Pitches and Submissions

Before pitching, please read pieces we’ve already published. For topics of interest and a detailed description of what we look for, see our call for pitches below.

We publish reviews, essays, interviews, and excerpts. While we are especially committed to publishing writing on, about, and from Cleveland and Ohio, as well as the Rust Belt and greater Midwest, regional connection is by no means a requirement.

Our conception of what criticism is and can be is purposefully expansive, generous, and open. We publish writers at all stages of their careers, regardless of publication history.

Email pitches@clereviewofbooks.com to pitch or submit a piece. Everything we receive will be considered for publication in both our online and print magazines. If pitching, please provide a specific angle or provisional idea(s) of how you might go about the review/essay/etc. If you have not written for us before, please send one or two samples of previous cultural criticism or reviews you have written, if you have them. Our current rates are $100 for online publication and $200 for print. We aim to respond to all pitches and submissions within six weeks.

We are not currently open for unsolicited submissions of fiction and poetry.

The Cleveland Review of Books invites pitches and submissions of critical writing that prioritizes formal vision and generous engagement with its subject matter. We look for writing with a committed sense of style and perspective. We call for analysis that takes calculated risks and rewards attention. We seek authors who challenge our readers to relate themselves more completely to their worlds. Beyond genre, we value critical writing in any shape that fits one or more of the categories below. We also encourage pitches that purposefully push at their boundaries. 

The writing we publish frequently takes the form of a review. It is our conviction that the very best “reviews” are critical-creative essays initiated by one or more texts operating in a recognizable critical mode. They may also be collaborations, letters, conversations, disruptions, or other inventions. Furthermore, a “text” can be many things. Our aspiration is to publish writing that examines ideas, techniques, and contexts that extend beyond any singular work or moment, offering the aforementioned qualities of style and analysis regardless of the timeliness of its concerns or the recognizability of its form. To acquaint yourself with the quality and styles we’re interested in, we recommend reading what’s on our site before pitching.  

To submit, please see our guidelines above. We welcome pitches on: