SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Want Redemption?
Transgressive fiction is the lifeblood of Redemption Magazine
Updated: August 20, 2023: Revised introduction. Updated: August 20, 2023: Added details and link to AI guidelines Updated: November 20, 2023: Added more AI guidelines
The rain was drumming a bleak rhythm on the pavement, cold droplets that carried with them the weight of the city’s sins. You could smell the desperation in the air, thick with exhaust and ambition. It was just another twisted evening in my concrete jungle.
You sauntered into my dimly lit office, heels clicking on the worn floor, and that unmistakable glint of hope — or was it desperation? Lust? Resignation? — in your eyes. The neon sign outside my window splashed a red hue across your face, spelling out the word “Redemption” in reverse.
“You the editor?” you asked, your voice like a cigarette burn on satin sheets. I nodded, not taking my eyes off yours.
“Looking for Redemption?” I drawled, tipping back my hat to get a better look at you. The corner of my mouth turned up in a half-smirk. “Honey, you’ve stumbled into the right dingy office.”
Your eyes narrowed, giving away nothing and everything all at once. But in this city, Redemption wasn’t just a word — it was a currency, and everyone was buying or selling.
“Well, sit down and spill,” I motioned to the chair opposite me. “In this town, Redemption ain’t just given; it’s earned off the pain and suffering of those around us.” I paused, taking a deep breath, my gaze hardening. “It’s a cruel marketplace where people trade their scars, their tragedies. Every soul has a price, and sometimes, it costs more than you’re willing to pay.”
Redemption Magazine is not for the faint-hearted!
Looking for Redemption? You’re in the right place.
I don’t like the clean-shaven boy with the necktie and the good job. I like desperate men, men with broken teeth and broken minds and broken ways. They interest me. They are full of surprises and explosions. Charles Bukowski
Welcome to the church of Charles Bukowski.
Well, no. Not really. Redemption isn’t tied to any particular theology here. Bukowski is one of the most recognizable and perhaps infamous transgressive writers (Why does the USofA keep the ‘u’ in ‘infamous’ and not in ‘colour’?)
We are a publication that celebrates those who walk off the beaten path.
Why, flowers are violent, cruel, terrible, splendid…like love. Octave Mirbeau
The only reaction against an unbearable society is equally unbearable nonsense.
What is Transgressive Fiction?
Read the following article for some ideas as to what we believe Transgressive Fiction to be:
Submissions
Redemption wants your souls, your stories. Ones that others are afraid to touch. Break societal taboos, but don’t be a dick and don’t break any laws (e.g. child pornography is taboo here).
Explore the darkest parts of humanity, but make it a work of fiction. We enjoy fiction, not manifestos.
If you want to write for Redemption, first follow the publication —
Then simply comment on this article — “I want Redemption,” with your Medium username. An editor will look over your profile and get back to you as soon as inhumanly possible. (We have lives outside of this, too)
If you desire writing guidelines, look at other publications. Editors have written the same guidelines a hundred times or more. But to summarize, we want:
- fiction
- any length
- any topic
- specializing in transgression — horror and fantasy, but open to any genre
We will read your story before it is published and may offer you some edit notes too.
Images
If you don’t include an image with your submission, we will pick one for you. If you include a header photo, we like it at the very top of the story. Have a read of this to find out how to achieve this.
Add an Image
Add an image with copyright to your story. If you don’t, we will.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Redemption
Read here about Redemption’s policies on the use of generative AI, specifically ChatGPT et al., in the stories we recieve.
More on AI and what we expect. If you send in a 100% AI story, it’ll get punted right back. We want human-driven stories. Keep the AI-generated content for “How I Made a Million Dollars in One Week on Medium” clickbait content shit.
Medium has rules!
As well, we reside in the house that Medium built, you must also follow Medium’s policies. We wouldn't have a place to play if they hadn’t given us one.
One last thing — the editor’s decision is final. This is our house, and we reserve the right to refuse service to anybody on any grounds. We’re easy-going guys, so it’ll be hard to rile us up, but our memory is long.
Recap
- Follow Redemption.
- Write for Redemption. We all need Redemption. Writing for us is your best chance.
- Use your free will.
- Think for yourself.
- We will not make you rich.
- You will not make us rich.
- We will not lead you to the promised land. But you will get a chance to read and write interesting and provocative fiction.
And sometimes, a chance is all anyone gets.
Transgressive Thursdays
For the additional guidelines to submit to our Transgressive Thursdays' microfiction section, the guidelines are in the following article.
Other fine publications, in no particular order: