Coastal Shelf Literary Magazine

This project is believed to be defunct. (July 2023)

About

Coastal Shelf is the culmination of two decades working at various publications and wanting to do things a little different but never being in the position to implement those changes. Well, now I am. One of those changes I’m implementing is including a personalized response to every submission. This won’t be an essay, and it won’t be a back-patting session entirely, but I’ll mention some strengths and any major issues I found with suggestions on how those issues might be averted or improved. I also firmly believe that reading is one of the most important factors in improving your own work—so by that token I will also be recommending writers I feel the submitter might enjoy or might benefit from reading. Of course, this will all be merely the opinion of a couple random editors and not the an in-depth character study of you based on your submission—so of course take all input with a grain of salt. It can just be quite discouraging to send out submission after submission with only form rejections to show—it can feel like you’re sending your poetry into a void not even sure if a human laid eyes on it. I highly doubt many journals at all reject pieces unread, but it can feel that way sometimes. I will also sometimes offer suggestions of other journals you may want to try, based on your submission.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for some submissions. They charge fees for some submission periods, "tip jar" submissions.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2020

Publication Media & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Published 2 x per year
Print Publication Print Publication: Published 1 x per year

Collapse section Fiction Believed Defunct

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words; Up to 3 pieces.
Short Story: 1,000 - 6,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

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

Payment:

Token payment (under 1 US cent per word) to Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Pay ranges from Token payment (under 1 US cent per word) to Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word).
Note: We list broad pay categories rather than payment specifics. Check with the publisher for details.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Nonfiction Believed Defunct

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 6,000 words; Up to 3 pieces.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

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

Payment:

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Poetry Believed Defunct

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Poem: Up to 80 lines; Up to 5 pieces.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

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

Payment:

Semi-pro payment (US$5-49 per poem) Semi-pro payment (US$5-49 per poem).
Note: We list broad pay categories rather than payment specifics. Check with the publisher for details.

Submissions:

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

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

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Coastal Shelf 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.

This listing is inactive and does not have any submission reports for the past 12 months.

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Before Submitting

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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: 22 May 2026