Rules for Submitting to the
Dragon Bone Journal
We take fiction submissions from all genres and non-fiction submissions for any topics relating to writing and publishing. Here's our detailed list of rules for submitting your works for consideration.
Please read this entire page before submitting. Any entries that do not adhere to the rules will automatically be disqualified.
Thank you for your understanding! We're so excited to read your entries.
*Please insert the category you're submitting to (poetry, short story, or non-fiction), along with your name in the subject line of email*
Rules for Submissions
We have a limited number of spaces available for submissions. Submissions are not accepted by first come first serve. We will select candidates by careful review of if they align with procedure and the quality of their content.
Submission Deadline
Submissions for the first year's issues open January 1st and will close March 31st.
We will not consider submissions sent after March 31st 11:59pm CST.
Fiction (Content)
All fiction submissions must be relatively clean with no graphic sexual content, no sex scenes, no excessive cursing, no graphic blood/gore/horror, and no smut. Fade to black is acceptable. Cursing on a PG-13 level is acceptable. Fade to grey is acceptable in some circumstances. Fighting, magic, & horror elements is acceptable.
Please contact us if you have questions about your story's content. We are more than happy to review it to see if it's acceptable.
Fiction (Genres)
All genres are accepted except for smut and some extreme horror.
Accepted genres include but are not limited to: Romance, Fantasy, Thriller, Horror, Mystery, Contemporary, Sci-Fi, Dystopian, Western, Paranormal, Historical.
Please contact us by sending us a DM on social media, through the contact page on this website, or via email at dragonbonepublishing@outlook.com if you have any questions about your story's content.
Non-Fiction (Content)
Content must be relative to publishing or writing.
Works about personal experience are accepted as long as they are also educational, motivational, inspiring, or helpful in some way to the reader.
Extremely minimal cursing accepted.
Find a list of example topics here.
Please contact us if you have questions about your story's content. We are more than happy to review it to see if it's acceptable.
Length
Fiction:
Poetry submissions may be between 10-500 words
Short story submissions must be between 100-3k words.
Non-Fiction: All submissions must be 100-4k words long
Please contact us if you have a story exceeding or preceding these limitations that you still want to submit.
Formating
We will only accept entries that are either a workable Word Document or Google Doc.
We will not accept PDFs.
Title of the document must include the name of the work and author name.
All entries must be double spaced and Times New Roman 12pt font.
Editing
Please only send in entries that have been previously edited.
We will not accept any entries that need extensive developmental editing or excessive grammatical edits.
Where to Submit
Email all submissions to dragonbonepublishing@outlook.com
Enter the following into the subject line depending on your category:
Poetry— ( DBJ Poetry Submission [your name] )
Short Stories— ( DBJ Short Story Submission [your name] )
Non-Fiction— ( DBJ Non-Fiction Submission [your name] )
Number of Entries
Each author may submit as many entries as they would like to each of the categories, as long as each entry follows the rules stated on this page.
Rules for the Journal
Compensation
As compensation, authors will receive a copy of that year's edition of The Dragon Bone Journal for free.
Our Rights
Dragon Bone Publishing holds and retains all rights to refuse to publish any work we do not wish to publish. We also retain the right to remove any content from our magazine that we wish at any time. We hold the right to terminate any contract made with an author if we see fit.
Contract
If an author's work is accepted for publication in the Dragon Bone Journal, they will be required to sign a contract stating that Dragon Bone Publishing has the right to print, reproduce, and profit off their work. If an author wishes to refuse publication, they may do so before signing the contract.
If the author does not sign and return the contract before the stated deadline for that contract, it will be understood that the author refused publication and their work will no longer be considered for publication.
Terminating Contract
Authors hold the right to pull their content from the Dragon Bone Journal any time before that particular issue is printed. However, if an author decides to pull their work from the Dragon Bone Journal after they have signed a contract (and wish to terminate that contract), they will have to pay a fee of $80 to compensate Dragon Bone Publishing for the work already put into the author's content.
Exclusivity
For the 2023 edition, Dragon Bone Publishing will not maintain exclusivity rights to stories published in the 2023 issue. Any stories previously published (that are not currently under an exclusivity agreement with another publisher) will be accepted and stories published in the 2024 issue of The Dragon Bone Journal can be published elsewhere as long as the other publisher does not require exclusivity.