The Sun Magazine 1,191

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About

The Sun is an independent, ad-free magazine that for more than forty-five years has used words and photographs to evoke the splendor and heartache of being human. Each monthly issue celebrates life, but not in a way that ignores its complexity. The personal essays, short stories, interviews, poetry, and photographs that appear in The Sun’s pages explore the challenges we face and the moments when we rise to meet them. From its idealistic, unlikely inception in 1974 to its current incarnation as a nonprofit magazine with more than 60,000 print and digital subscribers, The Sun has attempted to marry the personal and political; to challenge the status quo and reveal injustice; to honor courageous and honest writing; and to touch the mystery of our humanity. In a world where advertising pursues us almost everywhere, The Sun remains a rare ad-free sanctuary. Writing from The Sun has won the Pushcart Prize and been selected for numerous anthologies, including Best American Short Stories and Best American Essays.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for some submissions. They charge fees, except for visual art and "Readers Write" submissions.

Want more insight into the editors' preferences? Read our interview with the editor(s).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 1974

Publication Media & Frequency

Electronic Publication	Electronic Publication	Published 12 x per year.
Print Publication	Print Publication	Published 12 x per year.

Fiction Open Fee-based

Send us your emotionally honest story — the one that helps us learn what it feels like to be someone else. Share satire that hits close to home, tragedy that's cathartic without being manipulative, or a parable that lingers long after we finish reading. We’re looking for stories in any genre of fiction that take risks to tell us something true about ourselves.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Types/Lengths:

Type	Length Details
Flash Fiction Flash Fiction	Up to 1,000 words.
Short Story Short Story	1,000 - 7,000 words.

Payscale:

We list broad pay categories rather than payment specifics. Check with the publisher for details.

Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word).

Submissions:

Electronic	Postal	Reprints	Simultaneous	Media
OK	No	Unknown	OK	Text format submissions

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

Nonfiction Open Fee-based

Send us your essay that’s too personal for any other journal — the one where you’re so unguarded you need editors you can trust and compassionate readers who will honor your vulnerability. Share a clear-eyed reflection on your big mistakes, a joyful celebration of your hard-won victories, or a testament that makes a newsworthy event feel intimate instead of faceless. We’re looking for essays that seek to understand the world from a fresh perspective and that wrestle with questions that resist easy answers.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary, Mainstream, Personal. Excluding: Academic.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics, including: Politics/Political Science, Society/Culture, Other (May vary).

Types/Lengths:

Type	Length Details
Interview Interview	6,000 - 15,000 words.
Essay Essay	Up to 7,000 words.

Payscale:

We list broad pay categories rather than payment specifics. Check with the publisher for details.

Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word).

Submissions:

Electronic	Postal	Reprints	Simultaneous	Media
OK	No	Unknown	OK	Text format submissions

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

Poetry Open Fee-based

Send us your poem that basks in the mysteries of the universe — the one where the smallest detail tells us about our place in the world. Share reflections on your relationships, questions for God, or an elegy for something you’ve lost. We’re looking for poems — usually narrative but always accessible — that invite us into your confidence and lead us to revelation.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms. Excluding: Rhyming.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Types/Lengths:

Type	Length Details
Poem Poem	No line limits known; Up to 5 pieces.

Payscale:

We list broad pay categories rather than payment specifics. Check with the publisher for details.

Professional payment (US$50 or more per poem).

Submissions:

Electronic	Postal	Reprints	Simultaneous	Media
OK	No	Unknown	OK	Text format submissions

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

Visual Art Open

We’re interested in black-and-white photographs — from intimate moments of human connection to striking natural wonders — reminding us to take a closer look at the world around us.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Art Media:

Black & white photography.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Types/Lengths:

Type	Length Details
Artwork Artwork	Unknown number of pieces.
Photo Essay Photo Essay	No image limits known.

Payscale:

We list broad pay categories rather than payment specifics. Check with the publisher for details.

Professional payment (US$50 or more per piece).

Submissions:

Electronic	Postal	Reprints	Simultaneous	Media
OK	No	Unknown	OK	Image format submissions

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

The Sun Magazine Submission Statistics — Free Preview!

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

This project ranks among the Extremely Challenging Fiction Publishers in our database.
This project ranks among the 25 Most Challenging Nonfiction Publishers in our database.

Accuracy	We have received 737 reports from 577 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.
Days Reported	0 min \| 83.0 mean avg \| 83.0 median \| 326 max days (52.8 std dev)
Responses	91.18 %
Acceptances	0.95 % of submissions accepted (176.0 avg. days per acceptance) \| 1.21 % of submitters accepted Rejections are often underreported, which skews the statistics in favor of acceptances. Most publishers have a lower acceptance rate than indicated here.
Rejections	90.23 % (84.1 avg. days per rejection) \| 2.6 % personal, 71.0 % form, 26.5 % unspecified \| 0.1 % rewrite requests
Non-Responses	8.82 %
Lost/Returned	-
Never Responded	0.14 % (307.0 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)
Withdrawals	8.68 % (57.4 avg. days per withdrawal)
Pending	243 responses are pending (0 min \| 73.3 mean avg \| 63.0 median \| 367 max days waiting \| 60.0 std dev) from 234 different members This only includes pending reports from users who have been active on Duotrope within the past 30 days

Other Information

The most common submission fee paid: USD $2.50. (64.8 % of reports specified whether they paid a fee; of those, 97.2 % paid fees.)
Most submissions are acknowledged within one day.
Most recent response reported was received on 30 Apr 2024.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 17 Feb 2024.

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Your Submissions

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Dates

Last Updated: 24 Apr 2024
Last Audited: 22 Feb 2024 We audit each active listing twice a year.
Date Added: 02 Aug 2005

Before Submitting

We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. It is not unusual for publications to evolve or close without notice. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the project being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the project meets your standards.

Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.
Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
Be professional, patient, and persistent.