Submission Guidelines for The Quarterly Conversation

For Writers | For Artists | For Publishers

Writers

The Quarterly Conversation welcomes unsolicited submissions from new writers. We are always looking for book reviews, essays, and interviews that address literature (broadly conceived) from original and provocative perspectives. We do not publish fiction or poetry. Please read the guidelines below before submitting.

The Quarterly Conversation is published four times per year—March, June, September, and December. Submissions are accepted year-round.

To submit email a query or completed article to The Quarterly Conversation's editor at scott_esposito@yahoo.com. We hope to respond to queries within a week and submissions in a month. If you have not heard back from us within a month, please contact us.

Do not place your submission in the body of the email. Do attach it as a Word document. Please include a cover letter in the body of the email along with a short bio.

When submitting a query or a completed article, please send us two writing samples attached as Word documents. Although we'll look at any samples you have, we prefer samples that pertain to a literary topic.

Book reviews covering a single title should be between 500 and 1500 words. Reviews covering more than one title may run longer.

The Quarterly Conversation runs reviews of fiction and nonfiction alike, so long as the books are of literary and/or cultural value. We are especially interested in works that have been translated into English, and we try to cover a number of works-in-translation in each issue. Special interest will be given to works translated from traditionally neglected nations or languages.

Unless you are specifically revisiting an older title (please query first), books under review should have been published no more than one year prior to the date the review is submitted. Occasionally, a book's paperback release or reissue may warrant a review, and writers are encouraged to submit reviews of books released in paperback or reissued where appropriate. (If in doubt, query us.) Also of significant interest are out-of-print works of literature that have recently been brought back into print—these will be treated as new releases.

Essays normally run between 1,000 and 4,000 words. (We will publish longer pieces if they merit the length.) Especially welcome are essays that discuss an older (possibly out-of-print) book that is of substantial literary merit. Essays centered around books should go beyond territory covered in book reviews to discuss the work's place within an author's oeuvre or as compared to other appropriate books. Essays not dealing with a specific book, but rather with matters literary and artistic are also welcome. We especially like essays with a strong personal voice that are willing to address literature in creative ways.

Interviews are usually 2,000 to 3,000 words, although we do publish ones that are shorter or longer. Interview subjects should be authors, editors, translators, or others who have something interesting to say about art and literature.

We request first-time electronic rights with archiving.

Artists

In each issue, The Quarterly Conversation features 5 to 10 works original art. Interested artists should email images of 5 to 10 of their best pieces to scott_esposito@yahoo.com.

Publishers

The Quarterly Conversation is published four times per year—March, June, September, and December—and includes opinionated, insightful reviews of recent works of literature and culturally relevant nonfiction. Ideally books will be submitted prior to publication, but The Quarterly Conversation runs reviews of titles up to a year old. Also of significant interest are out of print works of literature that have recently been brought back into print. These will be treated as new releases.

To submit a book, contact The Quarterly Conversation for a mailing address via email at scott_esposito@yahoo.com.