Submission Guidelines

Calling all red-headed step-children, black sheep, and uglycousins!

uglycousin is the literary magazine created by literary rejects, for literary rejects.   We pride ourselves on the fact that though many of our pieces have been rejected numerous times by mainstream and not-so-mainstream literary journals we refuse to stop trying.  We are writers who, for whatever reason, feel compelled to share our work with others...even those poems and short stories no one else seems to like. 

Aside from being black sheep ourselves, we also like to see ourselves as shepherds, searching for our flock.   While we like to refrain from carrying torches and standing too proudly on our own pedestal, we see uglycousin as the lighthouse, searching for talented writers, calling for them, pulling them to shore. 

Our mission is to empathize with the good writers whom have been rejected from literary magazines by celebrating not only the writing which was rejected but also celebrating the magazine from which the writer was rejected.  Consequently, our site acts as not only a forum for emerging writers but as a marketplace, a writer’s workshop (read our uglyblog), and a refuge. (Not to mention a place to learn about obscure holidays.)  Please note:  you can be an uglycousin if you have had work published previously.  We aren't the prejudiced sort.  Also note:  We are a selective literary magazine, therefore we do reject submissions.  If you are rejected please feel free to gripe about it on the uglyblog.  However, don't give yourself a complex:  "I can't believe I was rejected from a magazine for rejects!".  We aren't worth the creative paralysis. Seriously.

So proudly bring us your short short stories (about 3,000 words give or take), flash fiction (prose with up to 1,000 words), and poems (up to 3).   While we do consider genre writing, we are not a genre journal. What are we into?  Read our wonderful writers featured in Issue #3 to find out!

We do accept simultaneous submissions.  However, we ask that you notify us upon your acceptance in another magazine. We might even make a big deal about it.

Currently, we are a non-paying market, meaning cash.  However, if your work is accepted we will send you a token of our appreciation via mail.  Those who were accepted for Issue #3 were paid in magnetic uglycousin sheep.

We obtain first rights to your work. 

Please submit your poetry to angie@uglycousin.com, your fiction to scott@uglycousin.com, and your questions to info@uglycousin.com.  We accept your work as either a Word attachment or in the body of the email.  Be sure to include your first and last name, address, and preferred email address in your email.  Please let us know from which magazine your work has previously been rejected.  You will receive notification about your submission via email.  Upon acceptance you will be asked to provide us with a brief bio and pic.