Submission Guidelines:
​Submissions are Closed!

Issue III: Resistance submissions are now closed! The issue will be published online in May 2025.

All submissions should be emailed to [email protected] with the genre (poetry, fiction, nonfiction) in the subject line. Include a cover letter and third person bio in the body of the email. Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please be sure to tell us if your piece has been accepted elsewhere. Only previously unpublished pieces will be considered.

Submissions are free!
​The reading fee is an optional and appreciated donation toward the running of our site. However, feedback requires a $10 donation. If you would like feedback, please note that in your cover letter.

Fiction: Must be no longer than 6,000 words. Please use Times New Roman 12 pt font, double spaced.

Nonfiction: Must be no longer than 6,000 words. Please use Times New Roman 12 pt font, double spaced.

Poetry: ​Must contain no more than five poems. Poems can be single spaced, but please use Times New Roman 12 pt font.

Reading Fee

$5.00
Help us keep Tension Literary up and running! The reading fee helps cover our website and marketing costs.
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Manuscript Summer Camp

$23.00

📚✏️ Send Your Manuscript to Summer Camp! ☀️📖

Your book deserves some fresh air, expert guidance, and a little tough love. This summer, give your manuscript the attention it needs to grow stronger, wiser, and ready to face the world.


At Manuscript Summer Camp, we offer developmental editing services that go beyond grammar and punctuation. We’ll hike deep into your story’s structure, character arcs, pacing, and themes—helping your manuscript shed what’s not working and shine in its final form.


🌲 What’s Included:

  • In-depth editorial letter
  • Margin notes and big-picture feedback
  • Story structure and pacing analysis
  • Character and theme development support
  • Personalized next steps


Whether your draft is a little homesick or ready for the next level, we’ll help it thrive.

🎒 Pack your pages.

📆 Spots are limited.

📬 Enroll your manuscript today.


Let your story come back from camp better than ever.

Tension Literary – Helping good stories become great books.



Cost: $23 per 1,000 words. Submit at your pace!


Send your pages to [email protected] with your name, genre, and word count.
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