#7: Formatting Questions/Problems?

Our only concern so far as formatting goes is readability—we are interested, strictly, in the words you are presenting. (Formatting issues for publication can be addressed later, when a piece is accepted. See "OOPS" below.) The simpler your format, the better, both for the benefit of our overworked eyes and for the computer program which is trying to present your work to us. Here's what I recommend:

Use so-called "normal" formatting, rather than specifying "heading text," "body text," etc.

For the sake of our eyes, please double-space and use 12 point Times New Roman or some other mild-mannered font. Don’t excessively bold or italicize.

Don't put in hard returns at line ends unless you've got a paragraph break. Let the sentences wrap around as they will. Don't bother with page breaks. They, too, will break as they need to.

Never try to send an image.

Want to represent a substantial break between sections? Just write the word BREAK on its own line between those sections.

We like to see the words THE END at the end of the story so we know we’ve seen it all.

If you can work in Microsoft Word, great. At least be sure you’re working with a file type that works for us: .doc .txt .rtf .htm .html
Please click below for details on file types, if you're unsure.

If you have a Macintosh, please click below for important info.

Every story we publish is unsolicited, and 86% of the stories we accepted last year came to us directly from the writer.
That's exactly how we like it.

One of the most respected short-story journals in print, Glimmer Train Stories is represented in recent editions of the Pushcart Prize, New Stories from the Midwest, O.Henry, New Stories from the South, Best of the West, and Best American Short Stories anthologies.