you might receive a response in as little as a month over the summer, at other times -- especially if your piece was submitted in the late fall and/or is under serious consideration -- a response may be longer in coming.

Q: What rights does The Missouri Review buy when accepting a manuscript?

A: Like most literary magazines -- and indeed many commercial periodicals -- TMR buys first serial rights. The only future 'right' we have on a piece is a request to acknowledge TMR as the original publisher on any republication in book form.

Q: Are SASEs required? Even if I provide my phone # and/or email address?

A: SASEs are required if you want a response. Manuscripts submitted without SASEs are recycled. We receive more than 15,000 submissions per year and, like most major journals, lack the staff to respond to them by email and/or telephone.

Q: Are cover letters required?

A: Cover letters are not required. If you wish, a brief note providing contact and/or relevant biographical information (highlights only) can be included. Detailed lists of publications are not necessary.

Q: Do you accept children's stories/poems?

A: No, we do not accept poetry or fiction intended for children. We do, however, accept poetry or fiction about children.

Q: Do you accept book reviews and interviews?

A: We do accept unsolicited interviews and book reviews, though you should probably query first.

Q: How do I find out in advance what themes you have scheduled for upcoming issues?

A: Usually the theme of each issue is derived from the material selected for publication and is not predetermined. Our normal editorial policy is to accept the best writing we can find regardless of the subject matter. An exception was the 1999 history as literature issue, which was announced in advance. The editors decided that the subject should receive special treatment as the new millennium approached.

Whenever the editors decide to publish a special theme issue we will announce it in as many appropriate places as possible -- including this website.

Q: I've received a rejection notice with some nice written comments. Does everyone get these?

A: No. Due to the sheer volume of manuscripts we receive, it is impossible to respond in writing even to many quality submissions. Generally, out of every ten manuscripts, only the top 2-3 will receive further consideration; if rejected, these manuscripts will often have additional written commentary included in the reply.

Q: What happens to my manuscript when it reaches The Missouri Review?

A: First, the manuscript's author information is entered into our database. This makes it possible for us to keep track of the status of your manuscript from the time it lands in our mailbox to the time we send a response to the writer.

Manuscripts are bundled in groups of ten. Editors pick up a bundle, which is packed with a travel sheet in order to record comments and keep track of the manuscripts. When editors find promise in a piece, the MS is passed on for other reads.

Generally, if there are two enthusiastic reactions to a story, it's a good sign. Final decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief in combination with either the Managing and Associate Editors (in the case of fiction and nonfiction submissions) or the Poetry Editor (in the case of poetry submissions). A request for a revision or an acceptance for publication is offered to the writer as quickly as possible.

In either case, the travel sheet which accompanied the ms is marked with the comments of all the editors and is logged with the final decision.

Q: What kind of stories do you see too much of? How about poems?

A: Some story types very frequently encountered by our readers include coming of age stories, sexual awakening stories, family trauma stories, and grieving process stories. We are always excited to see stories that introduce something memorable and fresh.

Similarly, we receive a large number of poems each week that deal with either love or loss (sometimes both). Too often, the writers rely solely on the poignancy of the situation to carry the day. Ultimately, however, poems are judged not on what they are about but on how they are written -- i.e., the freshness of the language and the evocative power of the images used.

Q:The Missouri Review promotes itself as a forum for new writers. Do writers who've never published before really have a chance?

A: Some magazines talk about discovering new writers, but we really do it. We had a visitor in the office recently who wanted to know how we found so many new writers. He had seen ten first story publications in only five issues of TMR. In fact, we've published the first story of more than 100 new fiction writers. And three recent Yale Younger Poets winners first appeared in TMR as McAfee Discovery Feature poets.

Q: Who's that little mascot that appears on some of your pages and at the conclusion of selections in your print edition? Is that a laptop on which he's working?

A: That's a drawing of a Mayan scribe. Taken from a collection of ancient Mayan murals, the scribe as well as the other images from the murals are considered by some to be the earliest 'written' story-telling in the New World. They were reproduced for the Carnegie Institution by Sr. Antonio Tejeda Fonseca and Sr. Agustin Villagra Caleti. Tejeda's copies are now in the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, while Villagra's are in the Museo Nacional de Antropologia, Mexico City.

We haven't modified the drawing at all except for the obvious MR stamp on certain versions of it. The 'laptop' is actually an authentic scribe's desk which was constructed of wood and parchment.

Q: What are your ideas about all of the poetry that is being published on the web? It seems everyone is publishing the stuff these days.

A: Selectiveness is an important issue when it comes to addressing any kind of web publishing. A comparison might be made to the user who is able to print out his own newsletters or 'literary magazines' with a good printer and some ingenuity as far as design and layout. Because she (or he) is able to produce something that looks un-amateurish, is the material in her publication worth anything? Only a careful reader will be able to decide.

Transfer this question to web publishing and you have an even greater predicament. Many independent, single-user websites out there far outshine some of the corporate-sponsored ones as far as appearance and use of technology. Why? Because HTML is a medium which, financially, offers a level playing field. A corporate team may not be working with much more than the ingenious user who is using editing shareware. Thus, a single person could publish all of his own work and showcase it in a very professional-looking website. Unfortunately, the quality of said work tends to be very inconsistent.

This is not to say that there aren't new independent sites that offer great literature. However, our advice for seeking out good writing mirrors the advice for searching for anything on the web. There's a lot of material out there -- find someone you can trust to sift through the garbage for you first and pick out the good stuff.

Q: What is the difference between the paper and website versions of The Missouri Review?

A: The online version of The Missouri Review presented on this website serves as a highlight of selections in the paper journal, but does not completely include the vast amount of material presented in each issue. Some of our online selections go back a few years to spotlight our favorite pieces, while others are new publications. Often, even before the newest issue of the journal hits the shelves, you'll see a number of highlights from it here first. We are constantly adding new selections so check back often for a taste of the latest issue.