The MacGuffin

Guidelines for Manuscript Submissions

The MacGuffin publishes the best new work in contemporary poetry, prose, and visual art. Although the editorial staff of The MacGuffin pride themselves on the fact that every submission is considered, the following guidelines are highly suggested for a thorough examination and prompt reading of your material.

For all submissions
  • In general, we do not accept previously published work.
  • Standard, easy to read, typeface are preferred.
  • List titles and brief bio in cover letter. Do not staple work.
  • Include name, email, address, and the page number on each page.
  • Do not send revisions unless our editors have requested them.
  • Allow 8 to 16 weeks for a response. We thank you in advance for your patience
Postal submissions
  • All inquires about submissions must be made via electronic or U.S. Mail.
  • Please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) or sufficient International Reply Coupons for reply only. No work will be returned unless specified with sufficient postage.
Email submissions
  • Submissions may be made electronically to macguffin@schoolcraft.edu
  • Submissions made in the body of an email will not be considered. Please submit each work on a separate page as a Word document attachment.
Additional information
  • We do accept simultaneous submissions if informed. We expect prompt notification if the work is accepted elsewhere.
  • Manuscripts may be withdrawn until issue enters the typesetting process.
  • Authors and artists receive two copies of the issue in which their work appears.
  • Additional copies may be purchased at substantial savings.
  • Translations are welcome and should be accompanied by a copy of the original text. Translators are responsible for author’s permission.
  • The MacGuffin is copyrighted. Upon publication all rights revert to authors. We appreciate acknowledgement as first place of publication.
Poetry
  • We consider traditional, formal, free verse, and experimental poetry.
  • Poems can be up to 400 lines.
  • There are no subject biases.
  • Please do not submit more than five poems at one time.
  • Poems should by typed, single-spaced, and one per page.
Fiction and creative non-fiction
  • We have no subject biases, though obvious pornographic material will not be published.
  • Maximum length is 5,000 words. Please include word count. Portions of longer works are acceptable if they can stand-alone.
  • All prose should be typed and double-spaced.
  • One submission per envelope.
Images
  • Submit the best quality image available; i.e., original photographs, slides, or artwork. Photocopies or laser output scan unevenly and leave streaks across the image.
  • If you want an image cropped, indicate the cropping on a photocopy of the image. Do not crop photos or artwork. We size and crop the image on the computer.
  • Electronic Images should be EPS or TIFF files saved at 300 dpi for photos and 600 dpi minimum — 1200 dpi maximum for line art.
  • Embedded images are not accessible to the page layout software.