What We Pay (and how we do it)
Payments and Fees
For information about where and how we spend the monies generated by our submission fees and issue sales, please see our Transparency Index below.
We continue to pursue a sustainable model of independent publishing. For now, our model includes charging fees for submissions and fiction critiques, and we also are able to pay our staff as well as contributors consistently. Every issue, we get better at what we do. Our readers and editors become more skilled and more incisive, and our operations more efficient.
Current Fees
- Our standard submission fees are $4 for poetry and flash prose, and $5 for longer prose.
- We offer free submissions to writers from historically marginalized groups
- Our critique pricing for fiction is on a sliding scale:
- 1 – 1,499 words, the price for a full critique is $50.
- 1,500 – 4,999 words, the price for a full critique is $60.
- 5,000 – 6,000 words, the price for a full critique is $70.
Digital Subscriptions
Digital copies of TLR cost $3.99 for a single issue, and a three-issue subscription is $8.99. A print copy is $10.99; three-issue subscriptions are $30.
Contributor Payments
Authors of long prose and long works of poetry receive $135. Contributors of shorter poetry and flash prose receive $55.
Thank you for supporting endeavor. We hope to be providing stories, essays, and poems you want to read, by people you want to know, for many more years to come.
Thank you for being a part of what we do at Tahoma Literary Review.
Your TLR editors
The Transparency Index
Because we're committed to transparency in the publishing process, we publish a transparency index for each of our issues. Tahoma Literary Review pays everyone involved in our publication, from publisher/editor to production artist.
Payment is made possible by:
- Revenues received from submission fees (fees are $4 or $5)
- Critique and feedback services for works in progress
- Sales of individual issues and subscriptions
- A portion (20%) of the fees paid to the publishers for speaking engagements, articles written dealing with the work of TLR, or other engagements undertaken in the role of publisher or editor
- Donations
Here are the audited statistics from our past issues and reading periods:
Issue 22 (Spring 2022)
Issue 21 (Summer 2021)
Issue 20 (Spring 2021)
Issue 19 (Fall/Winter 2020)
Issue 18 (Spring 2020)
Issue 17 (Spring 2020)
Issue 16 (Fall/Winter 2019)
Issue 15 (Summer 2019)
Issue 14 (Spring 2019)
Issue 13 (Fall/Winter 2018)
Issue 11 (Spring 2018)
| Poetry | Nonfiction | Flash | Fiction | Total | ||
| Submissions | 367 | 109 | 149 | 395 | 1,020 | |
| Submission Fees | $2,423 | $789 | $776 | $3,682 | $7,670 | |
| Submittable Fee (5% + $.99/sub) | $523 | $148 | $187 | $576 | $1,434 | |
| Donations | $0 | |||||
| Net Submission Income | $1,870 | $641 | $589 | $3,106 | $6,206 | |
| Pieces Selected | 11 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 21 | |
| Pay Rate | $50/$125 | $125 | $50 | $125 | ||
| Contributor Payments | $625 | $375 | $100 | $625 | $1,725 | |
| Other Production Expenses | $1,213 | |||||
| Income (Loss) | $3,269 | |||||
| Publishers' Share (distributed among four partners/editors) | $2,000 | |||||
| Retained in Tahoma Literary Review |
|
| Note: We have revised our Transparency Index slightly for issue 11. For one, we have made contributor payments uniform across genres. For another, we are including here other production expenses, including pay for our readers, copy editor, graphic designer, and cover artist. |
Issue 10 (
| Category | Poetry | Fiction | Nonfiction | Flash | Flash Nonfiction | Total |
| Submissions | 252 | 262 | 61 | 78 | 37 | 690 |
| Fee Income | 1008.00 | 2340.00 | 369.00 | 376.00 | 176.00 | 4269.00 |
| Submittable fee 5% + $.99 per sub | 376.00 | 300.00 | 79.00 | 96.00 | 45.00 | 897.00 |
| Donation Share | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 50.00 |
| Publisher Share | 248.00 | 687.00 | 0.00 | 98.00 | 40.00 | 1073.86 |
| Available to Pay | 470.00 | 1286.00 | 300.00 | 192.00 | 100.00 | 2347.00 |
| Pieces Selected | 9 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 21 |
| Pay Rate | 52.00 | 300.00 | 150.00 | 50.00 | 50.00 |
Notes: Figures are rounded to the nearest dollar amount. Some income from Fiction was shifted to increase payment amounts to other categories. Fiction maximum is $300. Flash Fiction and Flash Nonfiction maximums are $50. In case you’re wondering, the Publisher Share is used for things like business licenses and fees, advertising, and web development. So far, for each issue we’ve elected to cut our publishers’ share, and put additional funds into the payment pool.
Issue 9
| Category | Poetry | Fiction | Nonfiction | Flash | Flash Nonfiction | Total |
| Submissions | 248 | 282 | 57 | 70 | 24 | 681 |
| Fee Income | 992.00 | 1968.00 | 353.00 | 350.00 | 126.00 | 3789.00 |
| Submittable fee 5% + $.99 per sub | 295.00 | 378.00 | 74.00 | 87.00 | 30.00 | 1196.69 |
| Donation Share | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 50.00 |
| Publisher Share | 244.00 | 557.00 | 0.00 | 73.00 | 0.00 | 1163.86 |
| Available to Pay | 463.00 | 1044.00 | 289.00 | 200.00 | 106.00 | 2845.45 |
| Pieces Selected | 10 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 24 |
| Pay Rate | 50.00 | 253.00 | 120.00 | 50.00 | 45.00 |
Notes: Figures are rounded to the nearest dollar amount. Some income from Fiction was shifted to increase payment amounts to Poetry and Nonfiction. Flash Fiction and Flash Nonfiction maximums are $50. In case you’re wondering, the Publisher Share is used for things like business licenses and fees, advertising, and web development. So far, for each issue we’ve elected to cut our publishers’ share, and put additional funds into the payment pool.
Issue 8| Category | Poetry | Fiction | Nonfiction | Flash | Flash Nonfiction | Total |
| Submissions | 460 | 301 | 62 | 86 | 47 | 956 |
| Fee Income | 1840.00 | 2123.00 | 382.00 | 420.00 | 240.00 | 5005.00 |
| Submittable fee 5% + $.99 per sub | 547.40 | 404.14 | 80.48 | 106.14 | 58.53 | 1196.69 |
| Donation Share | 27.60 | 27.60 | 27.60 | 27.60 | 27.60 | 138.00 |
| Publisher Share | 452.41 | 601.60 | 0.00 | 109.85 | 0.00 | 1163.86 |
| Available to Pay | 867.79 | 1144.86 | 392.12 | 231.61 | 209.07 | 2845.45 |
| Pieces Selected | 13 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 28 |
| Pay Rate | 66.75 | 250.00 | 149.00 | 50.00 | 50.00 |
Note: some income from Fiction and Flash Fiction was shifted to increase payment amounts to Nonfiction. Flash Fiction and Flash Nonfiction maximums are $50.
Issue 7| Category | Poetry | Fiction | Nonfiction | Flash | Flash Nonfiction | Total |
| Submissions | 154 | 154 | 24 | 53 | 25 | 410 |
| Fee Income | 616.00 | 924.00 | 144.00 | 212.00 | 100.00 | 1996.00 |
| Submittable fee 5% + $.99 per sub | 183.26 | 198.66 | 30.96 | 63.07 | 29.75 | 505.70 |
| Donation Share | 21.20 | 21.20 | 21.20 | 21.20 | 21.20 | 106.00 |
| Print Sales Share | 8.80 | 8.80 | 8.80 | 8.80 | 8.80 | 44.00 |
| Publisher Share | 154.54 | 256.95 | -99.19 | 27.60 | 27.67 | 367.57 |
| Available to Pay | 308.20 | 498.39 | 124.81 | 151.33 | 72.68 | 1272.73 |
| Pieces Selected | 10 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 19 |
| Pay Rate | 30.82 | 160.13 | 75.00 | 50.00 | 50.00 |
| Category | Poetry | Fiction | Nonfiction | Flash | Flash Nonfiction | Total |
| Submissions | 160 | 141 | 38 | 48 | 22 | 409 |
| Fee | 4.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 | |
| Fee Income | 640.00 | 846.00 | 228.00 | 192.00 | 88.00 | 1994.00 |
| Submittable fee 5% + $.99 per sub | 190.00 | 182.00 | 49.00 | 57.00 | 26.00 | 504.00 |
| Donation Share | 5.00 | 5.00 | 55.00 | 5.00 | 55.00 | 125.00 |
| Print Sales Share | 5.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 | 25.00 |
| Publisher Share | 130.00 | 258.00 | 14.00 | 5.00 | 11.00 | 418.00 |
| Available to Pay | 330.00 | 416.00 | 225.00 | 140.00 | 111.00 | 1222.00 |
| Pieces Selected | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 25 |
| Pay Rate | 30.00 | 104.00 | 75.00 | 35.00 | 37.00 |
| Category | Poetry | Fiction | Nonfiction | Flash | Flash Nonfiction | Total |
| Submissions | 234 | 197 | 25 | 63 | 29 | 548 |
| Fee | 4.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 | |
| Fee Income | 936.00 | 1182.00 | 150.00 | 252.00 | 116.00 | 2636.00 |
| Submittable fee 5% + $.99 per sub | 278.46 | 254.13 | 32.25 | 74.97 | 34.51 | 582.64 |
| Donation Share | 31.50 | 31.50 | 31.50 | 31.50 | 31.50 | 157.50 |
| Print Sales Share | 21.37 | 21.37 | 21.37 | 21.37 | 21.37 | 106.87 |
| Publisher Share | 118.81 | 166.12 | 0.00 | 34.72 | 18.00 | 437.65 |
| Available to Pay | 591.60 | 814.63 | 170.62 | 195.18 | 116.36 | 1888.39 |
| Pieces Selected | 15 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 31 |
| Pay Rate | 39.44 | 135.77 | 85.31 | 39.04 | 38.79 |
| Category | Poetry | Fiction | Nonfiction | Flash | Flash Nonfiction | Total |
| Submissions | 242 | 123 | 39 | 49 | 23 | 476 |
| Fee | 4.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 | |
| Fee Income | 968.00 | 738.00 | 234.00 | 196.00 | 92.00 | 2228.00 |
| Submittable fee 5% + $.99 per sub | 287.98 | 158.67 | 39.51 | 58.31 | 27.37 | 582.64 |
| Donation Share | 15.43 | 15.43 | 15.43 | 15.43 | 15.43 | 52.50 |
| Print Sales Share | 21.64 | 21.64 | 21.64 | 21.64 | 21.64 | 108.21 |
| Publisher Share | 122.79 | 105.17 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.70 | 229.66 |
| Available to Pay | 594.30 | 511.23 | 220.76 | 174.76 | 100.00 | 1576.41 |
| Pieces Selected | 15 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 27 |
| Pay Rate | 39.62 | 127.81 | 110.36 | 43.69 | 50.00 |
| Category | Poetry | Fiction | Nonfiction | Flash | Flash Nonfiction | Total |
| Submissions | 144 | 91 | 21 | 44 | 10 | 310 |
| Fee | 4.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 | |
| Fee Income | 576.00 | 546.00 | 126.00 | 176.00 | 40.00 | 1464.00 |
| Submittable fee 5% + $.99 per sub | 171.36 | 117.39 | 27.09 | 52.36 | 11.90 | 380.10 |
| Donation Share | 5.00 | 5.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 | 22.00 |
| Print Sales Share | 21.64 | 21.64 | 21.64 | 21.64 | 21.64 | 108.21 |
| Publisher Share | 74.60 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 431.21 |
| Available to Pay | 356.68 | 455.25 | 124.55 | 149.28 | 53.74 | 1005.49 |
| Pieces Selected | 10 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 20 |
| Pay Rate | 35.67 | 113.81 | 62.28 | 49.76 | 53.74 |
| Category | Poetry | Fiction | Nonfiction | Flash | Flash Nonfiction | Total |
| Submissions | 225 | 135 | 49 | 52 | 24 | 461 |
| Fee | 4.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 | |
| Fee Income | 900.00 | 810.00 | 294.00 | 208.00 | 96.00 | 2308.00 |
| Submittable fee 5% + $.99 per sub | 267.75 | 174.15 | 63.21 | 61.88 | 28.56 | 595.55 |
| Donation Share | 139.51 | 139.51 | 139.51 | 42.67 | 43.81 | 505.00 |
| Print Sales Share | 19.00 | 19.00 | 19.00 | 19.00 | 19.00 | 95.00 |
| Publisher Share | 113.97 | 229.20 | 0.00 | 57.79 | 30.25 | 431.21 |
| Available to Pay | 676.79 | 565.16 | 389.29 | 150.00 | 100.00 | 1881.24 |
| Pieces Selected | 18 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 31 |
| Pay Rate | 37.60 | 141.29 | 97.32 | 50.00 | 50.00 |
Issue 1
| Category | Poetry | Fiction | Flash | Total |
| Submissions | 351 | 167 | 79 | 597 |
| Fee | 4.00 | 6.00 | 4.00 | |
| Sub Total | 1404.00 | 1002.00 | 316.00 | 2722.00 |
| Submittable fee 5% + $.99 per sub | 417.69 | 215.43 | 94.01 | 727.13 |
| Donation Share | 35.00 | 45.00 | 35.00 | 115.00 |
| Sub Total | 1021.31 | 831.57 | 256.99 | 2109.87 |
| Publisher Share | 295.00 | 150.00 | 6.99 | 445.00 |
| Available to Pay | 726.31 | 681.57 | 250.00 | 1664.87 |
| Pieces Selected | 24 | 5 | 5 | 34 |
| Pay Rate | 30.26 | 136.31 | 50.00 |