PentaCat Press

How to:

Send your submissions to PentaCatPress@gmail.com

Tell us in the subject line that it is a submission, and either what prompt the work is in response to, or of what genre the work is. Examples:

• If in response to a prompt called "Magic Box", the subject of your email should be "Submission: Magic Box".
• If not a prompt-response, and the genre is fiction, for example, the subject should be "Submission: Fiction".

This rule is important as we receive a lot of spam (who doesn't these days?) and may miss your email otherwise.

Aside from written works, we also accept photography, comics, and other art. See guidelines below.

If we accept your work, we will email you with any proposed edits to be made at your discretion. We will also send a consent form, asking you to verify that the work you submitted is your own and, if previously unpublished, for First Electronics Rights (stating that we have the right to be the first to publish your work electronically, after which point all rights are retained by you), or if previously published, for One-Time Rights (stating that we have the right to publish your work once), the name of the first publisher, and the name of the larger work it was published in (assuming the first publisher only maintains First Rights).

At this time, we cannot afford to pay contributors, though it is a goal for the future. All we can offer each contributor right now is a free copy of the issue their work was published in.

We look forward to reading/viewing your work!

Submission Guidelines

Aside from the above-mentioned subject line request, we do have a few other formatting and entry guidelines.

For Fiction:

• We prefer double-spaced, 12pt font, and Times New Roman.
• The title of your work should be written at the top of the first page, centered.
• Your last name should appear at the top right corner of the first page. If you are using a pen name, see the section below.
• We require Word documents (.doc/.docx) or Open Document Text(.odt)
• The name of your attached document should be the title of the piece, an underscore, then your last name. Ex). Title_LastName.docx
• The limit for fiction submissions is 10,000 words per quarter. This can be one piece or multiple that add up to 10,000 words total. If you send multiple, the limit is three works.
• Collaborative works are great, as long as every contributor is credited.
• No fan-fictions. Your characters should all be original to you and created by you.
• No AI-generated work. "But how would we know?" If you have actually spent time refining your skill as a writer, you are not asking this question.
• We do accept serials and episodic work. It should follow the formatting guidelines listed here for fiction, as well as the guidelines listed for serials below.

For Serials:

• If episodic (semi-serial):
• Each piece should stand on its own and be no more than 10,000 words
• The limit for episodic entries is one per quarter.
• Please title your email as Submission: Episodic so that we are aware.
• If non-episodic (full-serial):
• We will accept up to four segments, each of no more than 10,000 words. Your story should begin and end within these segments.
• We will need the entire piece (all segments) sent up front. Single segments of non-episodic serials will be rejected.
• All segments will be published within one year's worth of issues, starting with January. Because these will require much more time to read and edit, the deadline for serial work will be September 1st of each year. If you send serial work past this deadline, it will not be considered until the following year.
• Title your email for this work as Submission: Serial[X] where the letter X is replaced with how many segments make up your serial. Again, more than four will be rejected.

For Poetry:

• Please use 12pt Times New Roman.
• Your last name should appear in the top right corner of the first page. If you are using a pen name, see the section below.
• Format it the way you wish it to be printed. So if you would like it to be center-aligned and single-spaced, format it that way in your entry.
• The limit for poems is three per quarter.

Note:We understand that the rules pertaining to poetry are often strange and malleable, but a poem that looks to be using too many formatting tricks without good reason is more likely to be rejected. This includes changing font-sizes within the poem, changing alignments, and any colorful text.

We all love e.e. cummings and Shel Silverstein, but if you send us something that breaks any of the aforementioned rules, it will need to be as great for us to consider it.

For Other Art:

• Let us know what medium you used (charcoal, paint, pens, camera, etc.), the date you completed it, and if there is any description you would like to add.
• The limit for art, photography, and comics is three per quarter.
• The name of your attached works should be the title of the piece, an underscore, then your last name. Ex). Title_LastName.docx
• We do not accept AI "art".

Note: We understand that each artist has a unique style in their work. It's part of what makes art so incredible. But if you send us work in more than one submission period, we would like to see more variety in subject. That is, is you like to paint landscapes, please do not send us paintings of mountains repeatedly. We would like to see what else you can do.

If Using a Pen Name:

If you are using a pen name, please write a note for us in your email to let us know. The document name should then include the last name of your pen name. The name written in the upper right-hand corner should be your legal last name, followed by a forward slash, and then your pen name. Ex). RealLast / PenFirst PenLast

Rights Information:

We ask for First Electronic Rights to any previously unpublished work. This simply states that we have the right to be the first to publish your work in digital format. After the publication is released, all rights will be yours to publish anywhere you deem fit.

Note: Previously published work—that is, work that has been published elsewhere before in your name—is fine as long as it does not break any rules stated by, or rights retained by, that publisher. Most catalogue publishers ask only for First Rights, in which case, simply let us know so that we can credit where it was first published. We will ask for One-Time Rights, which state that we have the right to publish your work once.

As well: If you send us work that does not belong to you and attempt to claim it as your own, it will be automatically rejected, along with any future work you send us. We have a no-tolerance policy on stolen work. This includes AI-generated work.