Thin Skin Showcasing Older Writers

About

We want Thin Skin to be the first point of contact for older writers looking for a home for their work. Our aim is to become a must-read in the literary world, providing high quality literary fiction that rivals anything our younger colleagues can produce.

Voluntary Fees: This project accepts voluntary fees for feedback and in-depth editing.

Limited Demographic: Submissions are restricted to older writers (they prioritize writers over 50 but will consider writers in their late 40s).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United Kingdom

Established in 2024

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Published 4 x per year

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

55 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Faster: Thin Skin's overall average response time is faster than most magazines.
More Approachable: Thin Skin's overall acceptance rate is higher than most magazines.
Less Responsive: Thin Skin's overall rate of non-response is higher than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Open

We’re looking for literary fiction that shows mastery of the craft: arresting openings, characters that engage us, dialogue and descriptions that sparkle, narrative drive that leads to a satisfying conclusion. We’re open to works that are naturalistic, experimental, surreal, comical (we do like a bit of humour) or any other style you can think of, as long as it’s polished till it shines. Please note, we don’t take genre fiction, eg sci-fi, fantasy, romance, crime. If that’s what you write, look elsewhere.

Dates:

Open to fiction submissions through 17 October 2026* (approx. 32 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: Specific age group.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

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

Styles:

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

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Online form.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Poetry Open

We love narrative poems that tell a story without losing lyric intensity; haiku and haibun that distil experience into sharp, memorable moments; prose poetry that moves with rhythm and purpose; modern takes on formal forms that feel fresh and inventive.
We favour free verse and contemporary forms. If you use rhyme, make it subtle or humorous—otherwise, it’s unlikely to find a place in our journal.

Dates:

Open to poetry submissions through 17 October 2026* (approx. 32 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: Specific age group.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Poem: Up to 40 lines; Up to 3 pieces.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms, including: Free verse, Haiku (or related), Narrative poetry, Prose poetry.

Styles:

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

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Online form.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT 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.
* 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 Thin Skin

Go to publication's website

Report:
Submission/Response
Correction/Update
New Cover Art

Social:
Bluesky @thin-skin.bsky.social
Facebook Facebook
X (Twitter) @thinskin2024

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

Thin Skin 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 31 reports from 28 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

8 min | 29.4 mean avg | 26.5 median | 180 max days (66.3 std dev)

Responses

90.32 %

Acceptances:

16.13 % of submissions accepted (21.6 avg. days per acceptance) | 17.86 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

74.19 % (28.3 avg. days per rejection) | 8.7 % personal, 82.6 % form, 8.7 % unspecified | 3.2 % rewrite requests

Non-Responses

3.23 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

3.23 % (180.0 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)

Withdrawals

6.45 % (28.5 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

14 responses are pending (10 min | 34.5 mean avg | 37.5 median | 71 max days waiting | 18.8 std dev) from 14 different members

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 60 days. (6.5 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 60 days.)
Most recent response reported was received on 05 Sep 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 04 Aug 2026.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 02:10 UTC (7 hours, 36 minutes ago).
View report of recent responses from this project

Work submitted here was also submitted to...

This section is available to subscribers only. Sign up and start your free trial today!

Members accepted here also had work accepted by...

This section is available to subscribers only. Become a member and start your free trial today!

Your Submissions

This section is available to subscribers only. Join today!

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: 13 Aug 2026

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