Q: Describe what you publish in 25 characters or less.
A: 5 short stories per Issue
Q: What other current publications (or publishers) do you admire most?
A: A Public Space, One Story, Tin House, McSweeney’s, New York Tyrant, Pank, Flatmancrooked, N+1, Open City, Opium, Granta
Q: If you publish writing, who are your favorite writers? If you publish art, who are your favorite artists?
A: We've been lucky to be able to publish work by some of our favorite authors, including both more established and emerging voices. Stylistically, they vary greatly, so it's difficult to give a "representative" favorite author. As an example, we've published stories by Colson Whitehead and Lydia Davis in the same issue.
Q: What sets your publication apart from others that publish similar material?
A: We're very interested in using new media to advocate for literary content.
Q: What is the best advice you can give people who are considering submitting work to your publication?
A: Read the stories we've published. You can purchase a digital issue on our website for just $4.95.
Q: Describe the ideal submission.
A: The ideal story is a story that grabs and excites us. In the words of Michael Cunningham, it's a story that makes you late for dinner.
Q: What do submitters most often get wrong about your submissions process?
A: Submit only one story at a time.
Q: How much do you want to know about the person submitting to you?
A: Though these sorts of things are interesting, our stories are read blind by our readers. No personal information is made available in the initial reading process. Cover letters are not necessary.
Q: If you publish writing, how much of a piece do you read before making the decision to reject it?
A: Unless they are clearly inappropriate for our publication, all our submissions are read at least twice by two readers. Readers write responses based on the whole story, and we're thankful for having such committed readers.
Q: What additional evaluations, if any, does a piece go through before it is accepted?
A: Stories that receive a "yes" from at least one reader are reviewed by our editorial staff.
Q: What is a day in the life of an editor like for you?
A: On the day-to-day, we spend thousands of hours reading our submissions, all of us from the readers to the editors. It's really incredible to do the mental math and add up the time. Reading stories is a big chunk of our readers' and editors' process, but so are our efforts to make use of new media. We spend time tweeting (@ElectricLit), keeping up our blog, communicating with animators for our single-sentence animation series, developing our iPad and iPhone app, and working out new ideas about the future of narrative and technology.
Q: How important do you feel it is for publishers to embrace modern technologies?
A: We think this isn't just important, it's essential if lit mags plan to survive the digital transition. We try to use every viable new medium to help literary fiction remain a vital force in popular culture.