SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Submissions for Volume I are open from January 10th to March 7th, 2026.

Pill Bottle Press welcomes unsolicited poetry, prose, art, and photography submissions from both emerging and established creatives.What I'm looking for is the kind of stuff you made during a bad episode when you felt like there was no purpose in life anymore. Raw, unfiltered, and unbridled emotion. I'm not looking for adorable romance or sweet poems about the sky—unless, of course, they devolve into something horrific and melancholic.There is no set theme, but I do prefer more personal work over fiction. However, as long as it hits all those exposed nerves, you'll fit right in.I do not allow any form of racism, bigotry, or anything that showcases real, actual harm being done to yourself or others (in fact, that's a crime!). Anything else? Good to go. Even if it's the worst shit imaginable that's going up there in your brain. And, I'm talking some Fucked Up Shit.Note: You do not need to include trigger warnings for the submission, but you may be asked to provide them if your work is selected.

BASIC GUIDELINES:

☐ You must submit UNPUBLISHED WORK. Any work that has been posted or otherwise made publicly available online is considered “previously published.” This includes small zines, blogs, and social media sites.
☐ All work must be primarily in English, but you're welcome to submit translated work!
☐ PBP does, however, always accept simultaneous submissions. In fact, I encourage them and wish you luck in getting your work published! Just be sure to immediately notify me if your work is accepted elsewhere so I know not to consider that specific piece of work.
☐ I also do accept multiple submissions during each submission window, but you may not submit more than once per category (poetry, prose, art/photography).
☐ No generative AI. At all. Absolutely none. If I find out you're using generative AI for your pieces then your entire submission will be discarded. You'll also be in my bad books for a good while, and that sucks!
☐ In the subject of your email, please format it like this: [# of pieces] TYPE OF WORK | AUTHOR NAME
☐ I don't require a cover letter or bio, but a nice "hey!" would be great. Maybe even a little joke or two. No, but really, I just need your work, that's it. So, don't worry if you're not in the mood to provide all that other stuff. Although, please note that if you're accepted, you'll need to send me a bio for publication.
☐ If you're submitting multiple submissions, you must send separate emails. See the below examples:3 POEMS | DIANNA MORALES (first email)
1 LONG PROSE | DIANNA MORALES (second email)

💊 Submit your work VIA EMAIL to this address: [email protected].

POETRY GUIDELINES:

☐ You can submit up to four poems of any form or length per submission window. Please submit your poems all at once.
☐ You don't need to change anything about your formatting or spacing, but please just make sure it's legible.
☐ Please submit your poems as a .doc/.docx, .pdf, .txt, or .rtf file. You can also share a Google Docs link, but make sure those sharing permissions are on! That'll be an automatic rejection otherwise.
☐ Please also combine your poems into the same document and start any new poems on a different page. Please also put the title of your poem at the top of your poem (and make sure it's obviously a title). Or you can put it at the bottom, if that's your jam instead!

PROSE GUIDELINES:

☐ You can submit EITHER up to two short prose pieces of 1,500 words max each OR one longer prose piece up to 4,000 words. Please submit your prose pieces all at once.
☐ Please use a legible font. I recommend any serif or sans-serif fonts.
☐ For short prose pieces, you don't need to indent it, but you do need to make sure there is an added space between your paragraphs.
☐ For longer prose pieces, you must both indent it and also make sure there is an added space between your paragraphs.
☐ For overall spacing sizing for both short and long prose, I recommend anywhere in the range from single to double-spaced.
☐ Please submit your prose piece(s) as a .doc/.docx, .pdf, .txt, or .rtf file(s). You can also share a Google Docs link, but make sure those sharing permissions are on! That'll be an automatic rejection otherwise.
☐ DO NOT COMBINE your prose pieces into the same document. If you're submitting two, please separate them into separate documents. Please also put the title of your piece at the top.

ART & PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDELINES:

☐ You can submit up to five traditional/digital art pieces OR five photos of any kind. Please submit all pieces at once. You can also submit 3 artworks and 2 photos if you'd like to mix it up.
☐ You can also submit graphic design and collage work ONLY IF your work solely uses elements you created and made. For example, if you use photographs, you must be the one who owns them.
☐ Please do not submit any moving media like videos or gifs.
☐ You must submit work that is at least 72 DPI, but I recommend a higher resolution.
☐ Please submit your work as a .jpeg/.jpg, .pdf, .png, or as a flattened .psd file.
☐ DO NOT COMBINE your art/photo pieces into the same document/image. You can just attach the files separately. You'll also need to title them so you can either tell me the titles in your email or have it be in the file name.
☐ I'm considering every photo and art piece for cover art automatically so if you'd prefer for one or all of your pieces to not be considered, please let me know in your email!

• SUBMIT VIA EMAIL TO [email protected]

AFTER SUBMITTING...

I will respond to all submissions whether you're accepted or not! I'll respond within two months after you submit (most likely much sooner), but please don’t query until after two months pass. Only reach out if you need to withdraw a submission or a piece within a submission.FEEDBACK:
I do not offer any forms of feedback or critique, even for any monetary exchange. I'm really just a person who loves creativity and wants to make a space for those who really need it. Definitely not a hardcore critic or Art professor.RIGHTS:
Pill Bottle Press acquires first publication rights, but you, the creator, still own your work. This means Pill Bottle Press will hold publication rights for 60 days after your piece has been published. After that, you are free to publish and submit your work elsewhere. I kindly ask for acknowledgment in any subsequent reprints of your work.PAYMENT:
I'm mentally ill and quite poor, but all accepted contributors will receive $1 single US dollar from me if accepted. I know it's not much, but, look, getting paid for your work is exciting, isn't it?!All payments will come from my PayPal email address. If you cannot receive any PayPal payments, I'm very sorry to say that I can't pay you another way. So, you'll have to accept not being paid if accepted. 😔💔That being said, if you'd like to support the mag and want to help me build a paying market, please feel free to buy me a ko-fi!

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