Carmen et Error is a micro-journal/newsletter that features six to eight pieces of exceptional work each quarter.

Which is to say we accept poems up to 40 lines long, and microfiction/oddities up to 400 words. We reserve a couple of spaces for writers who are from or have a significant connection to the North of England. Please read our full guidelines before submitting!

We’re looking for great work, although we don’t mind if it’s a little rough around the edges (we’ll forgive an error or two)!  If you want to get a feel for what we like, take a look at our past issues.

We nominate work we publish for prizes where we can, including Best of the Net, The Forward Prize, Best Small Fictions and the Pushcart Prize.

We pay an honorarium of £5 per piece. We make no money from Carmen et Error, and so all fees come from booksales from The Braag.

WE ARE OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS DURING THE MONTHS OF FEBRUARY, MAY, AUGUST AND NOVEMBER

Work submitted outside these times will not be considered.

• Submit up to two pieces in a .docx or .pdf document to carmenetsubmissions@gmail.com.
• Poems should be no more than 40(ish) lines. Fictions no more than 400(ish) words. To give you an idea, we might take a piece that’s 42 lines, or 460 words, but we’re unlikely to accept a 60 line poem or 700 word piece.
• We publish translations where permission to publish is secured in advance from the original author or their estate.
• A cover letter is not necessary but say hi!
• Please include a short biographical statementof no more than 100 words.
• Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please let us know ASAP if its accepted elsewhere.
• We do not publish or platform hate speech in any way. No transphobia/racism/sexism etc., please.
• We do not accept submissions written by AI, and reserve the right to permanently ban “writers” of AI fiction from future submissions opportunities.
• We aim to reply to your submission within two weeks of submissions closing. Please query if you have not heard back in that time.
• Any submissions that are wildly outside guidelines will not be read or considered.
• We ask for non-exclusive, one-time, worldwide rights to publish your work in digital formats, and then to archive it indefinitely. We also nominate our published works for prizes including the Pushcart Prize, the Forward Prize for best single poem, Best Small Fictions and Best of the Net. If we do choose your work, we will email at the time to confirm.
• We pay a £5 honorarium per piece and have paid reading spots for Carmen et Error contributors at The Braag’s online book launches. We require a valid paypal address or account name, number and sort code in order to pay an honorarium. If this is a problem for you, we can offer Braag books or a donation to charity in lieu of payment.