Novel & Cerita The Paris Review Submissions

Looked this up recently because a friend was wondering. From their guidelines, it's primarily literary fiction and poetry. They also take essays, but it's a very specific kind of essay—usually more narrative or idea-driven, not academic. I don't think they do genre fiction like sci-fi or romance at all, which can be a bummer, but it's their lane. They've published some incredible interviews over the years too, but those are commissioned, not submitted.

What's tricky is the 'literary' label. It doesn't just mean 'well-written'; it often points to a certain style or preoccupation with language and character interiority over plot mechanics. If your story feels like it belongs more in 'The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction', it probably won't fit there, no matter how good it is. Their bar is astronomically high, but the exposure is unmatched if you get in.

Submitting to The Paris Review feels like trying to get a nod from a very discerning, slightly mysterious bookish relative. I've never had luck, but a friend who placed a piece there years ago gave me the only advice that ever felt concrete: read the magazine cover to cover for at least six months prior. Not just skimming, but really absorbing the rhythm and the kind of emotional space their fiction occupies. It's less about fitting a theme and more about aligning with a specific literary sensibility—the sentences in 'The Paris Review' often have a particular weight and texture.

Beyond that, your cover letter should be utterly minimal. They already don't pay much attention to it, so a long, gushing bio about your MFA or your dreams just adds noise. Name, title, word count, a single-line publication credit if it's truly notable, and that's it. The work has to stand completely alone. And for god's sake, follow their submission guidelines to the letter, even if they seem fussy. Using the wrong font or file format is an easy, avoidable reason for a quick pass.

I think the biggest mistake is sending something because it's 'good enough' or technically proficient. They're looking for a voice they haven't heard before, even if it's quiet. So workshop it until it's undeniable, then wait another month, revise it again, and only then hit send. The slush pile is Everest-sized; you need every atom of that piece to feel essential.

Those submission windows feel like they shift a little each year, honestly. I just keep an eye on their website around late summer and early fall. It seems they've often opened for prose and poetry around September, but I'd swear it was August a few years back. I missed it once because I was polishing a story and looked up in October to find it closed.

You really can't set a calendar by it. The best move is to sign up for their newsletter or follow them on social media. That's how I caught their last fiction window. They gave about a month's notice, which was enough time to get something in decent shape.