Skip to Content

An Important Announcement
We are excited to announce the long-awaited Duotrope community! Create your profile, high five your fellow creators, and journey along Rejection Road.

Editor Interview: Syncopation Literary Journal

Describe what you publish in 25 characters or less.

Music-related

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

Indelible Literary Journal and Off Topic Publishing.

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

There are so many! Cemil Otar (artist and writer), Jim Landwehr (writer), Kerry Langan (writer), Renee Cronley (writer), Andrew Careaga (writer) and Myna Chang (writer) just to name a few.

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

Each issue has a different theme such as "Travel and Migration" or "The Guitar Issue." Each submission must relate to the theme and to music, which creates a unique challenge for writers.

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

Instil your submission with your passion for music.

Describe the ideal submission.

One that is submitted in a professional manner (following the guidelines, a document that is well organized, has been proofread). One that captures our interest from the first line.

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

Sending their submission as a pdf. We prefer Word documents.

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

We publish both new and established writers but it is always great when a writer gives us some background regarding their submission.

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

Out of respect for our fellow creatives, we aim to read every submission to the end.

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

We look for stories with universal appeal, and for work that speaks to our common humanity.

What is a day in the life of an editor like for you?

During our submission periods, we read submissions on a daily basis so that we can get back to writers as quickly as possible.

How much do you edit an accepted piece prior to publication?

It all depends on the submission but every writer gets to approve the final edits.

Do you nominate work you've published for any national or international awards?

The Pushcart Prize.

Cookie Consent: This site uses secure first-party cookies for essential, preference-setting, and statistical purposes. We do not use any marketing, advertising, or third-party cookies. Read our full cookie policy.