The Answers to Your
               Burning Questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Are simultaneous submissions allowed? 

  • Yes. You're welcome to submit any of your pieces anywhere else while we are reviewing them, but if your piece does get accepted elsewhere, please let us know by sending us an email at emberslitandartzine@gmail.com. 

• Are previously published works allowed? 

  • Potentially. We will consider works that have been published elsewhere (in other zines, websites, anthologies, or journals) with proper credit to the original publication, though fresh, unpublished works will always take precedence.  ​

• Are unsolicited submissions allowed? 

  • Of course! The large majority of published content will be unsolicited: Meaning you, the artist, are submitting your work to Embers for consideration without having been asked to do so. The Editor-In-Chief may solicit content for special occasions or reasons, but she's excited to be surprised by the unsolicited art she sees, and she's honored to review your work. ​

• What if I've never submitted to a zine/journal before? What if I've never been published before? Will this lower my chances of being accepted? 

  • Absolutely not! Embers is a safe place for unpublished writers and artists, new creators, and those who are still finding their way in their creative journey. We will never ask about your publishing history or lack thereof. If this is your first time submitting or possibly even sharing your work, please know that we will view your art with love and that we appreciate your bravery in sharing it. And if we reject your piece, that does not make you any less of an artist. We all--including the Editor-In-Chief--face creative rejection from time to time. ​

• When will the submission period open? 

  • For un-themed, ongoing submissions, now and always via our Ongoing Submissions Form. We will review, accept/reject, and publish work as they come in on an ongoing basis any time of the year. These submissions do not close unless the Editor-In-Chief must pause publication for personal reasons, in which case the submission page would be updated as such. ​

  • For our three specially themed issues every year, these will have specific submission periods, which will be noted on the issue's specific submission page, and each issue will have its own form separate to the Ongoing Submissions From above. 

• What do I need to include for my submission? 

  • You will use our submission forms to submit your art/writing, which will include and detail everything we need from you, but our goal is to make it as easy and accessible as possible for you to submit your work. ​For regular, un-themed, ongoing submissions (open year around), please use this form. For our themed thrice yearly issues, we will link their unique forms once those submissions open.  

• Is my piece guaranteed to be published/accepted? 

  • No. While we will take care of your art and the emotions you hold for your piece, we do not and will not accept every submission. We believe in showcasing art that is original, fresh, professional, innovative, and that sparks a fire. Understand that every publisher and zine has their style and interests, and not every piece is going to fit what Embers is trying to present and accomplish, which is okay. ​

• Will I hear back if my piece is rejected? 

  • Absolutely. We respect you, your time, and your work as an artist, so we will never leave you on read. If you haven't heard back about your submission in three months time, we encourage you to reach out asking for a status update. ​

• Will I be given feedback on my submission if it's rejected? 

  • Brief feedback will be provided, but you're welcome to request additional feedback as desired. Just don't argue with us -- we'll block and bar you from future submissions if you do.  ​

• If my piece is rejected, can I submit it again later? 

  • If you incorporate our feedback, revise or otherwise improve your submission, absolutely. But be considerate: It'd be not cool of you to submit the same piece--with no edits or changes--ten times in a row. At some point, we'll ask you stop submitting. ​

• If my work is accepted, will I retain ownership of my work? 

  • Yes. But should your published piece be accepted elsewhere, we simply ask that you credit Embers for its original publication. ​

• How long will it take for my piece to be reviewed? 

  • For regular, un-themed, ongoing submissions, the Editor-In-Chief's goal is to review and respond to each submission in three weeks or less. For special themed issues (published thrice yearly), there will be a very specific timeline provided and detailed on its unique submission-guideline page. 

• Will I be paid upon acceptance? 

  • For ongoing zine submissions with no theme, no; though we will happily include a link to your Venmo, PayPal, or CashApp to encourage readers to donate to you directly. For our thrice-a-year themed zines, yes. These will be short, themed, individual zines with limited acceptances/spots, and these will be paid.

  • We'll be frank with you: Payment amount will depend upon the zine's financial abilities at the time of each zine, but we will pay a minimum of $10 per accepted submission, hopefully trending higher. All types of art (writing, video, visual art, etc.) will be paid the same amount as we believe all art is valuable and deserving of payment. 

• Is there a submission fee? If so, are y'all pocketing our money for yourselves? 

  • For ongoing zine submissions with no theme, no, there is no submission fee. For our thrice yearly themed zines, yes. A $5-10 submission fee will be gathered at the time of submitting. As for the second question, Embers nor the Editor-In-Chief will ever keep any of this money. The only point of requiring a submission fee is to pay the artists who are later accepted. Embers does not make any personal money on this endeavor and exists only as a passion project for the community. In fact, creators of most indie zines are likely to lose money. ​

• What if I want to submit to the themed issue but can't afford the submission fee? 

  • Every themed issue will automatically include two free sponsored submissions for those in need. Our submission forms will include a section asking if you've paid the fee or if you would like to take a sponsored submission. If you cannot afford the submission fee, we will absolutely work with you. Money should never be a barrier to sharing one's art. Have extra cash and want to help the community? You're welcome to pay extra to sponsor another artist in need (but please be advised that this does not increase your chances of acceptance, though it would be a highly appreciated act of kindness to your fellow artists). ​Email us at emberslitandartzine@gmail.com if you have questions about this or if you'd like to sponsor another artist.

• How do we pay the submission fee? 

  • This will be included in the form, but payment will be made through Venmo, Cash App, or PayPal. ​

• Is this a real publishing credit/byline? 

  • Yes. Please feel free and encouraged to share your published piece with pride. ​

• If my piece is published in Embers, can I later submit it to other publications/zines that also accept previously published works? 

  • Absolutely. But with proper credit and links going back to our original publication of your piece. 

• Is Embers an online zine? A print zine? 

  • Embers is currently an online-only zine. That said, EIC, Jourden V. Sander, previously founded and ran another literary magazine that published print and online issues. Her goal is to eventually expand into print again once she has the funds, resources, and community interest to do so. ​

•  Who do you accept? What kind of people do you publish? ​

  • Anyone and everyone. Embers has no identity restrictions. However, we champion marginalized artists, creators of color, queer creators (trans people will always be welcome here), women, femmes, and thems, and the stories of people who need to be heard the most. We do not publish bigots, fascists, or people who support them. 

• What kind of art and writing do you accept? 

  • View our submission guidelines page for all the technical details, but the short of it: We accept writing of any style or genre so long as it's five pages or less; we accept any visual art, video, or audio content so long as there are five visual pieces or less or so long as the audio/video content is five minutes or less. In terms of the content itself, for ongoing, un-themed submissions, we will review and consider a large variety of topics and content. Themed issues will require submissions that fit the theme. More than anything, we want to see art that is honest, bold, raw, unique, and fueled with fire. ​

• What kind of art and writing do you not accept? 

  • Again, our submission-guideline page has more detail, but we do not accept works that are not artistic in nature. We do not accept works that include gratuitous and unnecessary depictions* of SA (sexual assault), harm to children, violence, discrimination, self-harm, or other shocking acts. If you have questions about this or if you'd like to discuss your piece, please feel free to email us at emberslitandartzine@gmail.com. 

    • *Works that cover, discuss, or include any of these topics with nuance and intention may be acceptable. For example, a personal essay or poem discussing the narrator's personal experiences with SA, self-harm, or discrimination would absolutely be considered. But a short story depicting graphic and gory imagery of rape, a video directly showing self-harm, or an essay about a white person's supposed racial discrimination...those pieces would not be considered. 

• Can I submit multiple times? 

  • Yes. For ongoing, un-themed submissions, you can submit as many times as you want and as often as you want--BUT each form submission is considered its own submission, meaning you must follow the guidelines for each submission. (And if you'd like to submit writing and art, you would send two separate emails for each submission unless they're meant to be viewed together.) Submitting multiple times does not increase or guarantee your chances of acceptance, however. Also, be considerate. Don't submit 30 times, please. ​

  • For our themed issues, you can submit as many times as you'd like during the submission period, but there is a required submission fee for each submission.

• So then, if we can submit as many times as we want, why is there a limit to how many pieces of writing/art we can submit at one time? 

  • Organization is one reason, but the main reason is to prevent someone from submitting 30 pieces of art at one time. It's also so that people can submit multiple pieces of writing while keeping each piece of writing five pages or under (to prevent the EIC from having to read 20-page stories). ​

• What if I have experimental art/writing? What if I have writing that pairs with visual art, a video, or audio? 

  • Great! We love and highly encourage multifaceted submissions that break the boundaries of genre and art. Just keep it to five pages or less. Example: If you have three poems that pair with three paintings, you'd format the poem with its painting in your document (and please indicate if your visual art pairs with your writing). If you have writing that pairs with a video or audio file, please still follow the rules: the writing must total five pages or less, and the video/audio must total five minutes or less. They can be submitted in the form together if paired together.  

• What if I'm still confused on whether I'm submitting my complicated submission correctly? What if I'm confused in general? 

  • Then just send it over via the form, and we'll check it out. There are too many barriers to artists sharing their work, and we won't be another. You're also welcome to email us if you'd like to discuss your submission prior to submitting as well: emberslitandartzine@gmail.com. 

•  ​What format or type of document should I use when submitting? 

  • PDF, Word Doc, Google Doc, etc. is all fine so long as the document is accessible and viewable. If we cannot open your document/file, your submission will be rejected with that feedback. The same goes for visual art, audio, or video: We don't really care how you attach your art to the form so long as it's viewable and follows our submission guidelines. ​

  • If you're having trouble attaching your document/file in the form, please email us at emberslitandartzine@gmail.com. 

  • Additionally, we do not care about how your document is formatted so long as the writing is five pages or less, there are five visual art pieces or less, and the audio/video is five minutes or less. So, we don't care if your document has page numbers or not, we don't care if your name is in the document or not, we don't care what font you use, and we don't even care if the document is double or single spaced--just be considerate and logical. A document with .5 margins, single spaces, neon-colored text, comic sans font, and size nine text will probably not be reviewed, even if it's under five pages. Just make it easy for us to read/view and enjoy. 

• What if my submission is just barely over five pages/five minutes/five pieces? Or what if it's really important that all six of my photographs are considered together? 

  • We're reasonable, and we care more about the integrity of your art than a strict submission guideline. Should your submission be longer than five pages, please let us know why those extra pages are needed. Same goes if your video/audio is longer than five minutes: Detail why that extra time is needed. Same for art work: Detail why you must show more than five pieces in your submission. We want to review your work, but we also want you to be intentional with what you're showing and not waste our time. ​

• What if I'm bad at grammar? Will I be rejected for poor grammar? Will my written piece be proofread? What if my piece intentionally breaks grammar conventions? 

  • The EIC is a professional copyeditor and writer of 12+ years. She will notice poor grammar. This will not result in an automatic rejection, BUT...She asks that you do your best and proofread your piece to make it as clean as possible. She does not expect it to be perfect by any means, but a messy manuscript will likely be rejected with that feedback. And yes: Every written piece will be edited for general grammar, though the content will never be changed. If your piece has intentionally bad/unique grammar usages, make sure it means something/is important to the piece, and make sure it feels truly intentional. Not understanding how to use commas in a slice-of-life story will come across as an unintentional act, not an artistic choice. Poetry and experimental works will be less scrutinized for grammar, but again: Just always be intentional with your work and how you present it.  

• What if I'm a minor or have a child who wants to submit? 

  • Unfortunately we do not review or accept submissions for artists under the age of 18. ​

• Are the submissions blind? 

  • No. This means that we do not require or intentionally view your work without knowing who you are. You are welcome to have your name (real or pseudonym) included anywhere in your submission, or you can leave it out.  ​

• What if I want my work to be published or reviewed anonymously? 

  • That's completely understandable. If you'd like your work to be published anonymously, you can choose to make note of that in the form, and we'd be happy to publish you as "Anonymous," "Anon," or whatever else you'd want us to use for your byline. We cannot, however, review your submission without knowing your email address, at the very least, so that we can communicate with you, but you're also welcome to use an anonymous email address that doesn't tie to your real identity. 

• What if I know the EIC personally? What if she rejects me? 

  • If you know the EIC personally, she says hello and welcome! But knowing the EIC does not give advantage to the submitter. The EIC's goal is to remain as unbiased as possible and to be fair when reviewing submissions. If she rejects you, it's not because she doesn't believe in your art; on the contrary: She is so passionate about this zine and about showcasing the art of those who are bold, vulnerable, and brave, and she knows firsthand the sting of rejection, but rejection is simply part of life, and it's never, ever personal or intended to be hurtful. She loves you and wants you to keep submitting, even if rejected. ​

• What is the goal of Embers? Who are you? Who runs it and how many people are there? ​​

  • Embers: A Lit and Art Zine is run by its founder and Editor-In-Chief, Jourden V. Sander, an Austin-based artist, writer, creator, and performer. She's had poems, essays, flash, articles, and fiction published in dozens of magazines, anthologies, and journals, and she obtained her Master of Fine Arts Degree from the Vermont College of Fine Arts in creative writing, specifically fiction, in 2019. She's been working as a professional copywriter and copyeditor for 12 years and currently works as a Senior Copywriter and Copyeditor at Auctane. She also is a dancer, performer, and burlesque artist and has been performing for over three years. She is the sole editor at Embers, though she may bring in editors or solicit writers for content from time to time. What is our goal? To find, publish, and share art that inspires and sparks a fire. ​

• What are three words that describe Embers and the kind of art they'd like to see? 

  • Bold. Authentic. Passionate. ​

• What if I want to work with/for Embers? 

  • If you have interest in collaborating or working with Embers, please feel free to email us at emberslitandartzine@gmail.com. ​

• What now? 

  • Now, you light a fire. Now, you submit. ​