WE ARE ON HIATUS UNTIL 2021
We accept work only through Submittable.
Submission Periods:
Submissions may be sent to us between January 1st through June 1st for consideration in our web issues. Submissions are always open to the public.
Simultaneous Submissions:
We accept simultaneous submissions, but please notify us immediately if your work has been accepted elsewhere. We also allow simultaneous submission for contests, but the entry fee is nonrefundable.
Content:
We prefer work that has been workshopped and polished. We are open to genre, but do not accept erotica or anything overly sexually explicit, lewd, or otherwise offensive. We will also reject work that is racist, sexist, homophobic, or devaluing in any way.
We are especially seeking work by people of color, LGBTQIA+, disabled creatives, and other marginalized groups who write and actively create work in all the categories we seek to publish in Helen.
We are especially seeking work by people of color, LGBTQIA+, disabled creatives, and other marginalized groups who write and actively create work in all the categories we seek to publish in Helen.
Fees:
We do not charge to read or review your work. Fees are only applicable to contests.
Response Times:
Within 1-6 months with the exception of contests. Those entering contests will be notified at least one day prior to the publication date.
Payments:
As of January 1, 2018, Helen is no longer offering payment for work published on the site or in our PDF materials. We just simply do not have the funds anymore.
Rights:
When we accept your work we are acquiring First North American Serial Rights and Electronic Rights for a period of 6 months in all literary categories. We will grant permission for anthologies and collections for an earlier date and for special circumstances. Art is excluded from this as we accept reprints from artists and photographers always. Majority of work is published online and then compiled into a digital format for purchase at a later date.
Length:
Short fiction pieces can range between 50 to 1,500 words. Creative nonfiction should be between 50 to 1,500 words. Poetry should be no longer than twelve pages, single line, total. Spoken word, performance art and short film files need to be less than fifteen minutes. We do not accept or review short story collections or poetry chapbooks.
Formatting:
All manuscripts should be in 12-point type in either courier or times new roman. Please include at least one-inch margins and number your pages. Fiction and creative nonfiction needs to be double-spaced. Poetry should be single-spaced. Do not include your name, address, telephone number, and email address in within your submission. This information is automatically supplied to the publishers of Helen and we wish our editors to read submissions without identifying markers. Please include a brief biographical summary within your cover letter of no more than three sentences. We accept Word doc and docx for all written documents through Submittable. Please check our category submission in Submittable for current file formats in Artwork, Photography, Spoken Word, Performance Art, and Short Film.
Previously Published or Reprints:
We currently only accept previously unpublished, original works in short fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction categories and especially for contests. This includes any self-published works that can be found on a personal website. We do accept reprints and previously published artwork and photography.