ANNOUNCING OUR SPECIAL FEATURE ON NEW FORMS

Deadline: 1st December, 2024



SUBMIT TO OUR SPECIAL FEATURE ON NEW FORMS

If a piece of writing were to mimic Pachelbel’s Canon in D, what would it look like? Taiwanese author Yu Wenzheng attempted this exercise in her 2008 collection of interconnected stories Taipei Canon; no doubt, so have other authors working in different languages posed the same question to themselves, with different results. For our Winter 2025 issue, in the spirit of learning from one another, and in homage to the late pioneer Robert Coover, we seek texts that take on new forms—not necessarily riffs of existing ones—opening up new perspectives and perhaps “knock(ing) us into new places” (Coover) as a result. Submissions may be written originally in English or translated into English; we will consider any creative text, regardless of genre, including hypertext and visual poetry. Regular guidelines (see below) apply. Deadline: December 1st, 2024



SUBMIT TO OUR OTHER SPECIAL FEATURE

“Import the third world. Become the third world.” = the latest ghastly meme courtesy of Trump. As a journal of translation that gathers new writing from upward of 30 countries in each issue, the very essence of “linguistic hospitality” (as coined by Paul Ricœur) is very much in our DNA; now, in our recurring Special Feature, we would like to extend this spirit of hospitality to the figure of the outsider—be it a migrant, refugee, or anyone otherwise othered. We seek fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction—written originally in English or translated into English—centering the figure of the outsider. For this Special Feature only, we welcome both original English-language writing and literature translated into English. General guidelines (see below) apply. Rolling deadline.

Plus: We’re looking for regular book reviewers for Asymptote's monthly column! Every month for almost a decade, the Asymptote blog has published What's New in Translation, a column that features some of the most exciting titles entering the Anglosphere, celebrating the work of writers and translators and providing a vital platform for criticism. In its prior rendition, What's New in Translation featured longform reviews (~800 words) from our internal team each month, but as the world of literary translation grows, we are aiming to grow alongside the increasing roster of writers, translators, and publishers. In our rebrand of this essential column, we will publish shortform reviews (~400 words), broadening the range of texts we are able to highlight, and we're now seeking contributors to become regular columnists, contributing on a selection of three/four titles on a quarterly basis.

We require someone who is interested in reading widely, able to consistently meet deadlines, and committed to honing their critical voice. Interested applicants can send a brief bio and cover letter, along with a portfolio of past writings to blog [at] asymptotejournal.com.

Asymptote is open for regular submissions throughout the year. Please send us hitherto unpublished translated poetry, fiction, nonfiction and drama; certain types of original English-language nonfiction, including literary and critical writing; as well as visual art. Feedback for poetry and fiction submissions are available upon request for an additional fee. Scroll down below for our general submission guidelines.
 

But first, a note from our Editor-in-Chief:


On March 1, 2021, we introduced two new features for our submission mechanism: (1) guaranteed turnaround time of one month for submission outcomes and (2) the possibility of requesting editorial feedback on your submission.


We will no longer be accepting submissions via the editors@asymptotejournal.com email address, although queries and pitches are still welcome  (after you have perused our guidelines carefully). Instead, all submissions will have to go through Submittable, where a USD10 submission fee applies to each work entered into our system, and it is possible to request editorial feedback for an additional USD6 per work (available for fiction and poetry submissions only).


As a global team ourselves, we recognize that for many writers and translators even these small fees may be a financial burden, and so we are keeping submissions free for those based in sub-Saharan Africa or translating work from this region (we may offer exemptions for other regions in future, but right now, we are focused on increasing sub-Saharan African representation in our pages).


By contrast, we will no longer be considering work by Singaporean authors or translators, due to discriminatory policies by Singapore’s National Arts Council (NAC) that do not serve the wider literary ecosystem (Singapore is where Asymptote is currently incorporated, although this may change in future). As communicated to Rosa Daniel, CEO of the NAC, we welcome the opportunity to reverse this decision anytime organizational funding (such as that given by the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts to Words Without Borders) is made available.


We know that these changes might come as a surprise to many of our regular submitters, but this decision was taken with careful consideration, and with the goal to provide value to all who submit work, not just those whose work we publish while curating to the highest standards and for the greatest impact (creative work is typically accompanied by guest artist illustrations while others reach new audiences via podcasts or educational guides). Publication in Asymptote has been cited on many a book jacket (including Nobel Prize winner Olga Tokarczuk’s Booker International Prize-winning Flights). Closely watched by acquisitions editors at publishing houses, hundreds of submissions that first appeared on our site have gone on to secure book deals and even lucrative grants.


Hear what past contributor and two-time 2022 Booker International Prize nominee Anton Hur has to say about his experience submitting Jung Young-Su’s “Aficionados” and debuting as a translator on the cover of our Fall 2016 issue alongside Stefan Zweig, László Krasznahorkai, and Anita Raja:



Thanks to Asymptote, I have USD15,000 in the bank and a contract to translate the rest of Mr. Jung’s short story collection . . . If that wasn’t amazing enough, my Asymptote publication got me another book translation deal. Because Asymptote is on the web and free to the public, the global public no less, the story has become a calling card of sorts; when agents and editors ask about my work, I simply point them to the Asymptote story (‘You can hear my literal voice, too, just click the recording!’).

Asymptote changed my life. They were willing to go the distance for a completely unknown writer (unknown even in his own country!), adding his name on an advertisement in the Times Literary Supplement and in their beautiful promotional emails. They give translated literature, which is difficult to market given the resistance from Anglophone readers to anything in translation, a glamor and excitement, making our work look and feel urgent and current.


Finally, it would be disingenuous of us to leave out the fact that submission fees are now necessary because financial support—both from institutions and readers alike—has not been as forthcoming as we had hoped, despite our ten years of advocating for a more inclusive world literature, a London Book Fair Award, and an 18-month partnership with The Guardian under our belt. Of all the alternatives we considered (including charging access to the website), this is the one that we have settled on because it provides the least disruption to our model of catalyzing the transmission of world literature while helping us cope with the great volume of submissions we receive. If enough sustaining and masthead members sign up in the future, we may be able to offer free submissions again. If you would like to help us toward this goal of reinstating our previous model, please consider getting involved with our mission today.



SUBMISSION GUIDELINES


Asymptote welcomes submissions of hitherto unpublished translated poetry, fiction, nonfiction and drama; certain types of original English-language nonfiction, including literary and critical writing; as well as visual art. Please note the following genre-specific and general guidelines.


Fiction



The submission might include one or more works of short fiction or excerpts of a longer work translated into English. Please send no more than 5,000 words in total. Rolling deadline.

 

Poetry

 

Please send up to 10 pages of poetry translated into English. If the originals are included in the submission, the length of the entire document may reach 20 pages (that is, a maximum of 10 pages of translated work accompanied by 10 pages of original material). Please start each poem or section of a long poem on a new page unless the work absolutely demands to be read without page breaks. Rolling deadline.

 

Drama

 

You may send a one-act play or an excerpt from a full-length play, in either case not exceeding 20 pages, translated into English. For full-length plays, send a brief synopsis first. Rolling deadline.

 

Literary Nonfiction

 

This includes genres such as memoir, despatch (reportage), travelogue and the occasional essay. Nonfiction submissions must be work translated into English, except for essays about translation, which may be written in English. To get a stronger sense of what we are looking for, go through the past articles that we have published. Send no more than 5,000 words in total. Rolling deadline.

 

Criticism

 

We publish reviews of (usually recently published or forthcoming) titles translated into English. If you are interested in reviewing for us, please email editors@asymptotejournal.com using "INTERESTED IN REVIEWING WORK" as the subject header, suggesting some potential titles, and links to your previously published work. We also publish essays by translators about their experience translating a particular work, and occasionally essays about translation or world literature more generally. These should be between 1,500 and 3,500 words, and can be submitted via Submittable, along with a short biographical note. Rolling deadline.

 

Brave New World Literature Feature

 

For our regular Special Feature, we invite essays from readers, critics, translators engaging with and problematizing the very concept of “world literature.” Topics might include: the trend toward a more decentralized curation even as English remains dominant in world literature (as evidenced by the number of English-speaking Nobel laureates in the last decade alone), online literary journals and the role they play in curation, hegemonic statuses of texts determined by a predominantly white publishing industry (and the associated “danger of a single story”), the concept of the global novel, notions of center and periphery, major and minor literature, advocacy for underrepresented voices in world literature, modes of circulating world literature, canonization, literary gatekeeping, and even the question of institutional funding. Examples of the kind of writing we are looking for can be found here, here, here, here, and here.



Interviews

 

We welcome interview pitches. We ask that the interview be primarily about translation, or about the intersection of the issue of language and some other domain. Interviews must be in English or, if the original has been conducted in a foreign language, rendered afterwards into English. Rolling deadline.

 

Visual Art

 

Please inquire first, providing a URL to your portfolio website. Illustrators (including photographers) are encouraged to try for our guest artist positions by submitting a cover. Rolling deadline.



Blog

The blog accepts essays, reviews, dispatches, and interviews focusing on world literature and literature in translation on a rolling basis. An average piece at the blog ranges from 1500-2500 words, has a compelling voice, and offers a new perspective to the broader conversation surrounding world literature.

Please note that we do not publish reviews of texts originally written in English. Reviews must be published within three months of the text’s publication. For more information on how to form a pitch, you can view our detailed pitch guide here.

Unlike submissions to the issue, which need to go through Submittable, we are happy to accept pitches for yet unwritten pieces at the blog email, blog [at] asymptotejournal.com. Please feel free to reach out regarding any essay topics, recent publications, events, or potential interviews you would be interested in covering, and we would be happy to discuss!


“As a reader of Asymptote, I am overjoyed to see literary texts by friends I haven’t seen for a long time, to discover new writers and new names from all over the world. Asymptote has become a literary realm in cyber space built by enthusiasts: the visa to enter is good writing.”


—Dubravka Ugrešić, winner of the 2016 Neustadt Literature Prize

 

GENERAL GUIDELINES


1. All submissions should be sent as one Microsoft Word attachment (as a .doc file, please) via Submittable. 

 

2. Your submission must include the following:

    • The original work and the translation (where applicable).
    • A statement granting us permission to publish both the original work and the translation online, as well as declaring that you are in a position to grant us such rights (i.e., that you have the author’s permission—or the translator’s, if you are the author—and his/her publisher’s, if required).
    • Biographical notes, written in the third person, for both author and translator(s), beginning with the name, no longer than 150 words per bio.

 

Optional, but highly encouraged:

    • A short write-up providing context and discussing the challenges of this particular translation; fewer than 300 words.
    • An MP3 recording of a reading of the original non-English-language text (for poems and shorter pieces) or an excerpt of the original text (for longer creative work)—we usually ask for this only after acceptance is confirmed.

 

4. For poetry submissions, please format your submission so that each original work follows after its translation. [Translation 1, Original 1; Translation 2, Original 2, etc.]

 

5. Translations must not have been previously published, although the source text may have been.

 

6. Submissions in English (where permitted: see above) must not have been previously published.

 

7. Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but we ask in return that you notify us by email as soon as you learn of an acceptance elsewhere.

 

 

LANGUAGE GUIDELINES

 

Asymptote is a journal that celebrates translation and world literatures. Therefore, we mainly consider work translated into English, particularly for poetry, fiction and drama. The exceptions are:

 

  • Criticism and essays about world literature and translation
  • Interviews
  • Brave New World Literature Feature

 

Providing the text in the original language and arranging all necessary permissions are solely the translator's responsibility. Submissions with uncertain rights issues will not be considered at all. Submissions with no source text or introductory material (for poetry) will be at a significant disadvantage versus those that do have them.

 

 

OTHER INFORMATION

 

1. Rights to the work revert to the author and the translator after publication. We do hope to put out a print anthology one day. Contributors who have been chosen for such an anthology will be queried for permission.

 

2. Submissions entered into our system from Mar 1, 2021 will be furnished with an outcome within one month. Please query after one month if you have not heard back from us, and would like to know the status of your submission. If you have submitted work before Mar 1, 2021, we ask you to be patient as we are still clearing a formidable backlog. 

 

3. Our finances do not permit us to pay contributors at this time.

 

4. If you require further clarification on any matter, please send us a query (with the word "QUERY" included in the header) at the email address listed above. Due to the volume of emails we receive, we may not be able to respond to queries about guidelines that have already been answered on this page itself.