The Lit Nerds

About

We believe in good writing. We believe in living life intentionally and enjoying as much of it as possible. We believe in not feeding the corporate outrage algorithms. We believe in being informed, in being kind, and in doing what we can to make life a little more livable for everyone.
The Lit Nerds publishes work with a focus on the bright side of humanity. Work that prioritizes hope and joy, even amidst suffering. Work that promotes empathy and gallantry and human connection. Work that makes you think, makes you laugh, makes you feel a little bolder, a little happier, a little more hopeful. Work that most of all celebrates life.

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: Unknown publication frequency

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

162 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Faster: The Lit Nerds's overall average response time is faster than most magazines.
More Approachable: The Lit Nerds's overall acceptance rate is higher than most magazines.
Responsive: The Lit Nerds's overall rate of non-response is within a normal range for magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Open

We believe that good fiction doesn’t have to have an unhappy ending. We believe conflict can be resolved, characters can make good choices, and fiction that’s fun to read is just as important as fiction that reveals the dirty undersides of humanity.
Send us your happy endings, your good triumphing over evil, your stories where the dog doesn’t die. Romanticize everyday life until we have no idea how we never saw the magic ourselves. Make us laugh, give us hope, restore a little bit of our faith in humanity.
We don’t care what genre it is, whether it’s contemporary, set a thousand years ago, or takes place in another world entirely, as long as it’s well-written and enjoyable to read.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General
Action-Adventure Open to all/most Subgenres
Fantasy Open to all/most Subgenres
Mystery/Crime Open to all/most Subgenres
Romance Open to all/most Subgenres
Science Fiction Open to all/most Subgenres
Suspense/Thriller Open to all/most Subgenres
Western Open to all/most Subgenres

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: 700 to 1,000 words.
Short Story: No specific word count limits known (our definition: 1000 to 7500 words).

Styles:

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

Topics:

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

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Reprints are allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Nonfiction Open

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Review: No specific word count limits known.
Essay: No specific word count limits known.
Narrative Nonfiction: No specific word count limits known.

Styles:

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

Topics:

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

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Reprints are allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Poetry Open

We want poems that make us feel good. We want to see the beauty in the everyday and the magic in the mundane. We want to be in awe of the extraordinary and the sublime. We want to be reminded how indescribably amazing it is to be human, to be loved, to be alive, to exist at this exact moment in this exact place in our vast universe.
We love masterful language, unexpected metaphors, and images and emotions that stick with us. We like short poems. We like long poems. (Though we probably won’t publish anything over two pages, unless we think it’s phenomenal.) We like smart poems with clever wordplay. We like simple poems with clear and powerful emotions. We like silly poems that make us laugh. We like rhyming poems. We like free verse poems. We like prose poems. We like long lines and short lines. We like poems with interesting structures and poems with movement. We really like poems that aren’t dark or depressing enough for other publications but still manage to pack a punch.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

Lengths:

Poem: No line limits known; Unknown number of pieces.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

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

Topics:

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

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
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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Social:
Instagram @thelitnerds

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

The Lit Nerds 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 74 reports from 59 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 | 49.0 mean avg | 38.0 median | 232 max days (45.9 std dev)

Responses

78.37 %

Acceptances:

13.51 % of submissions accepted (69.7 avg. days per acceptance) | 16.95 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

64.86 % (47.2 avg. days per rejection) | 16.7 % personal, 68.8 % form, 14.6 % unspecified | 1.4 % rewrite requests

Non-Responses

2.70 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

2.70 % (201.0 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)

Withdrawals

18.92 % (28.2 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

10 responses are pending (8 min | 48.6 mean avg | 38.0 median | 190 max days waiting | 62.4 std dev) from 9 different members

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 84 days. (23.0 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 84 days.)
Do not query on the status of your submission before 84 days have passed.
Most submissions are acknowledged within one day.
Most recent response reported was received on 23 Aug 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 16 Jul 2026.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 03:56 UTC (5 hours, 49 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: 22 Jul 2026

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