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.
General Guidelines:
- Maximum word count: 2500. We like to keep it flash-y.
- Maximum amount of poems or hybrid writing per submission: 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.
- 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.
- Simultaneous submissions are allowed under the condition that you withdraw your work immediately if it is accepted elsewhere.
- 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, $20 for hybrid and experimental pieces, and $15 for book reviews; 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. Honorariums for accepted pieces are processed through PayPal only. 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.
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!
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.
This is for an unthemed issue. Please review the general guidelines on the homepage of the BTL Submittable before submitting.
Hybrid specific guidelines:
- Maximum hybrid pieces in a submission: 3.
- Maximum word count: 2500. We like to keep it flash-y.
- Please note that we don’t typically gravitate toward heavily end-rhymed pieces nor YA-leaning stories.
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, 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!
This is for an unthemed issue. Please review the general guidelines on the homepage of the BTL Submittable before submitting.
Poetry Specific Guidelines:
- Maximum poems in a submission: 3.
- Please note that we don’t typically gravitate toward heavily end-rhymed poems.
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR SUBMISSIONS OF MULTIPLE POEMS:
If you would like to withdraw only a single poem or portion of your submission of multiple poems, 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 poem has become unavailable, or else we will miss out on the pieces you still want us to consider!
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.
This is for an unthemed issue. Submit only one piece of fiction or creative nonfiction. 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.
- Please note that we don’t typically gravitate toward work that is Y.A. in nature.
Creative Nonfiction Specific Guidelines:
- Maximum word count: 2500.