Blood Tree Literature is dedicated to showcasing evocative writing that takes linguistic risks  to push the boundaries of conventional language and genre. We favor lyrical pieces that do not withhold depth or resonance. With that in mind, submit to us your best, the box under your bed marked UNSHARABLE, the orphan poem or black sheep fiction. Send us your experimentals; be vulnerable, be calculated. 

We publish issues online twice a year, in summer and winter, including a yearly themed contest. Issue 18 is unthemed.

General Guidelines:

  • Submission fee: $3 USD (for feedback on your submission, the fee is $15 USD)
  • Maximum word count per piece: 2500. We like to keep it flash-y.
  • Maximum pieces of fiction: 1
  • Maximum pieces of nonfiction: 1
  • Maximum amount of poems: 3
  • Maximum amount of hybrid pieces: 3
  • Abusive or derogatory submissions are not allowed — not now, not ever. BTL is a pro-choice, trans-inclusive, anti-racist publication. AI-generated works are strictly prohibited. You will be asked to include any relevant content warnings in the cover letter of your submission.
  • Mixed-media submissions or pieces that include images/audiovisual elements must be fully owned by the submitting author; pieces utilizing unlicensed images/audiovisual elements will be rejected for copyright liability.
  • Simultaneous submissions are allowed under the condition that you withdraw your work immediately if it is accepted elsewhere.
  • Please do not submit more than once per genre until you’ve heard back on your pending submission. If you have not received a response on your submission within three months, please query us via email to bloodtreelit@yahoo.com.
  • We do not read manuscripts or translations at this time, and currently only read works written in English. We only read reprints if the piece(s) were previously published in a now-defunct publication — please indicate in your submission if that is the case and attribute the publication of first appearance.

Per piece accepted, we pay $10 for poetry, $15 for fiction and nonfiction, and $20 for hybrid pieces; all are in USD and processed through PayPal. Published work is also eligible to be nominated for annual awards like Best of the Net, the Pushcart Prize, and more.

Contributors release one-time electronic rights of their accepted piece(s) to Blood Tree Literature and the right to electronically archive the work as a part of the issue in which it first appeared. Contributors retain copyright for their  accepted work and may publish that work elsewhere after six months has  passed since the BTL publication date, with attribution to its first appearance in BTL. View a sample acceptance agreement on our website's Submissions page.

Regarding Contributor Books:

If applicable, in your submission you may also include information for your recently published book with a link to where it can be purchased. Should your submitted piece(s) be accepted, we will include the provided book on our  Contributor Books page. Likewise, if you are a previous contributor to BTL, you can notify us of new book publications for inclusion via our email: bloodtreelit@yahoo.com.

If you’d like to submit a review of a BTL Contributor Book, please find those specific guidelines in the Book Reviews submissions category below. There is no fee to submit Contributor Book Reviews. We offer a $15 USD honorarium for reviews accepted for publication.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR SUBMISSIONS OF MULTIPLE PIECES:

If you would like to withdraw only a single piece or portion of your submission of multiple pieces, please send a message through Submittable and/or email us at bloodtreelit@yahoo.com to do so. Do NOT mark your entire submission as Withdrawn unless every included piece has become unavailable, or else we will miss out on the pieces you still want us to consider!

Ends on $3.00
$3.00
Submit to Issue 18 Poetry & Hybrid

Please submit one packet of poetry or one packet of hybrid writing. To submit to both genres, you will need to submit them as two different submission forms with their own reading fee. Please review the general guidelines on the homepage of the BTL Submittable before submitting.

 

Hybrid specific guidelines:

Hybrid can be defined as the undefinable. It is the crossroad between genres and forms, and otherwise exhibits unusual qualities that may be considered unconventional.

  • Maximum hybrid pieces in a submission: 3
  • Maximum word count per piece: 2500
  • Please submit your packet of hybrid writing in a single file if in standard format (i.e. written, still-image). If your work utilizes audiovisual media files, those may be uploaded as separate files.
  • Please note that we don’t typically gravitate toward heavily end-rhymed nor YA-leaning pieces.

 

 Poetry Specific Guidelines:

  • Maximum poems in a submission: 3
  • Maximum word count per poem: 2500
  • Please submit your packet of poetry in a single file if in standard format (i.e. written, still-image). If your work utilizes audiovisual media files, those may be uploaded as separate files.
  • Please note that we don’t typically gravitate toward heavily end-rhymed poems.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR SUBMISSIONS OF MULTIPLE PIECES:

If you would like to withdraw only a single piece or portion of your submission of multiple poems/hybrids, please send a message through Submittable or email us at bloodtreelit@yahoo.com to do so. Do NOT mark your entire submission as Withdrawn unless every included portion has become unavailable, or else we will miss out on the pieces you still want us to consider!

Ends on $3.00
$3.00
Submit to Issue 18 Fiction & Nonfiction

Submit only one piece of fiction or one piece of creative nonfiction. To submit to both genres, you will need to submit them as two different submission forms with their own reading fee. Please review the general guidelines on the homepage of the BTL Submittable before submitting. 

 Fiction Specific Guidelines:

  • Maximum word count: 2500. We like to keep it flash-y.
  • Maximum pieces of fiction: 1
  • Please note that we don’t typically gravitate toward work that is Y.A. in nature.

 

 Creative Nonfiction Specific Guidelines:

  • Maximum word count: 2500
  • Maximum pieces of nonfiction: 1
Submit to Book Reviews

We are seeking reviews of books written by contributors of Blood Tree Literature. A full list of books written by our contributors can be found on our website here. If you'd like to review a contributor book not listed or a forthcoming contributor book ARC, please query us at bloodtreelit@yahoo.com first.

Please read our existing contributor book reviews, as well as the general submission guidelines on our website or BTL Submittable homepage, before submitting to get a feel for the style and expectations of the work we publish.


 

Reviews Specific Guidelines:

  • Maximum word count for reviews: 2500.
  • Reviews must not have been previously published by another publication, organization, or review-centric platform (i.e. NetGalley, GoodReads).  Exception: reprints of reviews are allowed only if it was previously published in a now-defunct and unavailable publication — please indicate in your submission if that is the case and attribute the publication of first appearance.
  • Reviews that have been previously published to social media or review sections of distribution/non-review-centric platforms (i.e. Amazon, StoryGraph, Bookshop.org) are eligible for submission only if the submitted review has been expanded on from its original post.  Exception: if your full review was posted on the aforementioned platforms in a language other than English, submissions of the full review translated into English are allowed.
  • BTL offers a $15 USD honorarium for reviews accepted for publication.
  • All other general submission guidelines apply.