Submissions

Saraba Magazine is currently closed for general submissions. However, we are still accepting submissions for The Revival Project, a multi-phase archival and editorial initiative aimed at reclaiming, digitising, and celebrating significant African writing currently inaccessible to the modern digital reader. For this project, submit your short story, essay, or poem that is hidden behind a paywall or appears only in print or a defunct magazine.

General Submissions Guidelines

Our publications and website reflect and represent the best of new writing from Africa. We are interested in writers whose work shows tremendous promise but has hardly been published in a major literary magazine.

Saraba’s staff is a small number of committed and enthusiastic but busy writers. As such, entries that do not keep to our guidelines would not be considered. Interested contributors should consider reading our recent publications.

During our open call, we ask prospective contributors to keep the following guidelines in mind:

• Send your unpublished work in any of our three broad categories: Fiction, Poetry and Nonfiction.
• For general submissions, do not send in any material that has been published elsewhere in print or on the web, except specifically requested.
• Send no more than one work at a time, and wait for our response before you send another.
• All entries are read blind, so do not include your name anywhere in your submission file.
• The maximum word count for fiction works is 5,000, except otherwise announced.
• We will accept no more than 3 poems at a time, submitted in one document.
• The maximum word count for nonfiction is 5,000, and we accept a broad range of nonfiction: memoirs, interviews, personal essays, reviews, travel writing, creative journalism, etc.
• We are also open to visual art, including photography and illustrations. Send in high-resolution files.
• Send alongside a bio of not more than 200 words (in third person).
• After the submission deadline has expired, expect to hear from us within 3-4 months.
• Only submit on saraba.submittable.com.
• We encourage contributors to send their work only when a call for submissions has been made on our announcements page.
• Chapbook: Unsolicited poetry will not be considered for the chapbooks. Publication of a chapbook is at the discretion of the publishers and the editors, who take into account previous publication in issues of the magazine and/or an author’s critical acclaim. Further enquiries should be directed to editor@sarabamag.com.

Our payment policy: Saraba Magazine was founded and is run by writers, hence we value the time that goes into the process of making work. Although we aim to compensate our contributors in a manner commensurate with their labour, we are not able to offer any remuneration at this time. By submitting to Saraba, or agreeing to include your work in our publications, you agree to publish under these terms.