Rat World Submissions Guidelines/FAQ:
Hey! Thank you for wanting to submit to Rat World! The information on this page should give you all the information you need when submitting to our magazine, when/where you can submit, and some technical details that are important for print.
Who do you accept?
Anyone! Whether you’re just a young kid, an established artist in their 20s-30s, enjoying middle-age, or a 72-year old comic artist - we look at every piece of work that comes our way.
When/Where can I submit my work?
Send through your submission via email during a submission period. Submission periods open roughly six weeks before we release the next issue, and the best place to stay updated is through our social media channels: Instagram, Twitter.
(NB: Emails for reviewing, interviews, collaborations and general feedback are welcome at any time!)
What do you accept for submission?
Anything! Rat World is about creating an accessible platform for experimental/emerging/minority creatives to showcase their work, so we’re open to whatever you have - no matter how weird, experimental or strange it is.
For note, the sections in our magazine are: Music, Arts, Writing, Poetry, Community, and Comics. However, we are happy to home genreless works, interviews and all that good stuff that doesn’t quite fit in anywhere - including multimedia & audiovisual works.
We try to keep our barrier to entry as low as possible. If you need support or advice during the submissions process, let us know in the email you send OR reach out over Instagram.
Technical Specifications :
Writing - 4K upper word limit, no lower limit, any file type. We can consider serializing longer pieces across issues, but please pitch this to us.
Images - 300+dpi, any file type, any dimensions. We can work with lower dpi, but it might not look good in print. If designing for a full page, please use 205x208mm.
Here’s an example of setting dpi in Photoshop:
I have the start of an idea, but it’s not perfect.
Awesome! Send what you have through to us + give us a brief pitch on what you want to turn it into. Many of our published pieces started off as DMs or cold-call emails, and we’re always looking to help you develop new ideas or to give a new artist the encouragement they need to finish something.
(Fun fact: SPECK, the comics zine, started off as a cold-call email to us!)
I’ve been published before, can I still submit to Rat World?
Yes, we will accept pieces that have found a place somewhere else for submission. But let’s say you’ve got a loose sketch, an unfinished .doc file, a song without lyrics - that’s more in line with what we’re looking to help develop & publish.
What do I receive if my work is accepted?
Congratulations on being accepted! Contributors receive NZD$30 + a complimentary copy of the magazine that they’re in.
My question wasn’t answered!
Feel free to email us, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. We’re a two-person operation, so please understand if we don’t reply right away.