Genres & Theme
Experimental Literary Mainstream Open to all / most themes Ninth Letter is a biannual publication dedicated to the examination of literature as it intersects with various aspects of contemporary culture and intellectual life; therefore, we welcome submissions of prose and poetry that test and even break the boundaries that attempt to isolate literature from other modes of creative expression. We are interested in prose and poetry that experiment with form, narrative, and nontraditional subject matter. We're also interested in work that doesn't experiment with the aforementioned, as long as it's really good. TEMPORARILY CLOSED: Temporarily closed to submissions. Submissions Periods Open to submissions from Monday, September 01, 2008 to Thursday, April 30, 2009 (106.4 days from now)	Go To: Website Support this Publisher: Subscribe Report: Submission/Response Correction/Update New Cover
Lengths
Poetry (varies, read guidelines) Short Story (1,000 - 7,500 words) Novelette (7,500 - 8,000 words)
Media
Print Publication Electronic Publication
Payscale
Payment ranges from semi-pro to professional rates for Short Fiction Payment ranges from semi-pro to professional rates for Poetry
Other Info
Accepts postal submissions and electronic submissions
Allows simultaneous submissions (always follow proper simultaneous submission etiquette)
No reprints accepted
No multiple submissions allowed
Published 2 x per year
USA
Response Times
Show Overall Short Fiction Poetry Electronic Subs Postal Subs   Note: These statistics are compiled from response reports sent to us anonymously and through our submissions tracker for registered users. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's staff. This market ranks among the Top 25 Most Challenging Short Fiction Markets This market ranks among the Top 25 Most Challenging Poetry Markets Accuracy We have received 315 reports within the past 12 months, not including 19 pending responses (with an avg. wait of 58 days) and not including 4 ignored reports (reports are ignored when the submitter has an unrealistic overall acceptance/rejection ratio). The more responses reported, the more accurate the info. Rejections are often underreported, which skews the statistics in favor of acceptances. Most markets have a lower acceptance rate than indicated here. Days Reported 1 | 29.3 | 186 (min | avg | max) Responses (97.8%) Acceptances: 1.3% (24.5 days avg. per acceptance) Rejections: 96.2% (29.7 days avg. per rejection) | 5.6% personal, 80.5% form, 13.9% unspecified Rewrite Requests: 0.3% (59 days avg. per rewrite request) Non-Responses (2.2%) Assumed Rejections: - Author Withdrawals: 2.2% (10.4 days avg. per withdrawal by author) Other Information Submissions are acknowledged within one day on average. Most recent response reported was received on: 15 May 2008 Responses have been received for submissions sent as late as: 30 Apr 2008 Do not query before 60 days have passed. (6.3% of the responses reported to us for this market have taken longer than 60 days.)
Awards, "Best of" Annuals, etc.
Work published has been awarded, nominated for, or received honorable mention in the following: Best American Fantasy Best American Short Stories Pushcart Prize The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror
Market Added: 04 Feb 2006 Last Updated: 30 Apr 2008 Last Checked: 01 May 2008

Before Submitting
We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. It is not unusual for publications to evolve or close overnight. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Just remember ...

• 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.
• For novel/collection publishers, it is standard to submit a cover letter, synopsis, and sample instead of the full manuscript.  Do this unless otherwise instructed.
• Include a SASE with all mailed submissions, queries, and requests for guidelines.
• Be professional, patient and persistent.