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Guidelines
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Open for submissions

Guidelines

"An online literary journal where storytelling counts. Whether it’s in prose or poem form, we want to get to meat of it. We like stories about people, places, memories, things that make us feel connected."

"An online literary journal where storytelling counts. Whether it’s in prose or poem form, we want to get to meat of it. We like stories about people, places, memories, things that make us feel connected."

Vibe

Top-tier stuff. Not Paris Review, but ok

Response Time

3-6 months / 70 days

Acceptance Rate

4.65%

  • Payment

    Yes: $5-$10

  • Fee

    Yes: $3

  • Simultaneous submissions

    Yes

  • Previously published

    No

  • Expedited response

    No

  • Available in print

    No

  • Provides contributor copies

    No

  • Examples online

    Yes

  • Active on social media

    Yes

Accepted genres

5 genres

Fiction

Max words: 8000

We accept all genres (including humor). Short Fiction: 1000-3000 words. Long Fiction: 3000-8000 words.

Flash Fiction

Max words: 1000

Flash - 1000 words max

Nonfiction

No specific limitations

Nonfiction

Max words: 2500

Poetry

Max pieces: 3

5 pages max

Fiction

Max words: 8000

We accept all genres (including humor). Short Fiction: 1000-3000 words. Long Fiction: 3000-8000 words.

Flash Fiction

Max words: 1000

Flash - 1000 words max

Nonfiction

No specific limitations

Nonfiction

Max words: 2500

Poetry

Max pieces: 3

5 pages max

Statistics

We're able to provide them because you use our tracker!
You're the best!

Track submission

70

Total submissions tracked

70 days

Average response time

4.65%

Average acceptance rate

9 days

Fastest response time

227 days

Slowest response time

How to submit

Process

We use our own submissions manager, which you can find at https://sites.google.com/view/fivesouthsubmissions/home

Cover letters

Covers letters are welcome, but not required.

Eligibility

No specific eligibility requirements

Formatting

Submissions not formatted correctly will be declined. Please double-check your submission before you send it. Taking the time to format your submissions properly shows you care about your work and the people reading it. Fiction and Non-Fiction General Rules: 12pt Times or Garamond font Double Spaced We prefer .doc or .dox files, but in a pinch .txt is OK. Poetry General Rules: Please note we are limited in how our website will display your piece. Lines longer than 13 words will break. Keep this in mind when submitting poetry. 12pt Times or Garamond font Format your piece how you would like it published. We prefer .doc or .dox files, but in a pinch .txt is OK.

Rights for published work

If your work is accepted, it will be subject to an agreement granting Five South exclusive online worldwide English rights. This common practice means we retain the right to be the only journal publishing your piece online. For secondary print anthologies and collections, published poets and authors must request approval from Five South prior to publication and give us credit as first publisher. We will almost always say yes to secondary print publication so long as we're credited. You retain the rights to the work after first publication. If you have any questions regarding rights, please contact editor@fivesouth.net

Additional info

Pays! $10 per accepted piece for issues, $5 per accepted piece for The Weekly, Humor, and Non-Fiction Promote writers even after publication - hype hype hype Submission fee: $3 for poetry and flash, $4 for short fiction We publish flash fiction stories and poetry once per week. Submissions to The Weekly are open all year. The same guidelines for general submissions apply to The Weekly. General Submissions are now open all year.

About the Magazine

Founded in 2020 | United States

Like a long, deep scar, the 5-Freeway cuts along the entire West Coast, from Vancouver to Mexico. It’s over 2000 miles long. It’s as much a Los Angeles icon as it is a symbol of clutter, traffic, industry, outlet malls, mountains, hills, cow fields, scenic views, long stretches of nothing, and vast plains of green. Five South is an online, biannual, literary journal where storytelling counts. Whether it’s in prose or poem form, we want to get to the meat of it. We like stories about people, places, memories, things that make us feel connected. We want heroes and fighters, day drinkers, and poets. We want grit, rock ’n’ roll, hope, despair, and honesty. People who stand up for what they believe in is our jam. Real people make mistakes. We want all the strong voices that have something to say, but leave your soap box at home. We appreciate nuance. Like the 5 Freeway, we want scenery that varies from strip malls to green pastures.

Masthead

We currently list only main editors, more will be added later! If you are an editor, you can edit your masthead in our admin panel :)

Kristen Simental

Editor-in-Chief

Kristen Simental

Founder/Publisher

Dave Nash

Non-Fiction Editor

Jessica Willingham

The Weekly Editor

Dave Gregory

Long Fiction Editor