Hard to Swallow Chapbooks

A project of Birds Piled Loosely Press (see other related projects).

This project is believed to be defunct. (February 2019)

About

Hard to Swallow is meant to be two names at once: The first and most obvious is the idiom "hard to swallow" and its pun on birds, which if you've spent any time with us you'll know we love our bird puns. Second, "hard to" as in "to something else." Great chapbooks are often tiny, transformative things. They go from a space of relative discomfort to something else entirely. If we could, all of our chapbooks would represent this with Animorph covers, but with hard things like stones, bricks, or anvils into different birds. Probably would get sued if we did that, though, so no promises.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for all submissions. (Note: About 14% of publishers always charge fees.)

Country of Publication

United States

Publication Medium

Print Publication Print Publication

Collapse section Fiction Believed Defunct

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Fiction Collection: 5,000 - 12,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

No monetary advance + Unknown royalties No monetary advance. Unknown royalties.

Submissions:

Method: Electronic submissions.
Reprints: Unknown.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Poetry Believed Defunct

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Poetry Chapbook: 20 - 48 pages.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

No monetary advance + Unknown royalties No monetary advance. Unknown royalties.

Submissions:

Method: Electronic submissions.
Reprints: Unknown.
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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Hard to Swallow Chapbooks 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

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.
For book publishers, it is standard to submit a cover letter, synopsis, and sample instead of the full manuscript. Do this unless otherwise instructed.
Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 22 May 2026