Noir Nation is now closed for submissions. The doors will open again in January 2014.

We will be seeking original crime stories in the noir tradition, essays on noir fiction, film noir, or on any of the visual arts, including tattoos. We will also be seeking high quality tattoo photography.

Literary submissions should not have been previously published in English; however, translations of works previously published in other languages are acceptable. Submissions should be in English or in English translation.

Photos can be black & white or color. Images can be racy but in good taste (see sample images here and here).

It is best to be familiar with our publication before submitting works for editorial review. The first 20 percent of our first issue can be read for free on Amazon. There are also free samples on the Noir Nation web site. But the diversity of the work we publish is best appreciated by downloading the entire issue.

Briefly though, we are looking for insight not intricate plots. And because of our mission as an international journal, setting also holds a high place in our regard. We love stories that take us places and cast a light on the darker geographies of the human soul, even if just a glimmer.

Please send literary submissions via e-mail to editor@noirnation.com. In the subject heading, please write “Submission” and the name of the country you are from. For photographers, given the file size limitations of some e-mail servers, it’s best to send a link to the images that you’d like us to consider.

Prose Submission Guidelines

Prose stories and essays should be submitted in MS Word format, double-spaced in Times New Roman font.  Indented paragraphing is preferred. Title, author’s name, and contact information should be included on the  upper left hand corner of the first page. Please also include a short author bio at the end of the submitted manuscript.

We accept flash fiction (as short as a paragraph) and novellas (40 to 60 pages). Although most stories we publish tend to be in the five- to ten-page range, there is no set word count. Stories should be as long or as short as their own aesthetic ends require. Novel excerpts should have a sense of unity and completion; in other words, it should have the integrity of a short story so that readers should not have to guess about the excerpt was about.

We do not accept poetry. We also do not accept simultaneous submissions.

Payment and Terms

Payment for Noir Nation No. 3 is $25 for literary contributions regardless of length, and a flat licensing fee $25 for photography. Contributors allow Noir Nation to publish their work internationally in its e-book edition and republish their work wholly, or in part, on the Noir Nation Web site.

(We are contemplating the pursuit of a print version of Noir Nation, which will include back issues; but we will not proceed without first obtaining print permissions from current and past contributors. Currently, we are seeking only e-rights to a work.)

Response Time

Sometimes we respond within hours of submission. Sometimes we take longer because a story may need several readings by different editors. If you have not heard from us, it is not because your work has been silently rejected. If you take the time to send us your work, we will take the time to send you our response.

If you need to place your work speedily, we are not for you. There are plenty of other venues with quicker response times. If you have the patience to wait, we offer more than a “this is not right for use” kind of response.

Multiple Appearances by Same Authors

Although authors that Noir Nation publishes are encouraged to submit other stories for publication, Noir Nation does not publish the same authors in back to back issues.

Payments

Payment of honoraria starting with Issue No. 3 will be made only through AmazonPayments. We are ceasing the use of PayPal and will no longer pay by check or money order, and will no longer make direct deposits to checking accounts, given the extra fees of international banking transactions.