X-R-A-Y Literary Magazine

About

Our vision is to publish uncomfortable, entertaining, and unforgettable prose that shines brighter than the skeleton in your body, prose that sees through the skin and reveals something deeper. We work hard to give our readers the best authors on the planet.

Voluntary Fees: This project accepts voluntary fees for "tip jar" submissions.

Important: They accept different lengths starting at different times and close when they reach their cap. As always, check their current information before submitting.

Submission Caps: They may close to submissions early if they reach their quota.

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

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2018

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Published on a rolling basis

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

579 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Faster: X-R-A-Y Literary Magazine's overall average response time is faster than most magazines.
More Challenging: X-R-A-Y Literary Magazine's overall acceptance rate is lower than most magazines.
More Responsive: X-R-A-Y Literary Magazine's overall rate of non-response is lower than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words.
Short Story: 1,000 - 7,500 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Experimental, Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Other: May vary.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Unknown.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Nonfiction Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Interview: No specific word count limits known.
Review: No specific word count limits known.
Essay: 300 - 7,500 words.
Narrative Nonfiction: 300 - 7,500 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Critical, Experimental, Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Literature/Books: Theory/Analysis/Criticism.
Other: May vary.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Unknown.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Expand section Visual Art Closed

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

Recent cover image or website screenshot for X-R-A-Y Literary Magazine

Go to publication's website

Report:
Submission/Response
Correction/Update
New Cover Art

Social:
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Shop their Store

For the Editor(s):
Request Interview
Duosuma Submission Manager
Link to Duotrope

X-R-A-Y Literary Magazine Submission Statistics

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.

Filter:

Group by submission

Include outliers

Accuracy

We have received 136 reports from 102 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 | 38.7 mean avg | 36.0 median | 85 max days (25.9 std dev)

Responses

88.97 %

Acceptances:

1.47 % of submissions accepted (35.5 avg. days per acceptance) | 1.96 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

87.50 % (40.7 avg. days per rejection) | 15.1 % personal, 63.9 % form, 21.0 % unspecified | 0.7 % rewrite requests

Non-Responses

0.00 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

Withdrawals

11.03 % (23.1 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

40 responses are pending (6 min | 32.7 mean avg | 37.0 median | 68 max days waiting | 284.9 std dev) from 39 different members

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 56 days. (25.7 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 56 days.)
The most common submission tip paid: USD $3.00. (11.5 % reported giving a tip.)
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 22 Aug 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 01 Aug 2026.
Date compiled: 07 Sep 2026 13:53 UTC (40 minutes ago).
View report of recent responses from this project

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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.

Dates

Last Updated: 06 Sep 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.