Contributor Guidelines

PLEASE NOTE:

December 2022

Erotic Review will not be accepting any more contributions until further notice.

Since its inception in 1995,
Erotic Review has consolidated itself as a literary lifestyle publication about sex and sexuality aimed at sophisticated, intelligent readers. It is independent, run by volunteers, non-profit and entirely free of charge to its readers. In its current form, owned and edited by Lucy Roeber, it continues to fulfil that role as a lively website. Erotic Review regularly publishes features, short fiction, comment and reviews, as well as a Portfolio section showcasing the work of a photographer or illustrator. Recently we have started to include podcast interviews; we hope to include fiction in this audio section as well.

What is ER looking for?
Brilliant, original, sexy, funny and controversial stuff.

Good writing must always come first: while we’re happy to give some editorial guidance/advice where we see promise, both fiction and non-fiction submissions must be up to a certain standard to be considered for publication.

Fiction
If you write fiction with a contemporary voice that gives an insight into the human condition, then we’d like to hear from you.

We are looking for contributions from both published and emerging writers whose work has current relevance and an individual voice. Although we are called The Erotic Review Magazine, we welcome writing that explores any aspect of the human condition, not just the rude stuff. But, while we’re on the erotic, we can’t emphasise this enough: CONTEXT and NARRATIVE are more important than just a beautiful description of sex between two people.

Poetry
We do not publish poetry.

We discourage pseudonyms but we recognise that not disguising an identity can be a problem for those working in certain professions. So please, whenever possible, publish under your own name.

So please send us stories with a distinctive voice, clarity of thought and precision of language – on any subject that involves human relationships. They may be challenging, dramatic, playful, hilarious, exhilarating or cryptic. Above all, they must be a well-crafted and compelling read.

Our definition of ‘erotic’ is so elastic that it stretches around the world: the prose has ranged from very graphic and confrontational to gently allusive and subtle. We’ve had stories and features on topics as diverse as alien sex, Manila, L.A. strip clubs, football fans, fighting Irishmen, mythical beasts and the ferocious Naked Runners of Pamplona. We are not looking for throbbing, tumescent erotica clichés or large excerpts of un-publishable novels. Prospective contributors are strongly encouraged to read our past fiction, articles and reviews to understand what we like.

All submitted material should be previously unpublished.
This is not a cast-iron rule, but we prefer unpublished work. And published pieces may be re-published elsewhere, provided that Erotic Review is credited as their source.

How should I send my submission?
As an e-mail attachment in Microsoft Word DOC or DOCX format. If this is not an option, you may also paste your text into the body of your e-mail message. The text must be single-spaced in a conventional font, size 12. Include your name, the piece’s title, its word count and at the top of the first page. We strongly discourage pseudonyms.

Reviews
must include all necessary marketing details of the item reviewed.  For book reviews: author, title, publisher, price (in sterling pounds, euros or US dollars), Amazon details of eBook price and availability. For performing arts reviews: venue, dates of run, time(s), and price. Reviewed items must be current – i.e., within one or two months of the publication of the issue in which the review is supposed to feature.

What word count should I aim at?
How long is a piece of string? Just remember that most readers read on screen. As an online publication, Erotic Review does not impose strict length limits, but most of our approved pieces tend to fit into the following word counts:

  • Features/Articles: 500-1,000 words
  • Fiction: 1,000-5,000 words
  • Reviews: 300-900 words
Of course, we are willing to look at considerably longer pieces.

Are there any textual conventions I should bear in mind?
Yes. In addition to punctuation and syntax rules guided by common sense (think of the typical language and style used by British broadsheets), we adhere to the following:

  • Double quotation marks are only used for oral reported speech, as in dialogues in short stories.
  • We happily accept both UK and USA spellings, so don’t bother changing these.
  • Please do not indent – for first lines of paragraphs or any other reason. Simply leave a line between paragraphs. If necessary, indicate a break in the text or narrative with three stars, centred.
  • All titles must be italicised, including books, stories, poems, films, albums, songs, periodicals and articles. Do not italicise names of musical groups, companies or departments.
  • Decades and age brackets are spelt as follows: ‘much like in the late 1800s, women in the 50s were supposed to be happily married by their early 20s, a trend that has fortunately not survived into the 21st century.’
  • Cardinal numbers must be spelt out when less than 11: ‘You’ll often find 30-year-olds with children aged ten or older.’

Can you pay me for my piece?
Not yet. But one day, either by voluntary contributions from our readers or some other source of funding, we hope to be in a position to do so. We are proud to provide a platform for new and promising writers; we are an independent, non-profit institution run by an entirely volunteer staff.

Guest or Sponsored Posts
To keep our content pure, free and lily-white, we do not accept guest posts, sponsored posts or any other form of hidden advertising or product placement, but if you would like to advertise with us, feel free to check out our Advertising Rates! We’re happy to advertise most products in a straightforward, commercial way.

Please email submissions to editorial@ermagazine.org and type ‘SUBMISSION’ in the subject box. Failure to do this might mean we miss your work of genius.