This page is the Call for Entries page for the forthcoming 2026 edition of the biennial anthology, Ten Piscataqua Writers. For more information about, or to order the current edition, Ten Piscataqua Writers 2024, click here. For more info or to order our first anthology, Ten Piscataqua Writers 2022, click here.
Call for Entries
Ten Piscataqua Writers 2026
We are seeking chapter-length submissions of 15-30 manuscript pages. An entry can be an excerpt from a larger work such as a novel or biography, or a single stand alone work such as an essay or short story, or a collection of shorter works, such as a group of poems, flash fiction, or short essays. Entries will be forwarded to the appropriate nonfiction, fiction, or poetry editor for their review and selection in October of 2024. Songwriting entries will be edited by the Poetry Editor. Playwriting entries will be edited by the Fiction Editor.
Eligibility
- Writers must be the sole owner of the copyrighted work submitted. Previously published material can be considered so long as you retain all publishing rights.
- Writers must also reside in one of the towns in Maine or New Hampshire touched and drained by the Piscataqua watershed (see map).
Deadline
Entries must be submitted by midnight Monday, September 30th, 2024.
Writers chosen will be announced in early January 2025
Ten Piscataqua Writers 2026 will be published in October 2025
Entry Guidelines
Send your entry in an email to: editor@tenpiscataqua.com
In your email, please first introduce yourself in 100 words or less, including where you live, something about your writing experience, education, published works, and personal or writing interests. You may also attach a CV or Resume.
In a separate paragraph, please also provide a brief summary of your entry (up to 100 words). Is it a short story? Novel excerpt? Collection of poems? What, when, and where is it about? How many words is it (10,000 max) or how many pages do you expect it to take up (30pp max–poems and short pieces in a collection all start on new pages within a chapter). Single stand alone pieces only need a title, however if it’s a collection of titled short pieces, you will also need a title for the whole group (Chapter Title). Sometimes less is more, try to resist adding material just to max out our guidelines, 20 good short poems is more likely to be chosen over 30 poems that include 10 mediocre ones. If the work, or any part of the work submitted has been previously published, please be sure to mention the citation along with any necessary permissions at the end of your submitted entry.
Attach the actual entry to your email and use your full name (as one word) for the entry’s filename. Attached files may be in Word, Pages, .doc, .rtf, .txt, or .pdf formats. Eg: JohnDoe.pdf
We will not be notifying authors if their pieces are not selected. Please don’t pester us regarding your entry. The writers chosen will be announced in early in the New Year if not beforehand. The most reliable way to find out the results is by subscribing to our intermittent newsletter, Ten Piscataqua News (we do not share our mailing list).
Schedule
The Deal for Writers
Each of the 10 writers chosen receives a 2.5% share of the book’s net profit from crowdfunding payable 1 year from publication, in exchange for the nonexclusive rights to publish their work in the anthology. Currently we offer no advance on royalties, but we are working on that. Together, the 10 writers share 25% of the profit. In addition, writers agree to participate in up to 4 readings around the region in the year following publication. And to be filmed reading so that we can promote you during our crowdfunding campaign.
Profit sharing Gigs
The publishing crew shares another 25% of the book’s net profit, with most of the gigs below earning 2.5% each. At this time we have lined up: Hugo and Nebula Award winning sci-fi author James Patrick Kelly of Nottingham NH to edit fiction, Richard Foerster of Eliot ME, to edit Poetry, and historian Mary Ann Cappiello of Stratham to edit nonfiction. We are currently recruiting a Book and Cover Designer, a Publishing Assistant, an Advance Publicist, a Crowdfunding Mgr, 1 or 2 Social Media Admins, and a Videographer.
No one should expect to get rich, but if the 2022 edition is any guide, you can expect something, but how much depends on how successful we are at crowdfunding and retail sales. For more info on any of the above gigs, please inquire or make your pitch to: gigs@tenpiscataqua.com.