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Editor Interview: A cappella Zoo

This interview is provided for archival purposes. The listing is not currently active.

Q: Describe what you publish in 25 characters or less.

A: The everyday uncanny.

Q: What other current publications (or publishers) do you admire most?

A: The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (F&SF), McSweeney's, Conjunctions, The Fairy Tale Review, Moon Milk Review, Weave Magazine, Dinosaur Bees, Sugar House Review.

Q: If you publish writing, who are your favorite writers? If you publish art, who are your favorite artists?

A: Kelly Link, Karen Joy Fowler, Benjamin Rosenbaum, Aimee Bender, Ted Chiang, Angela Carter, Jeffrey Ford, Salman Rushdie, China Mieville, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Lewis Carroll, Margaret Atwood, Charles Bukowski.

Q: What sets your publication apart from others that publish similar material?

A: We publish all issues in both print and electronic formats. The layout and cover art have been consistently praised, yet there's a clear emphasis in our design on the content. We have an unusually large editorial board for an independent magazine, so selections are the product of high-diversity collaboration.

Q: What is the best advice you can give people who are considering submitting work to your publication?

A: Send work that ached to be written and aches to be shared, but send it only after you've asked it every question you can think of.

Q: Describe the ideal submission.

A: The ideal submission follows professional formatting guidelines. The writing is controlled, natural, and interesting. The story or imagery is thought-provoking and full (feels complete, multi-layered, and worth revisiting).

Q: What do submitters most often get wrong about your submissions process?

A: Some submitters send more than 3 poems at a time and/or submit them in a single document. We've found that submissions tend to receive fairer consideration when submitted individually.

Q: How much do you want to know about the person submitting to you?

A: Name and contact information is all we need. A cover letter is acceptable but is only worthwhile when it communicates why a submitter has decided to submit to A cappella Zoo or which works from our past issues the submitter has particularly enjoyed. We're not interested in publication credits or background info on the story/poem.

Q: If you publish writing, how much of a piece do you read before making the decision to reject it?

A: Nearly every submission we decline has been read from start to finish by at least one board member, if not two, or as many as six. Very rarely do we make a decision without reading the entire work.

Q: What additional evaluations, if any, does a piece go through before it is accepted?

A: Generally, three to five board members, including a couple editors, have read, discussed, and unanimously endorsed a submission by the time it is accepted. Our acceptance rate is around 3%.