The Long Submission Guidelines
How long do you want it to be?
However long it needs to be.
Can I send more than one story at a time?
No.
Do you pay for accepted stories?
Unfortunately, we do not. We cannot.
Do you accept simultaneous submissions?
Of course. It’s hard enough to publish short stories. Avery seeks to ameliorate this reality, not exacerbate it. We do ask that you notify us if your work has been accepted elsewhere, though. Despite any rumors to the contrary, we’re in the business of courting available fiction here at Avery.
How should I submit my story?
Via e-mail. It’s cheaper, cleaner, and easier that way.
Should I send a cover letter with my story?
We’d love to read a cover letter. We recommend including your story’s title and its word count and whether or not you’ve submitted this story elsewhere. We recommend not summarizing or interpreting your work as it will probably end up damaging the trust that’s imperative for any reading experience. Have faith in your words. We do.
Should I include my contact information on every page?
Please include your full name and contact information in the upper right hand corner of the first page of your story, along with the page number. Thereafter, last name and page number will suffice.
I’d rather not double-space my story, as I prefer my words to overpower the page.
We’re not interested in those kinds of words, then, and recommend you submit your story elsewhere. Perhaps a propagandist newspaper.
That’s not what I meant.
What did you mean, then?
What I meant was that I just don’t like double-spacing my stories. I think it takes up too much space.
Words need room to breathe. Reading isn’t a power struggle, and when you pit word against word and when you not only pit them against each other but on top of each other, below each other, here a word there a word everywhere a word word, well, what you’ve done is you’ve created a wrestling ring, a boxing match, a mud arena where middle-aged men and women wrestle with each other, jump on top of each other in the hopes that everyone else will eventually fall, leaving one of them the victor, gasping for breath and looking around at the fallen bodies for her wedding ring, which slipped off during the fight.
Wow. You’re annoying. All I was asking about was line spacing and you give me some mixed metaphor about boxing and wrestling that’s somehow supposed to say something about how words need room to breathe or something. You don’t believe all that crap, do you?
Perhaps. And, yes, we do. We have to.
I’m guessing, then, that you like sentimental fiction.
I’m not sure I know what you mean.
Sentimental fiction. Like, the kind that makes you cry at the end.
What makes you say that?
Because when you say stuff like that, like how you want words to breathe, well, that’s kinda melodramatic, wouldn’t you say?
Perhaps. Or maybe I just meant that Avery wants the kind of fiction that’s moving. A story that moves us not only emotionally and intellectually but also a story that moves us into another way of thinking and seeing, if only slightly. We want the kind of story that’s an offering, so when we hear things like, “I want my words to overpower,” well, that scares us. So, maybe it was a melodramatic metaphor. If so, it was used only to offset the power hungry one. Let’s just move on here, okay?
Okay, but I still feel unrightfully accused of being power hungry. So, when do you read submissions?
We read submissions year-round, everyday if we can. And I’m sorry if you feel I’ve been accusatory. I didn’t mean to. I was just trying to make a point.
So was I. I guess we both got carried away.
Words’ll do that to you.
Do what to you?
Carry you away.
Let’s not go there again.
Let’s not go where?
There. You know exactly what I mean.
What do I mean?
Nothing. Forget it.
Forget what? Forget words?
That’s not what I meant at all.
That’s not it at all?
Are you quoting something?
I think we both just quoted something.
Whatever, let’s just go.
Let’s go.
Okay, I’m onto you. But let’s get focusing on what’s important here.
Sounds good. Do you have any other questions for us?
For you?
For Avery. For us at Avery.
Oh. Well, how long will it take you to get back to me about my story?
Hopefully, not too long. If you don’t hear from us within three months, you can go ahead and e-mail us. But please, not before that. We read every story carefully, and this takes time.
So, you want me to just trust you, then.
Have we come that far already?
We have.
Well, then, this has been a positive experience for both of us.
It has.
We’ll look forward to reading your work, hopefully sometime in the near future.
Wow. That’s interesting. My story’s about the future, about how a scientist developed a time machine that he takes into the future onto a planet that hasn’t been discovered before, so he
I’ll have to stop you there.
Oh yeah, I forgot. No summaries.
Yeah, that, but, more importantly, we don’t accept genre fiction.
Uh...Isn't literary fiction genre fiction?
Um...
You mentioned trust earlier. Maybe you're the one who's not so trusting.
What do you mean?
Well, don't you trust that writers are going to submit work that they feel best suits your anthology's vision?
Well, we hope so. That's why we encourage you to email us with any questions or concerns you might have regarding Avery.
Well I suppose we've come full circle.
No hard feelings?
No, but let me know when Vonnegut gets in touch with you...
Thanks. We will.
