Halfway Down the Stairs

About

Halfway Down the Stairs publishes poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and book reviews. We publish primarily literary and mainstream work, but accept work in most genres, with children's literature and erotica as the exceptions.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2005

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Published 2 x per year

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

781 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Faster: Halfway Down the Stairs's overall average response time is faster than most magazines.
More Approachable: Halfway Down the Stairs's overall acceptance rate is higher than most magazines.
More Responsive: Halfway Down the Stairs's overall rate of non-response is lower than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Temp Closed

We accept fiction related to the theme of the issue. The fiction editors are looking mostly for short stories, but we are happy to consider well-crafted flash fiction. We don't want to be too strict with the guidelines, because we appreciate originality, creativity, and stories that are off the beaten path. We like stories that grab us from the beginning, make us think, and keep us enthralled. Stories should be written confidently and fluidly, avoiding too many adjectives or too much dialogue. We will be negatively distracted by poor grammar, clichés, and a lack of editing.

Dates:

Will be open to submissions from 01 January 2027* (approx. 110 days from now) through 15 February 2027.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience. Excluding: Children.

Genres:

Open to all/most Genres (Excluding: Erotica), including:
General

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words.
Short Story: 1,000 - 5,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Humorous, Literary, Mainstream, Realist.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Other: May vary.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Nonfiction Temp Closed

We accept creative nonfiction related to the theme of the issue. Halfway Down the Stairs is specifically looking for essays and memoir with a strong voice and a unique point of view. We publish well-written, honest writing that inspires emotion. Humor is also appreciated.

Dates:

Will be open to submissions from 01 January 2027* (approx. 110 days from now) through 15 February 2027.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience. Excluding: Children.

Lengths:

Essay: Up to 3,000 words.
Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 3,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Humorous, Literary, Mainstream, Personal.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Other: May vary.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Poetry Temp Closed

We are rarely willing to be lenient with the theme when it comes to poetry, and will do so only if the submission is very good.

Dates:

Will be open to submissions from 01 January 2027* (approx. 110 days from now) through 15 February 2027.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience. Excluding: Children.

Genres:

Open to all/most Genres (Excluding: Erotica), including:
General

Lengths:

Poem: No line limits known; Up to 3 pieces.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Humorous, Literary, Mainstream, Realist.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Other: May vary.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Expand section Visual Art Closed

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.
* We do not know the time and/or timezone, so we cannot be more precise. Submit early to avoid disappointment.

Recent cover image or website screenshot for Halfway Down the Stairs

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Submission/Response
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Social:
X (Twitter) @halfwaydown

For the Editor(s):
Request Interview
Duosuma Submission Manager
Link to Duotrope

Halfway Down the Stairs Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

This project ranks among the 25 Most Approachable Fiction Publishers in our database.

Filter:

Group by submission

Include outliers

Accuracy

We have received 124 reports from 105 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

0 min | 24.4 mean avg | 20.0 median | 94 max days (37.0 std dev)

Responses

92.74 %

Acceptances:

20.97 % of submissions accepted (23.2 avg. days per acceptance) | 24.76 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

71.77 % (22.9 avg. days per rejection) | 20.2 % personal, 56.2 % form, 23.6 % unspecified | 0.8 % rewrite requests

Non-Responses

0.00 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

Withdrawals

7.26 % (22.4 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

14 responses are pending (28 min | 64.3 mean avg | 43.0 median | 167 max days waiting | 272.5 std dev) from 12 different members

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 56 days. (10.5 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 56 days.)
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 03 Sep 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 14 Aug 2026.
Date compiled: 12 Sep 2026 00:48 UTC (6 hours, 17 minutes ago).
View report of recent responses from this project

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Your Submissions

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Before Submitting

We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. It is not unusual for publications to evolve or close without notice. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the project being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the project meets your standards.

Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.
Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 15 Aug 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.