Fiction

We are looking for lean fiction that speaks to the quiet, persistent truths of the human condition. It is emotionally honest, potentially raw, gives us a sense it has cast a light on a given subject or idea, and leaves a lasting weight with us long after we have finished reading.

If you enjoyed Hemingway’s Hills Like White Elephants or Jackson’s The Lottery you would be on a useful track.

Please note: we are only accepting stories in English at this time.

Length

We consider fiction between 750 and 3,000 words. While we consider works on a spectrum, most selected stories will likely fall between 1,000 and 2,500 words, which we hope will allow enough space for the piece to develop naturally.

Manuscript

Your manuscript should be rendered in any legible 12-point serif font, and follow standard short story manuscript formatting.

Cover Letter

Please include a cover letter, in PDF, introducing yourself and your story. Let’s shake hands.

Submit

Please submit one (1) piece, in PDF, through our Google Form. At this time, we require a $3 submission fee which helps us defray certain expenses we incur related to reading, editing, and publishing your work.

Simultaneous Submissions and Withdrawals

We are happy to consider manuscripts that are on submission elsewhere. Please notify us immediately via email if your work has been accepted by another publication. If you need to withdraw your work for any reason, email would also be the appropriate avenue.

Please note: the subject of your email should either be “WITHDRAWAL [your story title]” or “ACCEPTED [your story title]” in these cases.

Previously Published Works

Please do not submit works previously published online or in print.

Response Time

We aim to read your work and to notify you of its acceptance or rejection as promptly as possible.

Please note: notification of publication will be sent once all stories have been read. Once selected stories have been confirmed for publication, those on which we have passed, will then be notified. We endeavor to give updates on progress and process via Instagram.

Compensation

At this time, we are unable to offer monetary compensation to our authors. If accepted, we will provide you with a contributor’s copy of the finished publication. We will also be happy to promote you and your other work on social media, concurrent with your issue’s launch.

Rights

By your agreement, we obtain first-time worldwide print and online publishing, as well as archival rights. Upon initial publication, rights revert back to you, and you are free to seek additional publication elsewhere. Should the work, previously published by us, be published or reprinted elsewhere, we hope that you will note your story first appeared in COR UNUM.

When your story is chosen, an offer letter and a full terms of agreement will be sent to you via email. The letter acts as our formal offer, the extension of a handshake - and your signed return of the agreement, the handshake’s conclusion.