Editor Interview: trampset

We welcome all tramps.

Here's a compilation from the editors (in no particular order): Smokelong, Wigleaf, Okay Donkey, Split Lip, Flash Frog, MoonPark, XRAY Literary Magazine, Fractured Lit, Milk Candy, Pithead Chapel, The Forge, BULL, Fictive Dream, Craft, among many others.

Our favorite writers are all of our past, present and future contributors. You are why we do this.

We are a paying market, currently $30 per story/poem. We also pay our editors. Most submissions are unsolicited. However, trampset editors can also solicit material from writers we individually admire. We welcome and seek diversity. We accept submissions on a rolling basis and have a quick turn-around. We also invite guest editors from time to time.

Just go for it! We are an eclectic and diverse group of editors and our tastes vary. Have something to say and say it well. Proofread. Please don't send us a draft. We can usually tell when you've just typed "The End" and then immediately hit the send button. We can also tell when you haven't read our submission guidelines. Also, we don't need a synopsis of your submission in your cover letter. We're used to reading for ourselves. Bonus hint: shorter pieces tend to receive more love.

Something that resonates, that hasn't been put forth in the same way dozens of times before. Something that makes us laugh, cry, laugh and cry, think, forget, remember....well, you get the picture. There should be something below the surface; there should be THERE there.

Most people get it right. But do be sure to read our submission guidelines. Because of our format, we're not a good fit for shape poetry (READ: don't send us shape poetry, much as we might love it), and long stories have to be EXCEPTIONALLY exceptional to make our pages (READ: shorter gets more love). Please wait a month to submit again after a rejection (unless otherwise asked) and 6 months after having a piece accepted. Three flash, 3 poems and 1 story at a time, max words 3,000.

It's always nice to be greeted, but it's not a prerequisite. Having an idea of who is submitting to us is great, too, but not a deal-breaker. A listing of a few previous publications, if applicable, is welcomed, but please don't send us your entire resume -- a cover letter/bio that is longer than the submission is a real turn off. Feel free to include a short, third-person bio. But if you don't, we'll ask for one upon acceptance. We are not looking for you to explain your submission to us. We like to figure things out for ourselves.

trampset editors are in-and-out of the queue as time permits, and each editor likely has their own process, so one can't make a blanketed statement. I can say that each editor takes each submission seriously and really wants that submission to be a good fit. Whether they are able to determine that from the first page or not until reading all the way through likely depends on the editor, and the particular piece being reviewed. I can assure you all submissions are reviewed more than once and by more than one editor.

We trust that writers will send us only their best, completed work, so other than proofreading and formatting, very little editing is done. If a work is in need of significant re-tooling, it's unlikely to be accepted.

Currently we nominate for Best of the Net, Best Small Fictions, Best Micro Fictions, and the Pushcart.

trampset is funded through voluntary tip and quick reply submissions, and donations.

We promote through our website, X (twitter) and bluesky.