If you’re looking to be published by Aphor, you're in the right place.

Forms

For starters, I am interested in poetry, fiction, philosophical writing and essays, and other forms of non-fiction. I enjoy works in the spirit of some of these writers. I encourage you to read the works published on this website, and on Instagram/Twitter at @aphormagazine, before submitting.
Given my interest in the aphoristic spirit, I am not typically interested in publishing extremely lengthy works on their own of any genre, or genre fiction at all really, for that matter.

Formatting

Submissions are free. Please submit to submit (at) aphor.org. At minimum, please inform me of the title of your work, genre, and your name. In the PDF document title, please include the word “Aphor” for my convenience. Include a biography in the body of the email, and, of course, attach the file. At maximum, you might say hi to the editor and recommend a film, cocktail/mocktail, or concert music. My favorites are Winter Light (1963), gin and tonics, and Bach’s St. John Passion.
Please use Times New Roman or any similar serif. Do not use Courier New or any similar serif. Please omit the laundry list of previous publications in your biography. I prefer biographies with a little more personality, such as including the name of your childhood cat or favorite Tolstoy tome, for example.

Policies

Turn-around time tends to be quick, but I accept simultaneous submissions nonetheless. Please let me know as soon as possible if your work is accepted elsewhere. Failure to do so will make me sad.
There are no demographic restrictions on submitting work. If you are under the age of 18, please CC your guardian and writing teacher on your submission email. Work published in this journal is not always “safe for work.” Your parents will also need to consent to publication if approved.
It should go without saying, but please do not submit AI-generated or assisted works. There should be no AI revision that informs your style or structure, even though some word processors, such as Google Docs, have this feature built-in. Minor revisions, of course, are inconsequential enough that built-in spelling or grammar correction is okay. However, I ask that each writer uses a conservative approach to these features; moments of ‘imperfection’ can be a compelling source of humanity and creativity in a written work.
As a note, it is relatively standard that I will ask for edits to conform to certain conventions that I like to keep across work I publish, such as removing majusculation in poems. Poems requiring unconventional spacing are unlikely to be published given the limitations of the website. When an offer for publication is made, it will be clear whether edits are requested. All edits will be reviewed and approved by the writer before publication.
While I don’t prefer it, I’m okay with work that has been previously published on a personal website or has been somehow orphaned. Please let me know in your cover letter, linking to the original publication, so that I can consider that factor ahead of time. Even if a piece could be republished, there could be many reasons why it shouldn’t be; the more context I have, the better.
I do not ordinarily provide feedback on accepted or rejected work. Please know that I enjoy many of the works I ultimately reject, as the magazine has a particular editorial voice apart from just my taste. If you would like to receive some feedback along with your submission outcome, please donate a few dollars to the Ko-Fi for site maintenance (be sure to include your name), and note that you have done so in your cover letter because you desire feedback. Payment of any form does not influence the chances for publication.
Feel free to send me a few submissions, but don’t flood my inbox. Submit new work as frequently as it suits you. Please give us a follow on Instagram and Twitter at @aphormagazine to keep up with us while you wait to hear back! If your work is declined, I encourage you to look at the work on our website to get a refreshed sense of our taste before submitting again (at least a week later). I handwrite every rejection letter, so please take pride in any compliments and take notice if I ask you to keep considering us!
To read more about my terms of publication, look here at the nitty-gritty. All writers, if their work was solicited, are subject to the same terms as non-solicited work. I reserve the right to rescind an offer of publication, or to remove a publication from the magazine website or affiliated social medias, for any reason at any time.