Submitting poetry and prose

Ambit is put together entirely from unsolicited, previously unpublished poetry and short fiction submissions. Due to the amount of submissions we receive, we are only able to print about three per cent of the work that comes through out do. So how do you go about getting into those top percentiles?

• Get to know Ambit before you submit. You may read Ambit and decide your work would not be a good fit for the magazine. Unsure of Ambit’s overall aesthetic? Buy a copy to find out…

• If you decide your work is right for us, send 5-6 poems, OR 2-3 stories (up to 10,000 words in length) to:
Ambit, 17 Priory Gardens, London N6 5QY, UK.

• Do not send work via email. We do not read any email submissions.

• Enclose a self-addressed envelope with UK stamps, or with sufficient, endorsed International Reply Coupons (IRCs), or with an e-mail address on your cover letter. If you want your manuscripts returned, please make sure the return envelope is big enough and includes sufficient postage. We will not reply by post to any submissions that come without SAEs.

• Be prepared to wait 3-4 months for a reply. We apologize in advance for this, and thank you for your patience. We receive a huge amount of copy, have only a few readers, and like to read submissions carefully.

• If you’re worried about things going astray in the post, include a stamped, addressed postcard so that we can let you know that your submission has arrived at Ambit.

• Keep a record of exactly what you have sent and when.

• Be aware that Ambit is a non-profit making magazine. We pay our authors merely a token amount to appear in the magazine and give them 2 copies of the issue their work appears in (and discounts on further copies).

• Please note: we regret that are unable to give you any feedback on your work or enter into any correspondence about rejected work.

• Please also note: we do not print articles, essays, interviews, memoirs or biography. We do not accept unsolicited reviews and are not looking for new reviewers.

Here are a few more things to think about

The editors are not overly fond of the following: indiscriminately centre-justified poems; jazzy fonts; poems all in italics for the sake of it; return envelopes from the USA with US stamps on – these have no value in the UK; people who send folders full of poetry or reams of stories; people who fold each poem individually.

Submitting artwork

Most of the art in Ambit is found by our Art Editor on visits to art schools, private views and exhibitions. The illustrations that accompany the poems and stories are commissioned from an established team of artists.

Very little of our artwork comes in on spec. This is party because we have no funding to pay the artists who appear in Ambit.

If, however, you have explored the art in the magazine and feel that your work would print well (black and white only) alongside what you have seen, you are welcome to send in a sample. Send it to:

Mike Foreman
Art Editor
Ambit
17 Priory Gardens
London N6 5QY

Please note:
• Emailed work will be deleted.
• We will only reply if you include a stamped, self-addressed envelope with UK stamps or International Reply Coupons.
• It can take 3-4 months for us to reply.