Our Manuscript Drive Is Now Open!
For $375, we will review your full-length fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry manuscript.
Our all-volunteer staff at Mud Season Review is dedicated to bringing great literature to life. It's our passion. The cost of this service will help us cover Submittable fees, our website, and pay each and every one of our journal contributors. Your payment will also help support the Burlington Writers Workshop, a 501(c)(c) nonprofit that provides free writing workshops. While our highly qualified reviewers are paid a token stipend for their time, the vast majority of your payment goes to the efforts listed above. We're grateful for your contribution, and for the opportunity to provide such an in-depth service to writers dedicated to their craft. For more information, visit this page.
How to Submit:
Please include a title page with a one-paragraph summary of your manuscript and your current email address. Please also provide any direction you’d like to give us regarding the type of feedback you’re hoping for, and when you’d like to receive the feedback. Typically, we can provide a full review within two to three months, but you’ll have the opportunity to establish a mutually satisfactory schedule with your reviewer. To query about chapbooks, or for any questions about full-length reviews, email us at editor@mudseasonreview.com.
If you have any questions that aren’t answered in the FAQs below, feel free to send us an email and we’ll be sure to respond promptly. We greatly appreciate your interest and support! More details about this manuscript review service can be found here.
FAQs:
What does this review consist of? You'll be paired with one of our highly qualified reviewers who will provide extensive, detailed comments in the margins of your manuscript as well as thoughtful written feedback of 700-1,500 words.
What is the word count or page limit? Fiction and creative nonfiction manuscripts are limited to 110,000 words. Poetry manuscripts should be no more than 80 pages, with the standard one poem per page.
Who does the reviewing? One of our highly qualified reviewers will be matched and assigned to your manuscript. By including a short paragraph summarizing your project and your goals, you help us match you with the best reviewer for your work-in-progress.
What is the deadline to submit? Right now we’re accepting manuscripts on a rolling basis, however we recommend submitting on the sooner side as we may need to close early or periodically as volume demands. We put a lot of effort into reviewing your work and like to give each submission the time and attention it deserves.
How do I submit my manuscript? You can use this submission category to send us your manuscript. To query about chapbooks, or for any questions about our manuscript review service, email us at editor@mudseasonreview.com.
Are there any subjects or themes you don't review? We openly welcome a variety of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry manuscripts of diverse perspectives. However, we ask that you don't send us work that clearly supports the violation of basic ethical standards. Such submissions will be returned unread and refunded.
Will I be satisfied with the feedback I receive? We work hard to make sure you’re satisfied, and we’re proud that this service has been so well-received—in fact, several authors have reported that their manuscripts were accepted for publication thanks to our team’s insight and guidance. We look forward to reviewing your manuscript and thank you for trusting Mud Season Review with your work.
For $45.00, one of our highly qualified reviewers at Mud Season Review will provide you with a 250- to 500-word critical response to your piece, which we will try to send within 2-4 weeks of your submission date. Limit 3,500 words. Please include in your cover letter any guidance you'd like to give in terms of what feedback would be most helpful to you. Pieces submitted for feedback are not considered for publication. We look forward to reviewing your work.
Please do not submit PDF documents.
Note: We don't provide feedback on work that clearly supports the violation of basic ethical standards. Such material is refunded and returned unread.
For $45.00, one of our highly qualified reviewers at Mud Season Review will provide you with a 250- to 500-word critical response to your piece, which we will try to send within 2-4 weeks of your submission date. Limit 3,500 words. Please include in your cover letter any guidance you'd like to give in terms of what feedback would be most helpful to you. Pieces submitted for feedback are not considered for publication. We look forward to reviewing your work.
Please do not submit PDF documents.
Note: We don't provide feedback on work that clearly supports the violation of basic ethical standards. Such material is refunded and returned unread.
For $45.00, one of our highly qualified reviewers at Mud Season Review will provide you with a 250- to 500-word critical response to your poems, which we will try to send within 2-4 weeks of your submission date. Limit 3 poems, up to 10 pages. Optionally, please include in your cover letter any guidance you'd like to give in terms of what feedback would be most helpful. Pieces submitted for feedback are not considered for publication. We look forward to reviewing your work.
Please do not submit PDF documents.
Note: We don't provide feedback on work that clearly supports the violation of basic ethical standards. Such material is refunded and returned unread.
Tip Jar Submissions are optional and will be treated exactly the same as standard submissions. Please follow the same guidelines as standard submissions with the exception of noting the genre for your submission in your submission title and in your cover letter.
A Tip Jar Submission will not increase your chances of publication, but you will be helping us to manage the costs of Submittable and to continue to pay contributors. Mud Season Review has an all-volunteer staff and is a production of the Burlington Writers Workshop, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that offers free writing workshops. Thank you for your support and for sharing your work with us! We're excited to see what you've created.
Please submit 1 to 6 digital images of your work (JPG is preferred, minimum 300 dpi). Images must be professionally photographed and cropped to exclude anything that is not considered part of the work.
We accept all media: paintings, drawing, prints, photography, animation, mixed media, collage, and sculpture (in the case of 3 dimensional work, keep in mind that it must read well in 2 dimensional form). We are open to all content/style; realism, surrealism, abstraction, conceptual, etc. We seek both: 1) images that may be paired with writing to enhance the visual word and 2) theme-based portfolios to be featured monthly. (Please indicate your preference in your cover letter.)
Please include the artist's last name and title of the piece in each file name. Also include in your cover letter: 1) the titles, media, and dimensions of each image; 2) a 50-word or less biographic statement; 3) a 50-word or less artistic statement; 4) your consideration preference as noted above; and 5) your email and mailing addresses.
Artists must be 18 years or older. See our general guidelines for more information.
Tip Jar Submissions are optional and will be treated exactly the same as standard submissions. Please follow the same guidelines as standard submissions with the exception of noting the genre for your submission in your submission title and in your cover letter.
A Tip Jar Submission will not increase your chances of publication, but you will be helping us to manage the costs of Submittable and to continue to pay contributors. Mud Season Review has an all-volunteer staff and is a production of the Burlington Writers Workshop, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that offers free writing workshops. Thank you for your support and for sharing your work with us! We're excited to see what you've created.
Please submit one nonfiction piece of up to 6,000 words as well as a brief biography. Please also include your email and mailing addresses. Please do not submit PDF documents.
Mud Season Review’s creative nonfiction team seeks:
Memoir that goes beyond a personal story to offer insight that feels universal
and/or
Narrative-driven essays that present data, perspectives, persuasive arguments, and/or critical social topics in a palpable context
In short, we value well-polished, well-crafted stories that move us.
Send us the story that only you can tell, where subject matter isn’t the story but adds another layer to a rich and complex journey of thought. Likewise, craft decisions—point-of-view, structure, chronology, etc.—that enrich meaning and understanding, that have purpose beyond pure wit, whimsy, boundary pushing, or aesthetics.
As we read, we remain committed to founding editor Rebecca Starks’ three tenets:
A strong voice
A view from elsewhere
That it be fully realized
See what Rebecca means in this interview.
And while our word count is generous, it is not an invitation to be careless. Please be sure that every word in your submission is needed to tell your story.
Creative nonfiction accepted for publication will be fact-checked. To the extent your essay draws on research and/or reportage, our editors will ask you for documentation of your sources and for help with the fact-checking process. Citations need not be submitted with essays, but we would recommend that you keep notes and/or a bibliography on file.
Tip Jar Submissions are optional and will be treated exactly the same as standard submissions. Please follow the same guidelines as standard submissions with the exception of noting the genre for your submission in your submission title and in your cover letter.
A Tip Jar Submission will not increase your chances of publication, but you will be helping us to manage the costs of Submittable and to continue to pay contributors. Mud Season Review has an all-volunteer staff and is a production of the Burlington Writers Workshop, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that offers free writing workshops. Thank you for your support and for sharing your work with us! We're excited to see what you've created.
Please submit one short story of up to 6,000 words, as well as a brief biography. Please also include your email and mailing addresses. Please do not submit PDF documents.
We are looking for fully realized stories that remind us of what it means to be human, that take risks, that show us something new, and that stand up over multiple reads, deepening with each encounter.
Tip Jar Submissions are optional and will be treated exactly the same as standard submissions. Please follow the same guidelines as standard submissions with the exception of noting the genre for your submission in your submission title and in your cover letter.
A Tip Jar Submission will not increase your chances of publication, but you'll be helping us to manage the costs of Submittable and to continue to pay all of our contributors. Mud Season Review has an all-volunteer staff and is a production of the Burlington Writers Workshop, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that offers free writing workshops. Thank you for your support and for sharing your work with us! We're excited to see what you've created.
Please submit in one file a portfolio of 3-5 poems (up to 10 pages), with each poem on its own page(s); along with a brief author's bio (50 words or less). Please also include your email and mailing addresses. Please don't submit PDF documents.
We respond to a wide range of poetry, and to voice above all else. We are looking for poems that compelled their own writing, emotions that purify and intensify language, and unique points of view. We are also looking for portfolios that communicate a common thread and are made up of poems that work well together. Each poem should be able to stand on its own, but the poems in a portfolio should have a collective impact as well.