SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
READ THIS FIRST
DIMENSIONS OF OUR PAGES: 5" x 8"
We are a magazine focused on uplifting the working class people in Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA), and we will ensure those values are upheld in any submission that we publish. As such, we will only be taking submissions from people in NEPA, or those who originally lived/grew up here.
Any submission should be a personal expression of yourself, and must not be at the cost of any one struggling with us. If your work is incurious or hateful, dig deeper.
This magazine is intended for all ages, while we welcome adult subject matter, we ask that you avoid things like erotica until our 18+ issue. We also recommend that you write at a “fifth-grade level”, as we want to appeal to as many people in our community as possible.
You may only submit original work that has not been published. You may submit work that is in the running, but has yet to be selected for another magazine. We do not own the rights to your submission beyond publication and distribution of the issue you are selected for, it will still be yours, and we will not use it in any other way without your consent.
In the body of your submission email to electricmulemag@gmail.com, please include:
- Your name, city of residence (NEPA if you're currently unhoused), and a brief bio about yourself and your relationship to the area. PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE THIS INFO IN THE WORK, ONLY THE EMAIL!
- If you would like to opt out of our design team stylizing your work. (If you do opt out, we will print the work as recieved, formatted to our dimensions.)
NON-FICTION PROSE
The work must be under 15 pages/6750 words, 5" x 8". Please submit the work in 12 point/single-spaced font, or explain why the font shifts in your piece.
Most work will be produced in a Sans Serif font unless you request otherwise. You can send your submission in its original file format, but you may also send them as a PDF, especially if there are non-text elements you’d like to retain.
Any and all claims within a non-fiction submission must clearly be a personal anecdote, fact-checked, or easily verified. We do not accept one social media post as sufficient evidence for a claim, nor should you.
Do not include social media handles/names of average people without consent. If you’re quoting a popular figure, that is different, but we have no interest in publishing a personal tweet from a small account. It will be censored or your submission will be rejected unless you include proof of the individual approving their inclusion in our magazine.
If there are visual elements that you would like to accompany your writing, but they’re not in the main submission document, please attach them to the email with identifiable names.
FICTION PROSE
The work must be under 15 pages/6750 words, 5" x 8". Please submit the work in 12 point/single-spaced font, or explain why the font shifts in your piece.
Most work will be produced in a Sans Serif font unless you request otherwise. You can send your submission in its original file format, but you may also send them as a PDF, especially if there are non-text elements you’d like to retain.
If there are visual elements that you would like to accompany your writing, but they’re not in the main submission document, please attach them to the email with identifiable names.
POETRY
You may submit up to 5 poems (15 page limit, 5" x 8"), but they must be submitted as one file. Please have each poem on its own page with a title or some other identifiable starting point for each individual poem.
Only a number of poems submitted may be published in the magazine, we are not guaranteeing all 5 will be included.
Most work will be produced in a Sans Serif font unless you request otherwise. You can send your submission in its original file format, but you may also send them as a PDF, especially if there are non-text elements you’d like to retain.
VISUAL ART (PHOTOGRAPHY, COLLAGE, PHYSICAL PIECES, ETC.)
Only submit work that is meant to be appreciated as itself here. Do not send supporting images for prose/poems through this submission.
Submit up to 5 images (our page dimensions are 5” x 8”). If there is a specific orientation/page layout you would like, make that clear, otherwise our designers will make the decision. Only a number of pieces submitted may be published in the magazine, we are not guaranteeing all 5 will be included.
Include a short paragraph about the work(s), including the title, medium and date.
EVENTS
Include a flier for your event happening at least 3 months out from the date submissions close. Also include a short paragraph describing the event, necessary pieces of information (if it’s all ages, if people should bring/wear something, etc.), and who’s producing it.
We are a DIY magazine with a DIY focus, so if you do not feel like that is a way to describe your event, we may not include it in our magazine.