Submissions are open for issue #20 of Shooter Literary Magazine, with the theme of “Sweet Hereafter”.
We’re looking for stories, essays, memoir and poetry to do with afterlives: life after death, life after work, life after having a baby, life after divorce… Anything to do with what follows a major change in life, when someone or something ends and significant adjustment occurs. Pieces that treat heavy subject matter – grief, heartbreak, loss, bereavement, ageing, death – with a light or humorous touch would be especially welcome. A positive (or wild, or bizarre, or comic) spin on what comes after a difficult ending or change would be in keeping with both parts of the theme.
The theme is open to wide interpretation, but please adhere to the submission guidelines. In addition to thematic relevance, we seek engaging, elegant writing that maintains a high literary standard.
Writers should send short stories and non-fiction of 2,000-6,000 words and/or up to three poems by the deadline of June 22, 2025. Please submit according to the guidelines at https://shooterlitmag.com/submissions.
Documents should be in Word format, 1.5 or double spaced, with word count indicated at the end of the (prose) piece. Please submit only one piece of prose and/or up to three poems per issue.
Please include a brief biography in your email, noting any prior publishing experience, and send work to submissions.shooterlitmag@gmail.com by June 22nd, 2025.
Simultaneous submissions are fine but please let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere. Any non-fiction or journalistic work selected for publication will be fact-checked. All work must be previously unpublished either in print or online.
Successful writers can expect to hear from us within a few weeks of the deadline, if not before; all other submitters will be informed of the outcome within two months.
Rights:
Shooter acquires first rights for print and online/e-book publication and reserves the right to publish work that has appeared in the magazine on its website and related social media.
Payment:
Upon publication, writers will be paid £25 per story and £5 per poem. Stories that fall below the requested minimum of 2,000 words will be paid at poetry rates. UK contributors will receive both payment and a copy of the issue in which their work appears; non-UK contributors may choose either cash payment or a copy of the magazine.