Here's what you need to know about our literary magazine

Frequently Asked Questions

💡Please read these before sending any questions. If you can’t find what you need, we’re always here to help. We hope this helps!

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Submission Basics

Language

We accept contributions in Slovak, Czech and English from anywhere in the world.

Length

We have no formal word limits, but we tend not to publish work longer than 7,000 words. See limits below.

• What’s the word limit?

  • Microfiction: up to 100 words

  • Flash Fiction: up to 1,000 words

  • Short Story: up to 5,000 words

• My story is 5,142 words long. Is it eligible?
  Yes. Our word limits are more of a polite suggestion than a strict rule. The general rule of thumb is: the further over the limit the piece goes, the more dazzling it has to be to prove its worth.

You can see examples of each type on our homepage.

Formatting

We prefer manuscripts in any legible 12-point font with double-spaced paragraphs, page numbers in the footer, and 1-inch margins.

On page 1 please include the author’s name, submission title, and genre.

While we appreciate careful proofreading, we don’t disqualify submissions for formatting inconsistencies or typos. Please don’t withdraw and resubmit just because you spot a mistake.

Guidelines

• How do I send in my work?
  Please use our exclusive submission portal. We simply can’t read submissions sent via email or direct messages. It’s the only way we can stay organized (and, frankly, sane.

• How many pieces can I send at a time?
  Just one piece at a time, please. Any multiple submissions will be rejected unread, so pick your champion and send us your absolute best shot, whether it’s a short story, flash or micro fiction.

  We accept one submission per author per month. (Multiple submissions from the same author in one month will be deleted without being read!) If you have more fiction, please wait at least a month and then send another one.

• Can I submit work for more than one category at once (multiple submissions)?
  Nope. You must choose one category—short story, flash fiction or micro fiction and wait at least one month before sending us another one. We know choosing is tough, but trust your gut and hit ‘send’ on the one you love most.

• Do you accept previously published work?
  We currently do not accept work that has appeared in another journal, anthology, or book. However, we are happy to consider self-published work (anything that’s popped up on your personal blog, Substack, social media, etc.).

• Can I send the same piece to other magazines (simultaneous submissions)?
  Yes, absolutely! Just be a darling and let us know immediately via email if it gets snapped up somewhere else.

• My story got accepted elsewhere. How do I withdraw a piece?
  Huge congrats! Please shoot us an email with “Withdraw” as the Subject Line to break the good news (and the bad news for us).

• I left a typo in my submission. Can I send a revised version?
  Please don’t email us about typos. They never, ever affect our decision. There’s no need to withdraw a submission over a couple of tiny errors. If accepted, you’ll get a chance to send us a perfectly polished piece before publication.

• Can I submit under a pen name?
  You bet.

• Do you require author photos with the publication?
  No.

• Can I pitch an idea instead of submitting a finished piece?
  No. We only consider completed work.

• What languages do you accept?
  We accept stories in Slovak, Czech, and English language.

• Can I submit work in translation?
  If you write in another language, you can also submit your work in translation into Slovak, Czech or English.

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What Exactly Are We Looking For?

We publish fiction short stories, flash fiction & microfiction.
We want prose that feels original. Genre doesn’t matter. We accept science fiction, horror, mystery stories, humorous, romance and various others. The genre list is just a starting point! We care less about the label and more about whether the writing moves us - emotionally, yes, but also narratively. Does the story actually go somewhere?

• Can I send serialized work, excerpts from a larger project, or something in episodes?
  Yes, provided the excerpt stands entirely alone. A reader shouldn’t need the rest of the book or series to understand it.

• Do you publish poetry?
  No, we are staunchly prose-only here at The 42 Magazine. We are devoted to prose in all its glorious forms and moods.
  Unfortunately, we don’t understand poetry and we don’t have editors who could evaluate it.

• Do you consider stories with illustrations or visual elements?
  Yes, if the visuals are truly inseparable from your story, send them along.
  Sometimes stories inspire us and we create illustrations for them ourselves.

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Timelines, Feedback, and The Wait (The Frustrating Bit)

• I submitted my piece today—when will I hear back?
  In about 4 months after you submit. Sometimes sooner, rarely longer (and if it is longer, it usually means we’re seriously considering your genius). Please, try to refrain from querying us about the status until this time has passed.
  We know slow responses are frustrating (the industry average is closer to six months, and we’re trying to stay ahead!). That’s why we accept simultaneous submissions and previously self-published work—so you can keep sharing your writing in the meantime.
  If you are in a hurry, you can pay extra for express submission. In this case, we will respond within 4 weeks.

• How often are submission calls held?
  We accept your stories throughout the year without any call for submissions. However, we occasionally publish special calls for submissions on a specific topic or occasion.

• Do you provide feedback on declined submissions?
  No, our time is limited, so we can’t offer feedback on every piece. If you’d like a detailed response, you can opt for the optional editorial feedback service when submitting; in that case, you’ll receive a comprehensive feedback letter.

• How often do you publish?
  For now, we plan to publish monthly. If we gain enough supporters, however, we will publish every two weeks.

• Who will be reading my writing?
  We, the founders and editors of The 42 magazine, will personally read each and every piece submitted. We are assisted by a team of editorial elves. We always try to find those who have experience with the genre in question.

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  Rights, Pay, and Why We Live on Substack

• Do I keep the rights to my work?
  Yes. We only ask for first serial rights—meaning we get to be the first publication to feature your piece. We also ask for archival rights to keep your work up on our Substack/website and the right to publish your work in a possible anthology or special issue of the magazine (e.g., an annual issue or an issue dedicated to a specific topic).
  Work you’ve self-published on your blog/social media is totally fine and doesn’t interfere. After publication, all rights revert back to you.
  As is industry standard, if your work is later reprinted, we just ask that you give a tiny credit, acknowledging it first appeared in The 42 magazine.

• How much do you pay contributors?

  If we publish your story, we will reward you:

  • €50 for long-form

  • €30 for flash

  • €10 for micro

Your reward will be sent via PayPal within a week of your story being published.
If you don’t have a PayPal account, we can gladly send your honorarium to a friend’s or relative’s account instead.

• Is there a fee for submission?

Yes, we charge a symbolic fee of €2.50 (+€2.50 for AI-collaborated works), which helps to cover our expenses related to receiving and evaluating all your submissions. It is also the only remuneration our editorial elves receives for reading and evaluating all your stories.

Our goal is to get enough supporters so that we can increase the reward to €200 per long-form. We think the authors deserve it. You can help us by promoting us and sharing us in your community.

• Why are you on Substack?
  Substack aligns with our vision: every story will arrive like a personal letter, straight to your inbox. That kind of intimacy is rare and worth preserving. It also allows us to grow a natural community and, crucially, it’s ad-free (as ad-free as one can get in late-stage capitalism). Plus, it saves us the pain and cost of creating a custom website. We can use the savings to pay the authors.

• Will you ever go to print?
  Right now, we’re focused on building a sustainable digital magazine with a dedicated readership. We want the work to be free and accessible to anyone, anywhere.
  However, we love the messiness of print! So, once we hit 1442 paid subscribers, we’ll start seriously considering a print edition for those who crave that tangible, analog ritual.

• If all your stories are free to read, why would anyone pay for a subscription?
  Our model is simple: the magazine itself stays forever free, open, and accessible. Paid subscriptions are how we keep the lights on: it’s how we pay writers, cover costs, and build something sustainable without needing ads.
  Paid subscribers also get a few fun perks:

• A subscriber-only chat space for ideas, prompts, and advice

• Get a free PDF of each magazine issue.

• But honestly... what you’re supporting is the mere possibility of a publication like The 42 Magazine existing as an open, independent, ad-free entity in the hands of its readers.

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  Ethics

• What is your AI policy?
  We don’t think AI will ever completely replace writers. But what could happen is that writers who learn how to use AI properly will replace those who don’t. That’s why we want to give writers the opportunity to learn how to use AI effectively. This is why we have a separate section for stories created with AI assistance. However, the story must not seem artificial. It must resemble a story created by a human author, and it must be clearly stated that it was created in collaboration with AI!

• What is considered a story created in collaboration with AI?
  1. A story that was created entirely using AI at the author’s request.

  2. A story that was partially created with the help of AI: e.g. AI modified the characters, AI helped with the description of the environment, AI modified the description of the story’s atmosphere, etc.

  In short, a story created with the participation of AI, regardless of how large a part AI played (1% or 100%).

• What is NOT considered a story created in collaboration with AI?
  If you use AI to check grammar (especially if you are not writing in your native language), that’s fine. We don’t consider that to be a story written with AI.

Prohibited Content

• These will be automatically declined:

  • Sexual violence

  • Hate speech or bigotry

  • Splatter/gore-for-gore-sake

  • Excessive profanity

  • AI-generated or AI-assisted writing (The AI generated content must be clearly stated. It will be included in a separate section.)

  • AI-generated images (if art is submitted, it must be fully original)

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  Support

• How can I support The 42 magazine?

  • Start with the simplest and most important thing: subscribe and read what we publish.

  • Let the stories live in your mind for a while, mention them at dinner. Share them - with a friend, a stranger, or even an enemy.

  • Be an engaged reader - leave comments, tell us what a story made you feel.
    Reading will always be free. Just subscribe for free to make sure you don’t miss any new fiction.

  • And finally, if you have the means, consider a paid subscription - it’s how we keep the whole magical machine running.
    

  • You can also buy coffee for our editorial elves, who drink gallons of coffee while reading and reviewing your work.