Submission Guidelines
Bleeding Pages welcomes original, unpublished submissions in two distinct editorial streams. Before submitting, authors must carefully identify their intended track and follow the formatting criteria below.
1. Zero Submission or Processing Fees: We never charge Article Processing Charges (APCs), submission fees, or reading fees.
2. Contributor Honoraria: All published scholarly papers and creative contributions receive transparent honoraria funded through institutional subscriptions.
3. Mandatory AI Declaration: Submissions generated using undisclosed artificial intelligence tools are summarily rejected (see Section 4).
Track I: Scholarly Track (Double-Blind Peer Reviewed)
The Scholarly Track publishes rigorous academic research across comparative literature, poetics, translation theory, South Asian vernacular modernisms, and cultural studies.
| Category | Word Length | Review Mode | Honorarium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research Articles | 5,000 – 8,000 words | Double-blind (2–3 reviewers) | ₹7,500 |
| Critical Essays & Translation Studies | 3,500 – 5,000 words | Double-blind peer review | ₹5,000 |
| Scholarly Book Reviews | 1,200 – 2,000 words | Editorial review desk | ₹2,000 |
Anonymization Checklist for Scholarly Manuscripts:
- Remove author names, institutional affiliations, and email addresses from the main text body.
- Conceal self-citations in third person (e.g., substitute "as I demonstrated in Banerjee (2022)" with "as demonstrated in Banerjee (2022)").
- Strip author identification from document file properties (File > Properties > Author).
- Include a 200–250 word abstract and 5–6 academic keywords.
- Format citations according to MLA 9th Edition or Chicago 17th Notes & Bibliography.
Track II: Creative Track (Editor-Curated Literature)
The Creative Track publishes fine literature, poetry, short fiction, drama, translations, and visual essays. Creative works are curated directly by section editors.
| Genre | Submission Scope | Editorial Handling | Honorarium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poetry Suites | 3 to 5 poems or single poem >60 lines | Poetry Desk Curators | ₹4,000 suite / ₹2,500 single |
| Short Fiction & Drama | 2,000 – 5,000 words | Fiction Desk Curators | ₹5,000 |
| Literary Translations | Source script + English verse | Translation Desk | ₹5,000 (split with poet) |
| Visual Art / Graphic Essays | 4–8 high-resolution plates | Production Art Desk | ₹5,000 |
Translation Requirements:
All translated works must include the complete original source text in its native script (e.g. Devanagari, Bengali, Tamil, Urdu). Translators submitting work of living authors must provide written authorization from the original author or rights holder.
3. Ethics, AI Policy & Legal Undertakings
Every author submitting to Bleeding Pages must formally attest to:
- Originality & Prior Publication: The manuscript is entirely original and has not been published in print or digital form elsewhere.
- Simultaneous Submission: Simultaneous submissions are accepted provided the author immediately notifies the editorial desk if accepted elsewhere.
- AI Disclosure (§6): The work contains zero undisclosed AI-generated text. Use of language models for drafting or creative synthesis is grounds for permanent rejection.
- Conflict of Interest: Any institutional, financial, or personal competing interests must be declared on the submission title page.
Ready to submit? Check our Open Calls for Submissions or submit via email to submissions@bleedingpages.org with your blinded manuscript attached.