Dream Catcher receives a vast range of submissions from well known and unknown writers. We are interested in quality and diversity. We welcome poetry, short-stories, artwork, and interviews. The poetry can be on any theme, it can be long or short, as well as translations. Short stories of around 2000 words or less will have a better chance for publication. We aim to build on the solid foundations of this long standing and respected magazine and to encourage a diverse range of writers and artists without losing the friendly, eclectic nature of the publication.
Of course the best way to discover what we like to publish is to read our magazine. There are extracts from recent issues elsewhere on this site but if you’d like to help Dream Catcher secure its place on the literary landscape why not become a subscriber? Just click here.
Submission Windows
From Dream Catcher 41 we have introduced informal submission windows which will help to reduce the administrative workload on the editor. That does not mean we will reject submissions received outside these window, only that submissions will not be looked at until the next window opens. There will be two windows linked to the release of the following issue.
The Window for the June/July (odd numbered) issue will be December through February with a reading period in March and April; and the submission window for the December/January (even numbered) issue will be June through August with the reading period being September through October.
Submission Format
Include with your hard copy submissions:
A list of submitted items and and PLEASE ensure that
Your Name, Your Address, and Your email is included on each poem.
The email will be used to notify you of the progress of your submission and where applicable a request for a soft copy of your accepted item. Please take the time to read the article Know thy word processor on the Stairwell Books web page. Though tongue in cheek, it draws attention to ways you can ensure the layout of your poem on the page or simplify the process of getting your short story ready for publication.
A biography is not required.
An SAE is NOT required unless you require the return of the originals or if you do not have access to email.
Please do not send other business material to the submissions coordinator as important matters may not be addressed in a timely manner.
How to submit
| Please send your submissions by mail to: Dream Catcher Submissions Coordinator 109 Wensley Drive Leeds, LS7 2LU | Books for review should be sent to the reviews editor with the envelope clearly marked. Dream Catcher Reviews Editor 109 Wensley Drive Leeds, LS7 2LU |
| Electronic Submission For the time being electronic submissions will not be accepted. | Our trial of electronic submission has thrown up a number of problems that we are working to address: in order to avoid virus infections we limited submissions to the body of the email but various email clients adjust the layout of the submissions that led to errors in published text. The use of submission servers such as Submitable is prohibitively expensive costing more than the income we receive from selling our magazine in a year. |
Selection Process
The Dream Catcher editorial policy is to be eclectic. For each issue we select a broad range of styles and subject matter as well as introducing something new and different. We cannot publish every brilliant poem or story we receive, if we did, the magazine would be 500 pages long and be prohibitively expensive. The editorial committee will preselect interesting and intriguing items from which the editor will make a final choice.
We will endeavour to keep you informed of which pieces are shortlisted for final selection.
Contributor’s Copies
Contributors are entitled to purchase up to two copies of the Issue of the Dream Catcher in which they are published at the special price of £3.50 which includes postage. European and International contributors will be asked to contribute to postage. We do not police this offer and will honour multiple sales at this price but we do ask that third and subsequent copies are purchased at the full price. Contributors will be sent details of how to do this about a month before publication.
Review Guidelines
Please note that we have many more reviews than we can cope with so unsolicited material is unlikely to be published.
Your review must include the following information:
- Book Title
- Author(s) name
- ISBN
- Number of pages
- Publisher and year of publication
- Your Review
Whilst your review should be your honest opinion of the book and its literary merits we will probably not publish a coruscating diatribe even if the book deserves it. We are interested in covering books our readers would be interested in and your thoughts on their relative merits. Do not be afraid to criticise but please draw attention to the book’s merits too.