FAQ

Your Account

Submissions

Subscriptions

Miscellaneous

Your Account

I have an existing account, and it says my password is incorrect. If you had an account with us on our old website (prior to May 2024), you will have to create a new password for your existing account.

  1. Navigate to the upper righthand corner of your screen and select “Sign In.”
  2. Click “Lost your password?”
  3. Enter your username or email address and hit “reset password.”
  4. You will receive a link to create a new password via email within 10 minutes. If you don’t receive it, please check your spam folder.

I followed the above instructions, and I didn’t receive an email to reset my password. Accounts that weren’t recently active prior to the launch of the new site may not have been migrated! You may need to create a new account. If you’re planning on submitting, subscribing, or purchasing an issue, the site will prompt you to create an account at checkout. Your purchase details will appear in your account dashboard.

Where do I update my address, account details, or other information? Log in, and navigate to your account dashboard by mousing over “My Account” in the upper righthand corner and selecting “Dashboard.” On the right side of your screen, you should see a column where you can view and manage your Orders, Subscription, Downloads, Addresses, Payment Methods, Account Details, and Communication Preferences.

Submissions

I submitted prior to May 31, 2024. Where is my submission? You may notice that previous submissions are no longer listed in your account. While we couldn’t bring these files with us to our new site, submissions to the Emerging Writer’s Contest are still being read! Winners will be announced in the fall, and everyone will receive notice regarding their submission.

If you need access to your submission file, or have other concerns regarding your previous submission, please reach out via our contact form or pshares@pshares.org.

I submitted after May 31, 2024. Where is my submission? Log in, and navigate to your account dashboard by mousing over “My Account” in the upper righthand corner and selecting “Dashboard.” Scroll down—your active submission and its status will appear under “My Submissions.”

Do you accept unsolicited submissions? If so, what types of manuscripts are you looking for?

We welcome unsolicited submissions. For the Spring, Summer, and Winter Issues of the journal, we consider primarily poems, short stories, and personal essays. For the Fall Issue, we consider long-form fiction and nonfiction. Novel excerpts are acceptable for both, if self-contained. Unsolicited book reviews and criticism are not considered for either.

Please familiarize yourself with issues of Ploughshares before submitting to us.

When is the Ploughshares reading period?

We accept submissions postmarked or submitted online between June 1 to January 15. Any material mailed from January 16 through May 31 will be returned unread. We adhere strictly to these postmark dates.

Our Emerging Writer’s Contest runs from March 1 to May 15. We accept submissions to the Contest via our online submission manager only.

Do I need to include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE)?

No. Because we process all submissions through our online system, you must include your email address in your submission.

If you are unable to provide an email address or if you would like your full manuscript returned, indicate this in your cover letter and include a SASE with adequate postage. If a manuscript arrives without an email address or a SASE, we will keep it for six months after the postmark date, then recycle it.

Do I need to include a cover letter?

We prefer each submission to include a cover letter with your name, submission date, contact information, and a brief bio citing previous publications, if any. You do not need to describe your submission in the cover letter.

How many times can I submit? Can I submit poetry and fiction or nonfiction together?

You may submit once, in one genre, per reading period.

If I write flash fiction or flash nonfiction, how many pieces can I send at a time?

Although we don’t publish flash prose very often, we are happy to consider it. Please do not send more than one of these short pieces at a time.

How can I submit my manuscript online?

You may submit online via our submission manager, though we do charge a small service fee for use of this system. This is not a reading fee, but rather supports the use of the online system.

Why is there a fee for online submissions?

Online submissions during the regular reading period require a service charge of $3.75 to support the use of the online submission manager, updated as of June 2024. These systems are not free for us to develop and maintain, and the service charge supports those costs. Subscribers are waived of the service charge because their subscription supports Ploughshares in other ways.

If you are unable to pay the fee for online submissions, you are welcome to reach out to us (Contact form or pshares@pshares.org). We also accept hard copy submitted via postal mail.

Can I submit work simultaneously to Ploughshares and one or more other publications?

Yes. We ask that you indicate that a submission is simultaneous and notify us immediately if it is accepted elsewhere by using the Contact form on our site or by sending an email to pshares@pshares.org.

Do you accept previously published work? What is your definition of previously published? Do self-publications count?

No, we do not publish any previously published work. Material that has appeared in any publication, print or web, would be considered previously published. This includes self-published work.

How should I submit if I’m an agent or working with an agent?

If you’re an agent submitting on behalf of a writer, or if you’re a writer working with an agent on literary journal submissions, we ask that you be cognizant of our simultaneous submissions policy. When submitting, please take into account our considerable lead time. Not only is our process of winnowing a shortlist for our guest editors (and allowing time for our guest editors to make their selections) a slow one, but work we accept likely will not be published for about a year. We cannot accept work that is due to be published elsewhere (in a collection or as a chapter of a novel, for example) before our publication date, and we unfortunately do not have the resources to pay reprint rights.

How long should I wait before I query about my submission?

Please wait five months before querying. Queries as well as withdrawal notifications should be sent via our Contact form or emailed to pshares@pshares.org, but we will also accept them via regular mail. If querying via mail, be sure to include a SASE. Please include your name as well as the date, genre, and title of the submission.

I’ve revised my work since sending it to you and want to send in the new version. Is that okay?

Please send us only the absolute best representation of your work. Because of the volume of submissions we receive, we cannot accommodate revisions to pieces that have already been submitted. If you would like us to consider your revision, please withdraw your current submission and resubmit.

Should I target my work to a specific guest editor? What happens to my submission? Will the guest editor read it?

We do not recommend trying to target specific guest editors—our backlog is unpredictable, and staff editors are responsible for determining which work is most appropriate for our current guest editor(s). Your submission will be screened by readers and staff editors, who select the most promising manuscripts to send to the guest editor.

What do you pay, and what rights do you buy?

For Ploughshares literary journal, we pay $45 per journal page; minimum payment is $90 and maximum payment is $450. For the Fall Longform Issue, we pay $450. We purchase First Serial Rights. Copyright remains with the author. The author retains the authority to reprint the work elsewhere after it has appeared in Ploughshares—for example, in a short story collection or anthology—as long as Ploughshares is credited with first publication in the reprint.

Subscriptions

Where can I view my active subscription? Log in, and navigate to your account dashboard by mousing over “My Account” in the upper righthand corner and selecting “Dashboard.” Select “My Subscription” to view your subscription details.

How many issues of Ploughshares are published per year?

We publish four issues a year.

How do I subscribe?

You can subscribe online with a Visa or Mastercard through our secure server. If you prefer, you may also mail your check, money order, or Visa or MasterCard information (credit card number, expiration date, and CVV) to:

Ploughshares: Web Orders
Emerson College
120 Boylston St.
Boston, MA 02116

Checks should be payable to Ploughshares. Our rates are $45 for one year (four issues) or $70 for two years (eight issues). All orders to Canada and Mexico are subject to a $15 annual shipping surcharge. All international orders outside Canada and Mexico are subject to a $35 annual shipping surcharge.

When can I expect my order or the first issue of my subscription?

Orders are usually shipped within a week of receipt. Standard orders are shipped media mail, which takes 5-10 business days. Priority mail is available at an extra charge. Subscriptions begin with the next available issue and are shipped on the official publication date for each issue. If you would like to purchase an issue before your subscription begins, you must purchase it separately.

How can I tell when my subscription is going to expire?

When you purchase a subscription, it will renew automatically. We will notify you by mail or email in advance of your impending renewal—or your final issue—with a letter. Your renewal or expiration date is also printed on each issue’s mailing label as your subscription gets close to renewal or expiration. You can opt out of auto-renewal at any time under “Subscriptions” in your account by toggling the button next to “Auto Renew” off. You can also email us at pshares@pshares.org, or call us at (617) 824-3757 to cancel your auto-renewal. We cannot issue refunds for auto-renewals once the charge has been processed.

I’ve moved but my issues of Ploughshares have not been forwarded. What happened?

Our issues are sent by Standard Mail (bulk/periodical), which the post office does not forward. It’s a mystery, actually, what happens to these issues—they’re not returned to our office, either, but are supposedly deposited into the “Dead File” in U.S.P.S. parlance. Please try to keep your address up-to-date with us. If you’ve moved and missed an issue, contact us and we’ll send a replacement to your new address.

How do I notify Ploughshares that my address has changed?

Please login to your account and change your shipping profile.

One of my issues is damaged or lost in the mail. What should I do?

Unfortunately, this does happen on occasion since the issues are shipped cross-country in bulk. Please contact us (by mail, email, or phone), and we’ll be happy to send a replacement right away.

I’m receiving two copies. What’s going on?

It’s possible that a renewal was incorrectly recorded as a new subscription in our old system. Contact us and we’ll combine any duplicate records into one, extending your subscription for remaining issues to make up for the duplicate.

How do I give a gift subscription?

When you purchase a subscription online, you will be prompted to designate your subscription as a gift, include a gift message, and specify the recipient’s name and address as you check out.

How do I renew my subscription?

When you purchase a subscription, it will renew automatically. You can opt out of auto-renewal at any time under “Subscriptions” in your account. If you have opted out and would like to renew your existing subscription, you can opt back in. You can also renew by mail or by calling the office.

I renewed recently, but just got another renewal notice. Why?

The mailing list for a renewal letter is set a couple weeks before the letter is actually mailed. If you renew during this two-week window, you’ll unfortunately still receive the renewal letter even though your subscription has been renewed. Rest assured that we have received your renewal and you can recycle the duplicate notice. If you would like to confirm that we have received and processed your renewal, feel free to email pshares@pshares.org.

How do I order back issues?

All copies of Ploughshares are now available in digital format, and most are still available for purchase in hard copy at a substantial discount. Browse and purchase them here.

How do I access my digital issues?

To access your digital product, please log into your Ploughshares account on your computer. From there, you can click on the “Files” tab to access the .zip files that contain your digital products. You will need to download and unzip the file. You can either read the file on your desktop using iBooks or Adobe Digital Editions, or you can drag and drop the files to your plugged in e-reader. To read your eBook on your e-reader, connect it to your computer with a USB cord, download the file onto the computer, and then click and drag or sync it onto your device. For information specific to your e-reader, check these websites: Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Nook (Barnes and Noble), and Kobo.

I have a concern regarding my subscription details. Who can I contact?

Please reach out via our contact form or pshares@pshares.org so that we can check on your subscription details and update them if necessary.

Miscellaneous

What is Ploughshares?

Ploughshares is a quarterly literary journal. We also publish the Ploughshares Blog.

Published in January, April, July, and October, the journal features fiction, nonfiction, and poetry as well as a Look2 essay, an essay series that seeks to publish pieces about under-appreciated or overlooked writers. Two out of four issues per year are guest-edited by a prominent writer who explores different literary circles; the other two issues are staff-edited. One-year subscriptions to Ploughshares include four issues of the literary journal.

Work first published in Ploughshares is selected continually for annual prize anthologies such as The Best American Poetry, The Best American Short Stories, The O. Henry Awards, and The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses.

Although we are affiliated with Emerson College, we are not a student publication. We are professionally staffed, and we hire a small number of student employees and interns who are often graduate and undergraduate students in Emerson’s Department of Writing, Literature and Publishing. We do not publish current Emerson College students, faculty, or staff. We receive over 1,000 submissions each month from writers all over the country and the world, and the authors we publish range from best-selling household names to new discoveries.

What is your contact information?

Ploughshares
Emerson College
120 Boylston St.
Boston, MA 02116

Phone: (617) 824-3757

Email: pshares@pshares.org

How can I contact one of your authors?

You may mail or email us a letter for the author, and we will forward it for you. We do not give out any contact information.

How do I request permission to reprint?

Please see our guidelines for reprint rights and photocopying for course adoption.