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.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
ACCEPTED GENRES
FICTION:
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
MEMOIR:
the author must be the central 'character' in the memoir, must read like a story, no graphic description of abusive or sexual situations
ESSAY:
encouraging feelgood pieces that make the world a better place (food, motherhood, relationship, health, lifestyle), share an inspirational story
DIFFICULT SUBJECT MATTER:WE ACCEPT DIFFICULT SUBJECT MATTER AS LONG AS IT ADHERES TO OUR ACCEPTED GENRES.HOWEVER, WE DO NOT ACCEPT MATERIAL THAT IS DISCRIMINATORY OR PROMOTES DIVISION. GRAPHIC DEPICTION OF ABUSE OR ABUSERS IS NOT ACCEPTED. PERIOD.
General Information:
- PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED WORK IS NOT ACCEPTED.
- KEEP TITLES UNDER FIVE WORDS
- AND MAKE YOUR FIRST SENTENCE A STRONG ONE, IT'S ALL THAT SHOWS ON THE FRONT PAGE POST.
- FOLLOW FORMATTING. FOLLOW FORMATTING. FOLLOW FORMATTING.
- WE DO OUR BEST TO NOTIFY WITHIN THREE TO FOUR MONTHS
- SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS ARE ACCEPTED
- SEND CLEAN DOCUMENTS, WE DO NOT ALLOW FOR CHANGES, NOR DO WE MAKE ANY CHANGES.
SOMETIMES AN OBJECTIVE REVIEW OF YOUR WORK CAN BE WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ACCEPTANCE AND A DECLINE. GDL OFFERS A VARIETY OF CRITIQUE AND FEEDBACK OPTIONS. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE: EDITORIAL SERVICES
FICTION GUIDELINES:
- 1000-2500 WORDS
- 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
MEMOIR GUIDELINES:
- 750-2500 WORDS
- Must read like a story.
- No academic pieces.
- Book excerpts are fine, but must be standalone pieces.
ESSAY GUIDELINES:
- 750-1500 WORDS
- Should be inspiring to the reader.
- Should not read like a story, but rather be of a nature that the reader connects and feels a sense of hope.
FORMATTING: (WE DECLINE IF NOT IN THIS FORMAT)
- 12PT Times New Roman, 1" Margins, Double-spaced
- 50 WORD BIO at bottom of story URL ONLY FOR SOCIAL MEDIA, NO EMAIL, PHONE, OR HANDLES
- PROOFREAD YOUR WORK - CHANGES ARE NOT POSSIBLE, IF YOU NEED TO CHANGE SOMETHING, YOU WILL HAVE TO WITHDRAW AND RESUBMIT. NO REFUNDS FOR WITHDRAWALS.
We ask for first rights and archival rights. This means that once we offer an acceptance, we ask that we be the first place the story is printed. Once the story has been published all rights revert to you as the author and you may reprint the material, post it on your website, etc... Archival rights means that as long as we are in publication that we may use it on our website. However, the material is yours. Should you choose to have it removed from our site at any time, we will do so.
POETRY SUBMISSIONS
- PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED WORK IS NOT ACCEPTED
- 3 POEMS (EACH POEM MAY NOT EXCEED ONE PAGE)
- 1 POEM PER PAGE
- 12PT TIMES NEW ROMAN
- SINGLE SPACING IS ALLOWED
- 1' MARGINS
- KEEP TITLES TO FIVE WORDS OR LESS
- WE DO OUR BEST TO NOTIFY WITHIN FOUR MONTHS
- SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS ARE ACCEPTED
- 50 WORD BIO ON LAST PAGE URL ONLY FOR SOCIAL MEDIA, NO EMAIL, PHONE, OR HANDLES
- SEND CLEAN DOCUMENTS, WE DO NOT ALLOW FOR CHANGES
DIFFICULT SUBJECT MATTER:
WE ACCEPT DIFFICULT SUBJECT MATTER AS LONG AS IT ADHERES TO OUR ACCEPTED GENRES.
HOWEVER, WE DO NOT ACCEPT MATERIAL THAT IS DISCRIMINATORY OR PROMOTES DIVISION.
GRAPHIC DEPICTION OF ABUSE OR ABUSERS IS NOT ACCEPTED. PERIOD.
Feedback, or lack of it, might be what is standing between you and an acceptance letter.
THESE SERVICES ARE FOR SHORT STORIES AND MEMOIRS ONLY. PLEASE NOTE, OTHER THAN THE REVIEW, THERE IS NO GUARANTEE OF PUBLICATION ON GRANDE DAME, BUT WE HELP AND ENCOURAGE YOU TO BE THE BEST WRITER YOU CAN BE AND WORK WITH YOU TO READY YOUR WRITING FOR PUBLICATION
Word count limits are up to 3K and up to 5K
DEEP FEED FEEDBACK $25-50
- DEEP FEED FEEDBACK -
- A ONE PAGE OVERVIEW OF YOUR SHORT STORY OR MEMOIR WITH SPECIFIED EXAMPLES OF HOW TO TWEAK IT FOR SUBMISSION
EDITORIAL CRITIQUE $40-80
- EDITORIAL CRITIQUE - TWO FULL PAGES -
- A DETAILED ASSESSMENT WITH EXAMPLES, WRITING TIPS, AND REFERENCES TO MOVE YOUR WORK TO THE NEXT LEVEL. WE COMBINE TOUCHES OF A DEVELOPMENTAL/LINE/COPY EDIT TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND HOW TO REVISE YOUR STORY OR MEMOIR AND PERFECT IT FOR PUBLICATION
DEVELOPMENTAL EDIT $125-250
- THE DEEPEST FEEDBACK IS A DEVELOPMENTAL ONE.
- WE GO THROUGH YOUR WORK WITH A FINE TOOTH COMB AND OFFER DIRECT INLINE COMMENTS, SUGGESTIONS, AND EXAMPLES. A FEW EXAMPLES OF LINE EDITING ARE PROVIDED IN ADDITION TO THE DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW.