FAQs

What do you mean by literary fiction?

While the term “literary” is often synonymous with “pretentious” or “boring,” and is often attributed to middle-aged professors who want to bang their students, our definition is any work of fiction that aims to explore a higher aesthetic or thematic ideal. In other words, any work in which you’re driven to write it to better understand or convey something that otherwise cannot be conveyed. This means a literary work can be one where your inspiration is “I want to illuminate the complexities of redemption and recovery” or “this is gonna be cool as hell.” So maybe it’s deep and meaningful, or maybe it’s awesome and fun. Either way, to us, it’s literary.

I’ve never written or posted fanfiction. Can I still submit?

If you consider yourself “in fandom” in any way (which is to say, you engage with your favorite media outside of simply consuming it), you can submit. Your work does not have to be fic-ish, though it certainly can be.

Can I file the serial numbers off my fanfiction and submit it?

Unfortunately, if you have posted the fanfiction in question, you cannot take it down, file off the serial numbers (change the names to original names and swap out other canon details), and submit to us. Your work, however, can be heavily inspired by another text, but it must be able to stand on its own as an original work.

Can I submit fanfiction for work that’s in the public domain?

Yes, as long as you haven’t published it elsewhere.

Can I publish under a pseudonym?

Yes! You can submit and publish under a pen name or pseudonym, however for the publication agreement we will need to have your legal name and signature for our records.

If my piece gets rejected, can I resubmit it for a future issue?

Generally no, unless it has undergone significant revision.

My English isn’t very good. Can I still submit?

At OFIC, we understand that English is a fickle and difficult language. We also believe in not one correct grammar, but many grammars. While we encourage writers to make their best effort, we read submissions based solely on content, not grammar. We’re editors; that’s our job.

I’m not confident in my writing. Should I submit?

Yes! You can submit your work to our tip jar if you’d like a one-page letter of feedback on your piece. The tip jar helps us cover operational costs so we can keep general submissions free.

How do I purchase an issue?

You can pledge to our Patreon or buy a backorder issue from our store.

When will the next issue come out?

We publish quarterly, so issues will be published every January, April, July, and October.

Where does the pledge money go?

Right now we’re a team of volunteers. Pledge funds go to production and operational costs, and if we exceed our goal, we can increase our contributor honorarium. We are also saving up to launch a full press in the coming years.