It doesn’t feel honest to call this Frequently Asked Questions, since we don’t get a ton of questions. The small press submission process is pretty standardized this year, and we think our methods are somewhat self-explanatory. However, as a dude who cares about the author experience, I frequently consider things that will make that experience simpler and more enjoyable. Here are the things I contemplate regularly, posed as questions you may have for me.

—Andrew Keating, Publisher

What if I feel that my work is a good fit for Cobalt, but it doesn’t clearly match one of your stated submission categories?

As we shift to our new publishing schedule—releasing weekly content by individual authors, rather than a bunch of stuff whenever we feel like it—there are a lot more opportunities for us to be flexible with categories. If you have something unusual or that straddles the line between two or more genres, send us an inquiry by email. We’ll definitely give it a good look.

You never seem to be open to full-length manuscript submissions. What’s up with that?

What an excellent question! The vast majority of the book publishing work is handled by a single individual (our publisher, Andrew Keating). He simply doesn’t have the time to review a large quantity of manuscripts in a time that is fair to the submitter. Trust him, he’s tried. Twice. Keep an on eye on the home page and social media; we’ll let you know when we’re open.

What is your average submission response time?

Let us answer your question with a question: why do you expect us to respond to your submission in a reasonable amount of time? Pffft. Needy authors.

We jest. The fact is, we don’t know what our response times are going to look like in the new Cobalt Weekly format. We do our best to keep it under six months. Some editors like to review content as it comes, while others prefer to review in bulk. Sorry—guarantees are not really our thing when it comes to questions of this nature, since they’re so easily broken.

How many works can I submit at any one time?

Try not to send us more than one prose (fiction/nonfiction) submission initially, since we won’t publish multiple prose pieces (even flash, unless the works are clearly connected, in which case they should be submitted together as a single work) by the same author at any given time. Once you’ve heard from us, you can go ahead and submit again.

Poetry is a bit different, and we tend to maintain a three-poem maximum. That said, note that we have two poetry editors, each with a different set of guidelines and interests. You should not be submitting the same work(s) to both of editors simultaneously (we will immediately—and without prejudice—dislike you if you do).

Why are you making me read ten stories, poems, or essays before I submit anything?

Nobody is forcing you to do anything, buddy. Calm down.

We are proud of this style of submission guidelines. It’s a great way for submitters to know whether they are a good fit with any particular editor’s preferences. It’s also a chance for the editors to show off their personalities and interests. We figure that if you identify closely with one or more of the works in our guideline lists, it makes sense for you to submit to Cobalt Review. Additionally, the easiest way to get blacklisted, not that editors do that (no, never) is to repeatedly send us stuff we clearly have no interest in publishing (such as the deluge of fantasy pornography we got for a few months in 2012). All in all, we want to make sure that our mutual experience, as writers and editors, is as positive as it can be.

Discuss your feelings about simultaneous submissions.

They’re OK.

What if my question isn’t listed here?

Then it sucks to be you. Or maybe it’s great to be you. We really have no way of knowing that. Send your other questions to us by email. Maybe we’ll add them to the list.