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The Reader magazine is the written voice of the Reading Revolution.

“The Reader is thoughtful and true.” Doris Lessing

Published quarterly since 1997, The Reader is the only magazine that offers the whole literary mix: new fiction and poetry, classic and neglected works, interviews with leading figures in the world of the arts, thought-pieces, advice for reading groups, research into reading, news from the world of books.

“The Reader is one of the best things to thump through the letter box. . . . Full of pithy, passionate and precise things.” Seamus Heaney

The Reader offers great writing wherever we can find it, presenting big names and new voices side by side.

“Just what real readers need – good writing and good thinking about writing and reading.” A. S. Byatt

“The Reader is really good quality stuff without being completely up its own arse like most literary magazines. Completely pretension-free. Beautiful.” Kirsty McHugh (otherstories.typepad.com)

Subscribe here: your subscription to The Reader helps to support the valuable outreach work of The Reader Organisation.

The Reader Editorial Team

• Philip Davis, Editor
• Sarah Coley, Deputy Editor
• Maura Kennedy, Co-Editor
• Angela Macmillan, Co-Editor
• Eleanor McCann, Co-Editor
• Brian Nellist MBE, Co-Editor

Submission Guidelines

The Reader is always seeking lively new voices and we would especially like to receive recommendations of books you have loved. We do not accept email submissions.

Poetry and Short Fiction

Poetry and short fiction accounts for 20-25% of each issue of The Reader and we encourage published and non-published writers to send in their work. As a guideline for length/quantity, short stories or (more rarely) extracts from novels are normally 2,000-2,500 words long, and we ask that no more than six poems are submitted at one time.

Non-Fiction

General Articles: The Reader publishes longer articles on individual writers, on aspects of literature, on literature and thought, and on the role of reading in life. These range from 1,500-2,000 words in length. Here, as elsewhere, the editors look for freshness of perception and quality of engagement.

Reviews: The magazine welcomes reviews of recent titles in the fields of poetry, fiction, autobiography, literary biography and literary criticism. Purely destructive reviews are not usually published. Reviews are normally between 1,000-2,500 words long but they can be shorter. They should include full details of the book reviewed.

Recommendations: The ‘Reader Recommends’ section of the magazine is an opportunity to commend a favourite or recently-discovered work, usually (but not necessarily) of fiction. Titles have included ancient classics as well as modern novels. The editors look for work which communicates why the book matters, and which makes telling use of quotation. Recommendations are normally 500 words long.

Alternatively, you could write a shorter recommendation for our ‘Good Books’ section, which is usually around  50 to 100 words.

Submissions should be sent, in typescript only please, to:

Magazine Submissions,
The Reader Organisation
The Friary Centre,
Bute Street,
LIVERPOOL,
L5 3LA

Please note: we cannot accept submissions via e-mail and a S.A.E. is required for the return of submissions. Please email magazine@thereader.org.uk if you have any further queries. If you are sending submissions from overseas, please do not send postal coupons (replies can be sent by email).