Submission Guidelines

The submission period for the 16th edition of Delmarva Review, will be open from November 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023 for publication in November 2023. Editors read all submissions that follow our guidelines. Selection decisions will be made by May 2023. We do not charge reading or submission fees.

We typically publish the literary writing of 50 to 70 authors in a paperback edition of about 300 pages. The review is available for sale worldwide at major online retailers in both print and digital editions. The selection process is competitive based on the quality of writing.

Please review these guidelines for submissions.

Now in its fifteenth year, Delmarva Review is an independent literary journal dedicated to publishing outstanding new writing of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Submissions from all writers are welcomed, regardless of residence. We publish annually, in both print and electronic editions. As a nonprofit, we promote activities to inspire readers and writers who pursue excellence in the literary arts.

What to Submit

Delmarva Review editors seek great storytelling, remarkable poetry, and creative nonfiction exhibiting skillful expression. Our editors appreciate the writer's ability to engage readers on more than one level. Specifically, we seek unsolicited, previously unpublished works as follows:

• Poetry – We select memorable, evocative voices...poetry that reveals meaning and stimulates emotional response with each reading.
• Fiction and flash fiction – Our preference is literary writing. While the lines between literary and genre fiction continue to narrow, we are less interested in formulaic or purely plot-driven writing. We are more interested in skillfully written, excellent storytelling that engages on multiple levels. Within this perspective, genre writing is acceptable. We welcome most topics (with the exception of religious and political subjects); we are interested in work that addresses the importance of human freedoms and diversity, as well as writing that explores scientific and environmental subjects.
• Creative Nonfiction – Of special interest is the personal essay, memoir. We also seek science or environmental writing (literary, narrative, non-technical). We welcome micro-narrative writing, as well as longer work.
• Book Reviews – Unlike other content of the journal, the book section is regional. We review books by writers from the Chesapeake and Delmarva region, by assignment only; if you wish to suggest a book for review or review a book for Delmarva Review, please contact the editor during the submission period.

Artwork: Delmarva Review will consider photography or artwork for the cover from regional artists. Although we are much more than a regional publication, the cover art we seek derives from our namesake: the Delmarva Peninsula, an enchanting delta of wide-open spaces and diverse ecosystems cradled between the ocean and the Chesapeake Bay. Images should be submitted as a 300-dpi file attachment (.jpg or .tiff). The front cover format is: 6” x 9” and must accommodate the book’s title.

See a Current Issue: Please read a current issue to familiarize yourself with the publication. Issues are immediately available in print and electronic editions at all major online booksellers.

We do not publish academic papers, religious or political commentary. Our publishing timeline typically doesn’t lend itself to breaking news and current events. We focus on excellent writing.

How to Submit

Please note: submissions not following our guidelines will be automatically declined without explanation.

We will only consider pieces submitted electronically via Submittable. A cover letter is not required. Please use the link at the bottom of this page for all submissions. While you may hear from us within a month, we often hold pieces longer. We strive to respond to all writers by May.

Submitted material must be unpublished. We will consider simultaneous submissions, but you should inform us immediately if the work has been accepted by another publication. Please edit your work with care.

You may want to refer to the current edition of The Chicago Manual of Style.

By submitting to Delmarva Review, you confirm that all your work and submissions are yours alone and that no part of your submission has been generated by ChatGPT or any other artificial intelligence content generator. We reserve the right to reject your work at anytime in our review, acceptance, and publication process if we discover that content has been AI generated or otherwise plagiarized.

Limitations and Formatting

• Poetry: up to 6 poems per submission period, no more than 50 lines each. Note: please be careful how long lines will appear, or where they may break, on the printed page (standard 6" x 9" page).
• Fiction: limited to 1 story per submission period, no more than 6,000 words.
• Flash fiction: up to 4 stories per submission period, up to 1,000 words each.
• Creative nonfiction: limited to 1 essay per submission period, no more than 6,000 words.
• Micro-narratives or Flash Nonfiction: up to 4 pieces per submission period, up to 1,000 words each.

Limitations
Follow the submission category limitations carefully. We do not seek submissions in more than one category by one author, unless by specific request. Our editors and readers already see a substantial number of submissions. Unlike many literary journals, we do not charge a reading fee. We focus our attention on the most compelling writing we receive in each category.

Prose Submissions
Fiction and nonfiction submissions must be double-spaced and formatted in a 12-point font (preferably Times New Roman or similar). Please number the pages. Please do not add additional spaces between sentences.

Poetry Submissions
Poetry should be single-spaced. Please send multiple poems in one attachment.

Short Book Reviews
Reviews are regional and by assignment only. If you wish to suggest a book for review or review a book for Delmarva Review, please contact the editor.

No Submission or Reader Fee
Our editors read all submissions. We do not charge a reading fee.

Terms of Publication

By accepting publication, the author grants Delmarva Review one-time publishing rights for print, electronic, and anthology editions as well as on the website and for promotional materials. The author retains copyright and may publish the submission elsewhere after it appears in Delmarva Review. We would appreciate a “first published in” credit, which we honor with other publications. By accepting publication, the author gives Delmarva Review the right to publish the work on our website and to archive it indefinitely as part of the issue in which it appeared, and to be included in future anthologized print or electronic editions of our publication. (Note: In some cases, we may elect to re-feature archived work; this does not constitute a new publication.)

Compensation

If your work is selected, payment will be one contributor print copy of the publication. You will also be entitled to a discount on multiple orders of the issue. Inquire directly to the editor for multiple copy discounts.

If Your Work Is Not Selected

Do not despair! Currently, we publish once a year. The large number of submissions makes our process very competitive. We may pass on some work that exhibits considerable strength but simply won’t fit our current issue. Rejection should never discourage you from sharing your work and continuing to write. We want to encourage you to do both, with passion.