Logo of The First Line literary magazine
Closed for submissions
Guidelines
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Closed for submissions

General theme

Themed

Guidelines

"The purpose of The First Line is to help writers break through the block that is the blank page. Each issue contains short stories that stem from a common first line; it also provides a forum for discussing favorite first lines in literature."

Current Theme

Themed

"The purpose of The First Line is to help writers break through the block that is the blank page. Each issue contains short stories that stem from a common first line; it also provides a forum for discussing favorite first lines in literature."

Vibe

Send us your best but less intimidating

Response Time

four to five weeks / 138 days

Acceptance Rate

0%

  • Payment

    Yes: see Genres section for details

  • Fee

    No

  • Simultaneous submissions

    No

  • Previously published

    No

  • Expedited response

    No

  • Available in print

    Yes

  • Provides contributor copies

    Yes: yes

  • Examples online

    No

  • Active on social media

    No

Accepted genres

3 genres

Fiction

Max words: 5000

All stories must be written with the first line provided. The line cannot be altered in any way, unless otherwise noted by the editors. The ...

Flash Nonfiction

Max words: 800

Critical essays about your favorite first line from a literary work.

Poetry

All poems must begin with the first line provided. The line cannot be altered in any way. We have no restrictions on form or line count.

Fiction

Max words: 5000

All stories must be written with the first line provided. The line cannot be altered in any way, unless otherwise noted by the editors. The ...

Flash Nonfiction

Max words: 800

Critical essays about your favorite first line from a literary work.

Poetry

All poems must begin with the first line provided. The line cannot be altered in any way. We have no restrictions on form or line count.

Statistics

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

Track submission

9

Total submissions tracked

138 days

Average response time

0%

Average acceptance rate

30 days

Fastest response time

665 days

Slowest response time

How to submit

Process

We prefer you send manuscripts via email to submission (@) thefirstline (dot) com.

Cover letters

Make sure your name and contact information, as well as your bio, are part of the attachment.

Eligibility

No specific eligibility requirements

Formatting

We accept stories in MS Word or Word Perfect format (we prefer attachments).

Rights for published work

This magazine does not list any details on their website for this section.

Additional info

Response time. We typically send notices four to five weeks after the issue's deadline to everyone who submitted.

About the Magazine

Founded in 1999 | United States

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 :)

David LaBounty

Editor-in-Chief

Examples

0 pieces from Chill Subs people