Contributor's Guidelines
In each issue, Toner will choose a number of stories relating to a theme. Instead of thinking of the themes as boxes to put ideas into, think of them as starting points, the goal then being to get as far away from any given theme as possible, with one saliva-thick strand of connection threading back to it.

We'll publish upcoming themes on the site (click here for themes) but feel free to submit work in any genre and on any subject. If we like what we read, we'll find a place for it.

We’re looking for all kinds of stories: personal essays, long journalistic features, fiction… we want smart, offbeat, interesting, funny, important stories. Stories we tell our friends over dinner. Stories we think about later while we’re driving. Stories nobody’s ever told before. Our tone is more New Yorker than New York Times, and certainly more McSweeney's than Maxim. Our audience is young, roughly between 18 and 35. Sadly, we don't publish poetry.

Length is generally between 1,000 and 3,000 words, although exceptions have been made. Stories published elsewhere may still be submitted to Toner provided those stories are not available on the internet and the author holds the necessary rights. In most cases, previously published stories must be extensively reworked.

Toner is always interested in new writers, so don’t sweat it if you haven’t got much formal experience. That said, there is a certain caliber of work, a certain bar that’s been set, and we’d like to see that rise with each issue.

Send any work for consideration to submissionstonermagazine.com. You may attach your work as a Microsoft Word or Text file, or simply paste it into the body of your email. Please be sure to include a brief description at the top of your email so we know what we're reading.

We do try to be as prompt as possible in our consideration, but we won't lie to you. We won't hide the truth. There are some who have become angry with our consideration period. There are some who have grown impatient. Some have even sent us letters to this effect.

If you're worried your piece didn't reach us or was misplaced once it got here, we encourage you to resubmit to submissionstonermagazine.com, possibly with a very direct note at the top of the email (just above the brief description) reprimanding us for our lack of punctuality. Please do wait at least three weeks before sending this note, though, in order to give us a chance to consider what you sent in the first place. And be sure to attach your original piece.