Story Format Guidelines
Length: Please submit only the first 25 pages of Novella (under 70,000 words) or Novel (70,000 and over) or short story collections. ​
Genres: Literary, speculative, mystery, suspense/thrillers, crime, sci-fi, fantasy, romance. We do not accept erotica.
File type: .docx or .doc or PDF
File format: Times New Roman-12 point-Double spaced with 0.25 indentation on paragraphs.
Margins: 0.5" all around.
Include page numbers and author’s last name-and title in the header.
​Manuscript must be throughly proof-read.
 
Story Submission
Only online submissions will be accepted. You will be notified via email regardless of acceptance for publishing. 

Submission fee
A fee is required to submit your work, payable online. This fee covers story evaluation and response. Evaluation includes a 3-5 page review of plot, characters, voice, POV, dialog, and setting. Note: Your receipt will show Nearwood Winery, our parent company, as the payee. ​
 
Terms and Agreements
Work must be original and unpublished. All submissions will be reviewed and evaluated. Allow up to six weeks. ​All rights remain with the author. Must be at least 18 years old. Upon submitting your story, you give the Backroads Literary Review permission to communicate with you via email or phone and agree to these terms.