ONE OF THE MOST WRITER-FRIENDLY PUBLICATIONS AROUND

After 29 years, Glimmer Train has pulled out of the station. We closed to submissions at midnight on May 15, 2019, and ceased operations on December 15, 2019.

Every submission in every category has always been read by us, and we never stopped reading for a competition just because we'd found a good story. (the slush pile)

Stories were published in a handsome print publication where great fiction continues to enjoy a physical existence that will persist. (Online publication is a great avenue for writers, too, but we've always believed that an exceptional story deserves a long life and a place in the Library of Congress.)

Each story we published has been accompanied by two pages that focus on the author as a person. (Most serious writers are curious about the creators of the stories they love.)

We've been open to stories on all subjects and themes and, as long as a story was also literary, we gladly welcomed genre-esque work as well.

Our contracts have been simple, sensible, and fair. YOU own your story. When a story was accepted for publication, we were buying first-publication rights. Once we published your story, authors were free to, for instance, include it in their own collection. (Publishers are always happy when subsets of a book they are considering have previously been published by reputable literary publications.)

Writers were paid generously for accepted stories ($700 - $3,000) and were paid upon acceptance.

We maintained two Standard minimal-fee ($2) reading periods a year.

We accepted snail-mail submissions from those for whom online submission was difficult.

If you read Glimmer Train, you know that we went to some lengths to honor and support our contributors and their writing.

We also published Writers Ask, an inexpensive, no-frills, topic-centered publication for writers who are committed to creating meaningful literary fiction. This publication presented the wisdom and perspectives of accomplished authors, many of whom teach in creative writing programs around the country.

Because many writers yearn for a greater sense of community and for opportunities to learn from fellow writers, our free monthly bulletins also presented a handful of helpful essays by writers for writers. You can still access the archives here for free.