Submissions

We operate a rolling submissions system. Submissions can be made at any time.

We accept simultaneous and multiple submissions (max. 3 per author) and don’t require first or perpetual exclusive rights to your work. This means the work may have been previously published elsewhere and you may, in the future, publish it elsewhere. However, some restrictions apply:

1. We require six months of exclusivity either side of publication by us. That is, your work can’t be published elsewhere within six months before and six months after publication by us.
2. As such, if your work is accepted elsewhere, you will need to withdraw your submission from us. On the other hand, if we accept your work, you will need to let any other publications know the work cannot be published by them until six months after publication by TAMARIND.
3. If your work has been previously published we require a reference that we can include under your work and evidence that you have the rights to re-publish the work.

Submissions should be predominantly in English.

NON-FICTION

We’re open to non-fiction writing in almost any style or format. Essays, comment, features, biographies, histories, creative non-fiction, personal reflections, or any combination of these are all welcome. The only requirement is that it is related to science, scientists, or the interaction of science with society.

We have a particular interest in writing which reflects on science as an artistic and emotional endeavour, or about forgotten, marginalised, or currently underrepresented scientists. Although our core interest is in natural sciences, we will also consider non-fiction about related areas such as medicine, engineering, technology, and social sciences.

Submissions should be between 1,500 and 5,000 words long.

FICTION

We are open to fiction writing in almost any style or format, from short stories to free-form writing. Submissions can cover any number of genres and styles, from historical fiction, to slice-of-life stories, and speculative science-fiction. Our only requirement is that the pieces relate to science, scientists, or the interaction of science and society. We welcome stories that look creatively at science and the philosophy of science.

We have a particular interest in writing which reflects on science as an artistic and emotional endeavour, or about forgotten, marginalised, or currently underrepresented scientists. Although our core interest is in natural sciences, we will also consider pieces involving related areas such as medicine, engineering, technology, and social sciences.

Submissions should be between 1,500 and 5,000 words long.

POETRY

We are open to poems in any style or format. The only requirement is that it is related to science, scientists, or the interaction of science with society. 

As with non-fiction and fiction, a maximum of 3 simultaneous submissions is permitted. However, all your submissions should be collected together in a single document with clear demarcation between poems. Your submissions should total no more than 120 lines all together. For example, you could submit 3 poems of 40 lines each or 1 long poem of 120 lines. Please indicate the line count of the full poem in your submission.

In exceptional cases, we may consider publishing single poems longer than 120 lines in length, but please submit an extract of up to 120 lines in the first instance, indicating the line count of the full poem in your submission.

HOW TO SUBMIT

Submissions are accepted online through our submissions portal at submgr.tamarindlit.co.uk. Submissions should preferably be in plain text (i.e., txt), rtf, doc, docx, odt, or fodt formats. Other plain text markup (e.g., tex or html) is also permissible. PDF submissions are permitted but we will require you to provide an editable version if your submission is accepted. Uploads of any other format will be rejected.

You can include a short pitch or submissions statement in your submission comment if desired. Please also include the pen name under which you wish to publish your piece (if required) and details about any previous publication of the work. It would also help us to know where you heard about the magazine (Duotrope, social media, from your university, word-of-mouth, etc).

Submissions will be reviewed blind by the section editors. They will only be able to see the document you upload. Your name, personal details, and submission comment will be hidden from them and only visible to the Publisher.

PAYMENT

We pay in royalties. As we are published by a non-profit, surplus revenue from the magazine will be distributed equally between the contributors. Royalties will be calculated from the following income sources:

• Patreon: donations received during the time your issue is the ‘current issue’.
• Print & digital sales: revenue from sales of your issue for 12 months after the issue’s publication date.

Contributors will receive an equal share of the revenue from these sources once production costs have been accounted for. Due to our lack of funding, we’re unable to pay advances at this time.

RIGHTS

Authors grant us non-exclusive licence to publish their work under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 UK: England & Wales licence, subject to the royalties noted in the payment section above. This licence will allow anyone to distribute the magazine in whole (unadulterated) and attributed for non-commercial purposes. Neither licence places any restrictions on what you (the author) can do with the work now or in the future. For example, it will not prevent you from selling commercial rights later on.

PRIVACY

Please see our GDPR-compliant privacy policy for information on how we store, use, and destroy the personal information you provide to us when submitting.