Submission Guidelines
Currently reviewing submissions from: JUNE 2025
We publish short fiction, non-fiction, and poetry 2,000 words or less, but our business model focuses on shorter pieces with smaller paragraphs. Otherwise we do not have any hard editorial guidelines. Standard format is strongly preferred. We prioritize:
- Strong writing
- Unique concepts
- Generation of interesting discussion
We encourage you to read the magazine for further insight on what has been accepted before.
Merganser Magazine was made by writers to celebrate writing. This means:
- we pay every accepted author the SFWA pro rate of $0.08 USD per word and $1 USD per line for poetry. Writers deserve to make a living like anybody else.
- we allow simultaneous submissions to other magazines to ensure our writers have the highest chances of being paid. If you're accepted elsewhere, email editor@mergansermagazine.com as soon as possible so we can congratulate you and consider other writers.
- we prioritize reliable communication with submitters and strong relationships with authors. We aim to respond to all submissions within 2-3 months of submissions. You can see what month of submissions (month in which submissions were received) we're currently reviewing at the top of these guidelines. If you have not heard from us after 1-2 months and want an update/confirmation your submission was received, please feel free to reach out to editor@mergansermagazine.com for an update. If you do not hear back right away, fear not. We're probably just overwhelmed with emails and will get to you as soon as possible.
We do not accept reprints.
We do not accept works translated or written by AI.
We do not accept work from writers who have been accepted in the past 6 months.