- What opportunities does East of the Web offer writers?

- How can I submit a story to East of the Web?

- Does East of the Web accept submissions from new writers?

- Is there a word limit on submissions?

- How is my copyright protected when publishing on the web?

- Who can I contact if I have further questions about publishing on the site?

East of the Web is keen to provide exposure for writers by offering them a place where their work will be seen and read in a high quality, respected setting. The site receives about half a million unique visitors per month, so successful submissions are likely to be viewed by more readers than in almost any other short story publication. In addition, the site receives attention from agents, the press, film makers, schools, universities and other publishers.

Note that our editorial standards are high and we do not publish all the submissions we receive. If necessary, editors work with authors of successful submissions prior to placing the story on the site.

Accepted authors receive a page on the site where readers can access all the author's stories as well as biographical or event information, story background and links. Any comments posted to the site relating to your submission will be made available to you.

We do not require exclusive use of your submission - in fact, our comments system and author pages provide not only a focus for readers and reader feedback, but also a point for other publishers to contact you. All work can be removed within two weeks of you contacting us if this becomes necessary.

To submit to East of the Web, take the following steps:

1. Protect your copyright (see below).

2. By submitting a story to us you agree to our Terms and Conditions. Note particularly that by submitting a work to us you guarantee that you are the owner of the copyright to that work. We do not require any transfer of this copyright - by submitting a story to us you agree to grant East of the Web a non-exclusive licence to publish the work.

3. E-Mail the submission to submissionsa@eastoftheweb.com. The subject of the email must consist only of the words 'EotW Submission' or the words 'Short Story for EotW'. You should send your story as an attachment - in TEXT or Microsoft Word format - or, if your email system does not allow attachments, copy and paste it into the e-mail body. Remember to include the work's title, the author's name and contact e-mail (if different) in the submission.

Note:

- Attachments should only be in Microsoft Word, Rich Text or Text format. Do not send ZIPed files.

- Do not send any other attachments - such as photographs or other images - with the story.

- Do not send us a large number of stories at the same time. If you have several stories available, we suggest you send only one or two that give the best indication of your writing.

4. Please include a brief biography in the body of the e-mail, including any recent publishing history.

5. You should receive an e-mail confirming receipt of the submission. If you do not receive this email within a week, you should assume the story has not reached us.

Please note that we receive a very large number of submissions and failure to adhere to these submission guidelines will severely decrease the chances of your submission being viewed.

East of the Web Short Stories is an open submission site and we are always on the look-out for 'fresh new voices'. We continue to read all the submissions we receive and judge them on the quality of the writing, regardless of the author's commercial experience. However, the standard of submissions is extremely high and you will be up against authors who take their writing seriously. Take time to read some of the stories on the site and if you think you have what it takes, we'd love to hear from you.

This is a short story site - we do not accept extracts from novels (except where the piece is complete in itself) or works in progress. Rather than set specific word limits, we are interested in receiving any pieces that authors consider to be in the form of a short story.

In any public arena your work is at risk from copyright infringement and you should take steps to ensure that you can be identified as holder of copyright on your work. Although the issues surrounding the enforcement of copyright in the digital domain are currently hotly debated, there are definite ways of making sure your position as author is recognised should an infringement be detected. The following sites contain useful information on copyright protection in various parts of the world:

- The U.S. Copyright Office - Copyright Information (includes 'Copyright Basics')
- Nolo - Copyright Registration and Enforcement, How to get maximum protection from the federal copyright laws.
- The U.K. Patent Office - Copyright.
- UK Government - How do I get copyright protection in other countries?

Please note we are unable to provide advice on copyright protection - if you are concerned about copyright, we suggest you contact a lawyer.

If you have any questions, we can be contacted here. Please read all the information on this page before submitting a question to this address as we are unable to answer emails relating to questions that are answered here.