At time of publication earlier this year it seemed likely that New Contexts: 7 would be the final edition in our anthology series. Largely that position was taken when reflecting the impact of AI on creative writers. However, we live in hope of the triumph of man over machines, and so….
Coverstory books invites submissions for the eighth edition of our New Contexts anthology which we are aiming to publish at end of the first quarter of 2026. The volume seeks to showcase quality contemporary poetry and fiction, and will be made available worldwide in both Paperback and ebook formats via internet retailers and on order from bricks-and-mortar bookshops.
Partly in response to the extortionate entry fees charged by some publications and competitions, submissions are free for this edition. Writers with pieces included in the anthology will receive a complimentary ebook version of New Contexts: 8 – plus the opportunity to purchase copies of the paperback at a discounted price.
Deadline for submissions is 31st January 2026.
For guidelines, word limits etc. please read the guidelines below carefully…
Submission Guidelines.
- Please submit only unpublished work, and pieces submitted should be solely your work.
- No AI-generated or AI-assisted pieces. If I suspect a piece is AI-generated I will not include it.
- Poems should be limited to 60 lines long (excluding the title line and stanza gaps). You may submit a maximum of two poems.
- Prose should be limited to 1,000 words (excluding the title). You may submit a maximum of one piece of fiction.
- Each piece must be submitted in its own individual document which should be in one of the following formats: Word document; .rtf format; plain text format; Apple Pages format. The title of the document should be the title of the piece.
- Please include your name and email address at the bottom of each submission.
- You may submit both poetry and prose, but submitting more than the number of pieces as above or exceeding the line/word counts specified will disqualify all the pieces in that submission.
- Submissions should be sent to coverstorybooks [@] icloud. com. (obviously remove the spaces and brackets to arrive at the correct email address)
- There is no submission fee. In consequence there is no pool of money to fund prizes / physical complimentary copies.
- The authors of pieces chosen to appear in the anthology will receive a copy of New Contexts: 8 in ebook format. There is no other prize / reward offered. Discounted printed copies of the anthology should be available to those authors included (details to follow later).
- Long-listing and final selection will take place during February and March. If an entry is selected its author will be notified accordingly and final approval sought for publication. No other correspondence will be entered into.
- Decisions in relation to selection, layout, and format of the final volume will rest with Coverstory books, and all decisions taken in that regard will be final.
- In making a submission the author is asserting that the material they are offering for publication is their own own work, is not subject to copyright elsewhere, and has not been previously published (including on-line). The author retains copyright over all material submitted.
- Joint submissions are not accepted.
- All those who submit will be added to our mailing lists.
- In making a submission, the author explicitly indemnifies Coverstory books of any responsibility should legal challenges arise over the submitted work.
Deadline for submissions is midnight (UK-time) Saturday 31st January, 2026.
Coverstory Books - Ian Gouge, Publisher 
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