At Underwood Press, we look for finely crafted storytelling. This is true whether it is traditional “literary” fiction, flash fiction, or genre. Whatever your bent, as long as it is excellent writing and a compelling tale, we are interested in reading it. And if it moves us, we will want to publish it.
We publish to five platforms:
Underwood is the flagship magazine for Underwood Press LLC and focuses on literary fiction and poetry. Underwood publishes in January and July. The submission window is open April, May, and June, for the July issue and October, November, and December, for the January issue.
Rue Scribe focuses on flash fiction and small poetry and will even consider small plays. Small is the key. Rue scribe published year round and the submission window is open year round (unless we are inundated with submissions).
Black Works is the venue for those with a dark bent to their writings. But think Edgar Allen Poe and not Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Black Works publishes twice each year.
True Chili rounds up and presents Cowboy and Western Literature and poetry. True Chili publishes in December and June.
The Purpled Nail seeks the Sacred in the Ordinary. Purpled Nail publishes twice each year.
We are looking for work that has not been previously published. Simultaneous submissions are okay, but please let us know immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere and remove it from our submission list.
If we agree to publish your work, you agree to give us first electronic publishing rights and non-exclusive rights for the full term of the copyright. This means that we can keep and display your work in our electronic archives indefinitely. All other rights revert to the author upon publication.
If we wish to use your work in a later anthology (print or electronic) or record it for one of our podcasts, we will ask for separate permission before doing so.
Please credit Underwood Press as the first publisher if you reprint elsewhere.
Please understand that we may make small editorial changes in the work. These will not usually go beyond correcting typos or grammatical errors. For any substantive change, we will contact the author.
The Editors
We at Underwood Press have a love for finely crafted storytelling.
But we also have a bent for the dark side.
If, like us, you gravitate toward the dark, and write that way as well, please consider sharing your work with us. If we love it, we will want to publish it and so share it with the world.
We are looking for the scary and the macabre, not the horrific. Think "The Raven" or "The Tell-Tale Heart" and not "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre."
And funny is always welcome. There is just something about funny and horror that goes together so well.
We are looking for work that has not been previously published. Simultaneous submissions are okay, but please let us know immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere and remove it from our submission list.
Please understand that Black Works is an electronic publication and owned by Underwood Press LLC.
We do not charge a reading fee but we also do not currently pay authors for work we publish.
If we agree to publish your work, you agree to give us first electronic publishing rights and non-exclusive rights for the full term of the copyright. This means that we can keep and display your work in our electronic archives indefinitely. All other rights revert to the author upon publication.
If we wish to use your work in a later anthology (print or electronic) or record it for one of our podcasts, we will ask for separate permission before doing so.
Please credit Underwood Press as the first publisher if you reprint elsewhere.
Please understand that we may make small editorial changes in the work. These will not usually go beyond correcting typos or grammatical errors. For any substantive change, we will contact the author.
We do love our Cowboy Tales.
And we were very pleased with the quality of submissions we received for our first several issues of True Chili.
So, we're going to do it again.
Send us your best cowboy stories and poems. Please, no more than two poems per submission.
If we love your work, we will want to publish it and so share it with the world.
We do not currently pay for accepted pieces.
We are looking for work that has not been previously published. Simultaneous submissions are okay, but please let us know immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere and remove it from our submission list. If you do not withdraw it, we assume it is still available.
Please understand that True Chili is an electronic publication and is part of Underwood Press LLC.
If we agree to publish your work, you agree to give us first electronic publishing rights and non-exclusive rights for the full term of the copyright. This means that we can keep and display your work in our electronic archives indefinitely. All other rights revert to the author upon publication.
If we wish to use your work in a later anthology (print or electronic) or record it for one of our podcasts, we will ask for separate permission before doing so.
Please credit Underwood Press and/or True Chili as the first publisher if you reprint elsewhere.
Please understand that we are looking for finished pieces. Don't send it to us if you are still revising. Although we may make small editorial changes in the work. These will not usually go beyond correcting typos or grammatical errors. For any substantive change, we will contact the author.
The Purpled Nail is looking for the Sacred in the Ordinary.
This is a small window, please read these guidelines. We are looking for work that reflects the sacred as it is manifested in ordinary everyday things or people.
If you're not sure what that means, take a look at the website: purplednail.com.
To be perfectly honest, most submissions we decline not because of poor writing but because we scratch our heads and wonder why it got sent to us. We don't see the sacred as it shows up in everyday, ordinary things or events in the story or poem that was sent to us.
The Sacred in the Ordinary.
We are looking for writings that reflect this sentiment. We seek the sacred as it exists in the ordinary; the miraculous in the mundane. This can be revealed in poetry, prose, plays, devotionals, testimonies and academic writings. When all else fails, it might even be found in sermons.
If you have something that shows us the sacred in the ordinary, and is maybe a little bit edgy as well, please consider submitting it. The guidelines will give you the details.
• We are looking for new material, that is, material never before published. That being said, we will consider reprints for something that fits our mission and that is outstanding in its execution. Let us know when and where it was published before.
• Simultaneous submissions are okay, just let us know immediately if the work is accepted elsewhere and please remove it from our Submittable page.
• The author retains copyright of the submitted stories and/or articles. However, by submitting your work to us and our publishing it, PurpledNail.com acquires the non-exclusive publishing rights to the work for the full term of the copyright. This means, in addition to publishing in our online journal, we may include piece in our electronic archives indefinitely. By submitting your work and checking on the Submittable link, you are agreeing to these terms.
Please understand that The Purpled Nail is an electronic publication.
• We do not charge a reading fee but we also do not currently pay authors for published pieces.
• We may make small editorial changes in the work. These will not usually go beyond correcting typos or grammatical errors. For any substantive change, we will contact the author.
This is the tip jar version for True Chili's submission guidelines. We are trying to offset some of our costs and hence, this page. If you cannot afford to, or do not wish to contribute, please use the non tip jar version of this form. Please be aware that it closes earlier than this tip jar window. If the free window is not open, check back the following month. Your submission will be given the same consideration regardless of which form you use.
We do love our Cowboy Tales.
And we were very pleased with the quality of submissions we received for our first three issues of True Chili.
So, we're going to do it again.
Send us your best cowboy stories and poems. Please, no more than two poems per submission.
If we love your work, we will want to publish it and so share it with the world.
We do not currently pay for accepted pieces.
We are looking for work that has not been previously published. Simultaneous submissions are okay, but please let us know immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere and remove it from our submission list. If you do not withdraw it, we assume it is still available.
Please understand that True Chili is an electronic publication and is part of Underwood Press LLC. If we agree to publish your work, you agree to give us first electronic publishing rights and non-exclusive rights for the full term of the copyright. This means that we can keep and display your work in our electronic archives indefinitely. All other rights revert to the author upon publication.
If we wish to use your work in a later anthology (print or electronic) or record it for one of our podcasts, we will ask for separate permission before doing so.
Please credit Underwood Press and/or True Chili as the first publisher if you reprint elsewhere.
Please understand that we are looking for finished pieces. Don't send it to us if you are still revising. Although we may make small editorial changes in the work. These will not usually go beyond correcting typos or grammatical errors. For any substantive change, we will contact the author.
This is the tip jar version for Underwood's submission guidelines. We are trying to offset some of our costs and hence, this page. If you cannot afford to, or do not wish to contribute, please use the non tip jar version of this form. Your submission will be given the same consideration regardless of which form you use.
We are looking for finely crafted storytelling. This is whether it is traditional “literary” fiction, flash fiction, or genre. Whatever your bent, as long as it is excellent writing and a compelling tale, we are interested in reading it. And if it moves us, we will want to publish it.
The same goes for poetry. Although we do not consider ourselves poets, we do recognize and enjoy reading good poetry. We would welcome the chance to read yours and perhaps publish it as well.
We are looking for work that has not been previously published. Simultaneous submissions are okay, but please let us know immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere and remove it from our submission list. It makes life much simpler for us.
Please understand that Underwood is an electronic publication.
We do not currently pay authors for accepted pieces.
If we agree to publish your work, you agree to give us first electronic publishing rights and non-exclusive rights for the full term of the copyright. This means that we can keep and display your work in our electronic archives indefinitely. All other rights revert to the author upon publication.
If we wish to use your work in a later anthology (print or electronic) or record it for one of our podcasts, we will ask for separate permission before doing so.
Please credit Underwood Press as the first publisher if you reprint elsewhere.
Please understand that we may make small editorial changes in the work. These will not usually go beyond correcting typos or grammatical errors. For any substantive change, we will contact the author.
This is the tip jar version for Black Works' submission guidelines. We are trying to offset some of our costs and hence, this page. If you cannot afford to, or do not wish to contribute, please use the non tip jar version of this form. Please be aware that it closes earlier than the tip jar version. Your submission will be given the same consideration regardless of which form you use.
We at Underwood Press have a love for finely crafted storytelling.
But we also have a bent for the dark side.
If, like us, you gravitate toward the dark, and write that way as well, please consider sharing your work with us. If we love it, we will want to publish it and so share it with the world.
We are looking for the scary and the macabre, not the horrific. Think "The Raven" or "The Tell-Tale Heart" and not "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre."
And funny is always welcome. There is just something about funny and horror that goes together so well.
We are looking for work that has not been previously published. Simultaneous submissions are okay, but please let us know immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere and remove it from our submission list.
Please understand that Black Works is an electronic publication and owned by Underwood Press LLC.
We do not charge a reading fee but we also do not currently pay authors for work we publish.
If we agree to publish your work, you agree to give us first electronic publishing rights and non-exclusive rights for the full term of the copyright. This means that we can keep and display your work in our electronic archives indefinitely. All other rights revert to the author upon publication.
If we wish to use your work in a later anthology (print or electronic) or record it for one of our podcasts, we will ask for separate permission before doing so.
Please credit Underwood Press as the first publisher if you reprint elsewhere.
Please understand that we may make small editorial changes in the work. These will not usually go beyond correcting typos or grammatical errors. For any substantive change, we will contact the author.
This is the tip jar version for Baker Street's submission guidelines. We are trying to offset some of our costs and hence, this page. If you cannot afford to, or do not wish to contribute, please use the non tip jar version of this form. Please be aware that it closes earlier than the tip jar version. Your submission will be given the same consideration regardless of which form you use.
We at Underwood Press have a love for finely crafted storytelling.
But we also have a bent for the dark side. An outgrowth of that has been our fascination for mysteries, suspense and crime stories. We will consider suspenseful poetry as well. We just can't think of any at the moment.
If, like us, you gravitate toward the mysterious, and write that way as well, please consider sharing your work with us. If we love it, we will want to publish it and so share it with the world.
We are looking for the suspenseful and the mysterious. We love good crime stories. We aim for Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot or even The Maltese Falcon. We like second-story offices with glass windows in the doors and the detective's name stenciled upon the window.
We are looking for work that has not been previously published. Simultaneous submissions are okay, but please let us know immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere and remove it from our submission list.
Please understand that Baker Street is an electronic publication and owned by Underwood Press LLC.
If we agree to publish your work, you agree to give us first electronic publishing rights and non-exclusive rights for the full term of the copyright. This means that we can keep and display your work in our electronic archives indefinitely. All other rights revert to the author upon publication.
If we wish to use your work in a later anthology (print or electronic) or record it for one of our podcasts, we will ask for separate permission before doing so.
Please credit Underwood Press as the first publisher if you reprint elsewhere.
Please understand that we may make small editorial changes in the work. These will not usually go beyond correcting typos or grammatical errors. For any substantive change, we will contact the author.
We at Underwood Press have a love for finely crafted storytelling.
But we also have a bent for the dark side. An outgrowth of that has been our fascination for mysteries, suspense and crime stories. We will consider suspenseful poetry as well. We just can't think of any at the moment.
If, like us, you gravitate toward the mysterious, and write that way as well, please consider sharing your work with us. If we love it, we will want to publish it and so share it with the world.
We are looking for the suspenseful and the mysterious. We love good crime stories. We aim for Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot or even The Maltese Falcon. We like second-story offices with glass windows in the doors and the detective's name stenciled upon the window.
We are looking for work that has not been previously published. Simultaneous submissions are okay, but please let us know immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere and remove it from our submission list.
Please understand that Baker Street is an electronic publication and owned by Underwood Press LLC.
If we agree to publish your work, you agree to give us first electronic publishing rights and non-exclusive rights for the full term of the copyright. This means that we can keep and display your work in our electronic archives indefinitely. All other rights revert to the author upon publication.
If we wish to use your work in a later anthology (print or electronic) or record it for one of our podcasts, we will ask for separate permission before doing so.
Please credit Underwood Press as the first publisher if you reprint elsewhere.
Please understand that we may make small editorial changes in the work. These will not usually go beyond correcting typos or grammatical errors. For any substantive change, we will contact the author.
This is the tip jar version for True Chili's submission guidelines. We are trying to offset some of our costs and hence, this page. If you cannot afford to, or do not wish to contribute, please use the non tip jar version of this form. Your submission will be given the same consideration regardless of which form you use.
Rue Scribe (ruescribe.com) is the online journal for Underwood Press.
We concentrate on short fiction and poetry.
We do not currently pay authors for work we publish.
• We accept submissions and subsequently read and publish on a rolling basis. When something comes our way that we want to share with the world, we will publish it on our website.
• Suggested length for fiction is under 500 words. But, we will consider longer works. Maximum length for poetry should be considerably less than that but we won’t specify a number. We’ll leave that up to you, the poet.
• We are looking for new material, that is, material never before published. That being said, we will consider reprints for something that fits our mission and that is outstanding in its execution. Let us know when and where it was published before.
• Simultaneous submissions are okay, just let us know immediately if the work is accepted elsewhere
• The author retains copyright of the submitted stories and/or articles. However, by submitting your work to us and our publishing it, Underwood Press LLC acquires the non-exclusive publishing rights to the work for the full term of the copyright. This means, in addition to publishing in our online journal, we may include the piece in our electronic archives. By submitting your work and checking the box on the submission link, you are agreeing to this statement.
• We may make small editorial changes in the work. These will not usually go beyond correcting typos or grammatical errors. For any substantive change, we will contact the author.