Note: As of May 31, 2023, with the exception of our “Pitch Us” category, we are closed for submissions while we give our staff some time to catch up on reading submissions already in the queue, and on general business administration.  If you need to contact us about a timely publishing matter please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. 

We use Submittable for our submissions. NiftyLit accepts original work that has not been previously published (including on your personal blog or website) in the categories of short fiction and nonfiction/ memoir (up to 7500 words), flash fiction and essays (up to 3 pieces, up to 1,000 words each), and poetry (up to 6 poems). We also have a more open ended, “pitch us” category. In the future, we hope to open to more categories/ genres…please have patience with us while we ramp-up our capacity, to read more of your wonderful work!

Please find comprehensive general guidelines below.

NiftyLit publishes exceptional, thought-provoking work that investigates humanity and seeks to advance a peaceful, nonviolent world, free of harmful or prejudicial barriers. We recognize the labor writers and artists put forth in creating such valuable work. 

Standing at the confluence of art and technology, we exist to transform the literary ecosystem by providing access to meaningful compensation for writers and artists for their work, with emphasis on emerging writers from underrepresented, underserved, and marginalized communities. 

About Our Unique Publishing Model (we truly are one of a kind!) 

We use blockchain and non-fungible token (NFT) technology in order to commodify writing paired with bespoke art. Essentially, we create digital collectibles from literary works (similar to an ebook, except with enhanced functionality) that others can buy (and read) to support contributing writers. Authors selected for publication by NiftyLit have the opportunity to have their work published in two places: 

• On NiftyLit.io in a manner very similar to most online literary outlets. Work remains available for reading on our site for a period of approximately 60 days, after which time the work is archived and available for reading only via purchase of the associated literary NFT/ digital collectible. 

• If the author elects to have their work published as a literary NFT in addition to publication on our website, NiftyLit will simultaneously publish the literary NFT at the same time as it is published in online print. Our literary NFTs are listed for sale on our NFT marketplace. At our marketplace, users can create their own profile and buy, collect, read, trade and sell literary NFTs. Think of it as an “online used book store,” except the work is mostly short-form literature. 

Note: we seek to provide as much pertinent information upfront to writers who submit their work to us, but please know that the information listed below is further expounded upon in greater detail in our master publishing agreement, which we provide to authors upon acceptance of their work for publication. 

Payments and Royalties

We are a paying market in the traditional sense, but because of our unique publishing model and commodification of literary works using blockchain technology, authors also have the opportunity to earn royalties on their work. Our payment and royalties model depends on whether authors selected for publication want their work(s) published on our website only, or on our website and as a literary NFT. There are a number of reasons for this unique model, to include but not limited to the additional effort we place into producing our literary NFTs…which are meticulously typeset and presented alongside original artwork for a beautiful reading experience. 

• Option 1. Publication on NiftyLit.io only. We pay a flat fee of $25 for accepted work by authors who elect to have their work published on our website only. We recently changed our model and make these payments via PayPal only. 
  • Authors who choose this option forgo the opportunity to earn royalties from their work sold as literary NFTs (because we will not publish the individual work as a literary NFT). NiftyLit reserves the right to include the work in anthologies and collections which generally are published as literary NFTs. NiftyLit earns 100% of net sales receipts on anthologies and collections in order to help recoup the costs of business. You can see examples of our anthologies and links to associated literary NFTs here. 

• Option 2. Publication on NiftyLit.io and as a Literary NFT available for sale on our NFT marketplace. We pay a flat fee of $30 for accepted work by authors who elect to have their work published on our website and as a literary NFT.
  • Authors who elect this method agree to, upon acceptance of their work for publication, create a profile on our NFT marketplace and provide NiftyLit with their public-facing crypto wallet address. We (thanks to blockchain automation) will make the flat fee payment and royalty payments directly to authors’ crypto wallet addresses. Authors earn 70% of net receipts of initial sales of literary NFTs of their work published as individual works, and 5% of secondary sales receipts (aka peer to peer sales). NiftyLit earns 30% of net receipts of initial sales of work published as individual literary NFTs and also receives 5% of secondary sales receipts. NiftyLit earns 100% of net sales receipts on anthologies and collections, in an attempt to recoup the costs of operating/ publishing costs. 

This video demonstrates how to set up a wallet on our NFT marketplace (we are writers and not videographers so please don’t be too critical of the film production quality! :).

If you have questions or you’re curious to learn more about our publishing model ahead of submitting, don’t hesitate to reach out via email or find us 24/7 on our Discord (we may not respond 24/7, our staff isn’t that big, but you can always ping our team on our community channel and we will get back to you ASAP). 

Other Very Important But (Hopefully) Less Complex Details 

• Please read from work published at NiftyLit.io (or consider buying a literary NFT to read from the archive) before submitting to see if your work is a good fit. 

• Simultaneous Submissions. NiftyLit does accept simultaneous subs, but please do let us know promptly if your work has been accepted for publication elsewhere, in which case, we will offer you a big congratulations on having your work accepted! (Even though we will also be sad to not get the chance to publish your work).

• One submission per writer at a time across all genres please, no exceptions. Please wait at least one month from the date you hear back from us before submitting again.

• Formatting. Do double space your work, preferably with a 12-point, serif font. Single-spaced poetry is okay, and experimental forms of font, line spacing, etc. are also fine by us if that’s the direction your writing hearts and minds take you.

• File Type. .doc and .docx files are preferred.

• Rights. Like most magazines, NiftyLit will take the rights to the first-time, electronic publication. You can read more about this on our copyright page.  If you are selected for publication, we will be in touch with you to discuss all other other parameters pertaining to our publishing model, delineated in our master publishing agreements with contributing authors. 

• Illustrations. We typically pair all literary works published with original illustrations. This generally depends on the availability of our contributing artists, our publishing/ editorial calendar, and NiftyLit’s ability to pay for commission of original artwork. 

• Free Subs. We’re open for free submissions year round. 

• Tip Jar Subs. We’re open for tip jar submissions year round. Tip Jar submissions are not read faster than free subs nor do tips impact writers’ chances for publication, but these donations do help us pay our contributors, Submittable fees, and publishing costs. We greatly appreciate your contribution! 

• Expedited Subs – $5. We strive to remain open for expedited submissions year round, but may close this category from time to time depending on submissions volume. We will respond to submissions in this category within five business days. Expedited subs do not impact writers’ chances for publication. 

• Editorial Feedback Subs – $25. This category is open year round and includes detailed feedback from a senior editor. Feedback will include line edits and larger conceptual issues including characterization, tone, and thematic elements which will be sent to you no later than ten days after your submission. This does not guarantee an acceptance of this submission, but it does guarantee detailed insight and recommendations for your work. 

• Publishing timeline. Pending any unforeseen complications during the editing process, publication typically occurs 6 to 9 months from the date of acceptance. Work selected for publication is already pretty polished, so most of this timeline has to do with our editorial calendar and the high volume of incredible submissions we receive. 

• DO NOT SEND:

• • Anything resembling hate speech or promoting bigotry or violence. We are passionate about building a community of creativity and kindness.

• • Full length manuscripts

• Response Timeline. We are delighted to read your work, and will give each submission our full attention. As such, it does take time for us to respond to everything. We thank you in advance for your patience. We are so grateful for the opportunity to read your work.

• Newsletter. We send out a newsletter ~twice a month full of NiftyLit news and publication updates/ highlights. You can sign up for that here. 

• Duotrope. If you use Duotrope, please report your submission! If you can’t tell, we are all about data (and will do our best to protect yours!). 

• We’re on social. Here’s our Twitter and Instagram. If you like what you see/ read, give us a follow. 

IMPORTANT: We will not accept emailed submissions, with the exception of submissions from writers with accessibility issues or who do not have a Submittable account. If you feel you fall into this category, please email us at submissions@niftylit.io and we will gladly consider your work.

Sending you a big, warm welcome to our community! Thank you for supporting us as we grow. We know that it takes a community to build something truly special. Please feel free to reach out to info@niftylit.io with any questions, or for more information.

*By submitting your work, you agree to the terms of use. Please take the time to look them over.