The Bookends Review

About

Founded in 2012, The Bookends Review is an independent creative arts journal dedicated to bringing you the best original fiction, nonfiction, poetry, interviews, essays, book reviews, and visual/musical works from around the world.

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 2012

Publication Media & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Published 104 x per year
Print Publication Print Publication: Published 1 x per year

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

288 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Regular Speed: The Bookends Review's overall average response time is within a normal range for magazines.
More Approachable: The Bookends Review's overall acceptance rate is higher than most magazines.
More Responsive: The Bookends Review's overall rate of non-response is lower than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Temp Closed

Dates:

Will be open to submissions from 01 December 2026* (approx. 85 days from now) through 31 January 2027.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: All nationalities.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

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

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Nonfiction Temp Closed

Dates:

Will be open to submissions from 01 December 2026* (approx. 85 days from now) through 31 January 2027.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: All nationalities.

Lengths:

Interview: Up to 3,000 words; Up to 3 pieces.
Article: Up to 3,000 words; Up to 3 pieces.
Essay: Up to 3,000 words; Up to 3 pieces.
Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 3,000 words; Up to 3 pieces.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Literature/Books: General, Theory/Analysis/Criticism, Writing.
Music: General, Theory/Analysis/Criticism.
Visual Arts: General, Theory/Analysis/Criticism.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Poetry Temp Closed

Dates:

Will be open to submissions from 01 December 2026* (approx. 85 days from now) through 31 January 2027.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: All nationalities.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Poem: Unlimited number of 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.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Visual Art Temp Closed

Dates:

Will be open to submissions from 01 December 2026* (approx. 85 days from now) through 31 January 2027.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: All nationalities.

Lengths:

Artwork: Up to 5 pieces.

Art Media:

Open to all/most Art Media.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

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

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.
* We do not know the time and/or timezone, so we cannot be more precise. Submit early to avoid disappointment.

Recent cover image or website screenshot for The Bookends Review

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

The Bookends Review 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 34 reports from 29 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

6 min | 74.8 mean avg | 61.5 median | 174 max days (441.1 std dev)

Responses

94.12 %

Acceptances:

41.18 % of submissions accepted (51.3 avg. days per acceptance) | 44.83 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

52.94 % (91.4 avg. days per rejection) | 5.6 % personal, 66.7 % form, 27.8 % unspecified

Non-Responses

0.00 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

Withdrawals

5.88 % (19.0 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

15 responses are pending (7 min | 25.0 mean avg | 18.0 median | 66 max days waiting | 575.5 std dev) from 14 different members

Other Information

Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 03 Aug 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 13 Jul 2026.
Date compiled: 07 Sep 2026 00:07 UTC (4 hours, 28 minutes ago).

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Your Submissions

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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: 31 Aug 2026

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