Submissions & Guidelines

Submissions to The Journal of Experimental Fiction

The Journal of Experimental Fiction publishes avant-garde, hybrid, and experimental fiction. Founded by novelist and editor Eckhard Gerdes in 1986, we have published over 100 titles across novels, novellas, anthologies, and our long-running journal series.

The Kenneth Patchen Award for the Innovative Novel

Our primary submission window each year is the Kenneth Patchen Award for the Innovative Novel — $1,000 prize and publication. Entries are accepted via our entry-fee page ($25 entry fee). The annual submission window typically opens in late spring and closes in early autumn; the next deadline will be announced here.

Other inquiries

For general submissions, query letters, agent contact, and editorial questions, write directly to egerdes@experimentalfiction.com. We are a small press; please be patient with response times.

Coming soon

A fuller submissions portal — guidelines per category, current open calls, response times, and past Patchen Award winners — is being built as part of an upcoming site refresh.