SUBMISSIONS ARE CURRENTLY CLOSED SO WE CAN GET CAUGHT UP

Work appears within fourteen days of an acceptance.

Grande Dame Literary is for WOMEN WRITERS of any age and their VIBRANT VOICES. There is a Grande Dame in every woman, and we are women writers/editors who support women writers. We do not define age, nor should you. If you like our posts and feel your voice is a good fit, send us a piece. Empowering and encouraging women writers is of utmost importance. Your vibrant voice is the greatest asset to your writing and Grande Dame Literary accepts work based on the strength of the story, the solid arc of characters, and potential appeal to our readers. 

We used to say the greatest reason for declines was due to formatting. After a year of posts, the greatest reason for declines has become story and character arcs that need a tweak. Having your work read by someone else, paid or free, can be the greatest boost to helping you get published. Check out our suggestions about how to make your story and characters make it to the pages of Grande Dame Literary or any other magazine. Stay in the loop by signing up for the Grande Dame Literary Newsletter

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

CAP FOR EACH GENRE. REOPEN APPROXIMATELY EACH QUARTER. 

Short Story, Memoir, Essay, and Poetry. 

Editing Services are available. 

PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED WORK IS NOT ACCEPTED

ACCEPTED work appears within fourteen days of acceptance.

DECLINED we offer a bit of feedback and you may resubmit (paid service).

RIGHTS We ask for first serial rights and archival rights. After publication, all rights revert to the author. 

BIO FIFTY WORDS ON A THIRD PAGE. URL ONLY FOR SOCIAL MEDIA, NO EMAIL, PHONE, OR HANDLES

ACCEPTED GENRES literary, chick-lit, upmarket women's contemporary, comedy, dramedy, rom-com, romance, drama, magical realism, humorous scary stuff like mystery, suspense, thriller, murder, we relish a good twist

SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS ARE ACCEPTED but please let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere.

GUIDELINES:

FICTION:

• 1500-2500 WORDS
• SEE GENRES LISTED ABOVE

MEMOIR:

• 750-2500 WORDS
• Must be written in the style of a short story.

ESSAY:

• 750-1500 WORDS
• Must be inspirational and hopeful. 
• Should not read like a story.
• Make it a feel-good moment for the reader. 

POETRY:

• 3 POEMS (EACH POEM MAY NOT EXCEED ONE PAGE)
• Single spaced.
• See fiction guidelines above for specifics

FORMATTING (EXCEPT FOR POEMS):

• 12PT TIMES NEW ROMAN, DOUBLE-SPACED, 1' MARGINS (poems may be single spaced)
• KEEP TITLES AT FIVE WORDS OR LESS
• 50 WORD BIO AT END OF LAST PAGE URL ONLY FOR SOCIAL MEDIA, NO EMAIL, PHONE, OR HANDLES
• SEND CLEAN DOCUMENTS, WE DO NOT ALLOW FOR CHANGES, NOR DO WE MAKE CHANGES.

DIFFICULT SUBJECT MATTER:

IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT YOUR TOPIC, PLEASE EMAIL US. DO NOT ASSUME THAT JUST BECAUSE IT IS DIFFICULT SUBJECT MATTER THAT WE WILL NOT CONSIDER IT. WE ARE OPEN TO ACCEPTING DIFFICULT SUBJECT MATTER AS LONG AS IT ADHERES TO OUR ACCEPTED GENRES.

HOWEVER, WE DO NOT ACCEPT MATERIAL THAT IS DISCRIMINATORY OR PROMOTES DIVISION. MATERIAL MEANT TO INCITE OR PROVOKE IS NOT ACCEPTED. 

GRAPHIC DEPICTION OF ABUSE OR ABUSERS IS NOT ACCEPTED. PERIOD.