Everything you need to know before you send your work. Read this before you submit — it will save us both time, and it will make your submission stronger.
Flash fiction, micro-essay, prose poem
300–800 words per piece. We run 3–4 pieces per issue.
Issue 1 theme: HUNGER. The theme is an editorial lens, not a mandate — your piece does not need to mention or address hunger directly.
Manuscript format — double-spaced, Times New Roman 12pt, standard margins. Title on first page. No author name in the document itself. Google Doc or .docx
This section rewards compression. We are not looking for setup. The best Pulse pieces begin in the middle of something and leave before the ending is tidy. We want desire, tension, or dread — not all three at once, but at least one with clarity.
We will consider up to 3 flash pieces per submission email. Submit them as a single document, each piece beginning on a new page.
Short fiction
1,500–3,500 words. We run 1–2 pieces per issue. Do not send us the beginning of a novel.
Issue 1: HUNGER — in any of its readings. Sexual, emotional, physical, spiritual. The piece is complete in itself.
Manuscript format — double-spaced, Times New Roman 12pt, standard margins. Title on first page. No author name in the document itself. Google Doc or .docx
This is the centrepiece of the magazine. We are not looking for plot-driven erotica — we are looking for literary fiction that happens to be honest about desire. The difference is craft: sentence-level attention, earned emotion, genuine character. If your piece would work just as well without the sexuality, it is probably not right for us. If the sexuality is inseparable from the story, you may be onto something.
We do not require a happy ending. We do not require explicit content. We do not require the theme word to appear in the text. We require the writing to hold up on a second read.
No simultaneous excerpts from larger works. We will consider self-contained flash pieces and short stories only. If you are querying a novel, we are not the right venue for excerpts at this stage.
Interview, profile, or Q&A
1,200–2,500 words plus portrait series (3–5 images)
Writers, artists, sex workers, kink educators, photographers, academics, practitioners — anyone doing interesting work at the intersection of desire and culture
Pitch first — tell us who, why, and what angle you are bringing. We will commission before you conduct the interview.
Portrait series required. You may commission a photographer or shoot yourself. Model release required for all subjects.
We are looking for genuine conversation, not promotion. The subject does not need to be famous. They need to have something worth saying. Sex workers, educators, and practitioners are as valued here as published authors or exhibiting artists — more so, if their experience is honest and their voice is theirs.
Pitch to submissions@neonpulsemag.com with the subject line: PITCH — THE CONVERSATION — [Subject Name or Description]
Photography series, illustration series, mixed media
4–8 pages. Submit a portfolio of 10–20 images; we will work with you on final selection and sequencing.
Minimum 300 DPI at intended print size. Preferred format: TIFF or high-quality JPEG. Colour profile: Adobe RGB or sRGB.
R-rated. We publish nudity, erotic content, kink and fetish imagery. We do not publish explicit penetration or simulated sex acts. Context-dependent exceptions apply — contact us before submitting if you are unsure.
Required for all photography featuring real, identifiable people. Must cover digital and print publication in Neon Pulse specifically. Provide on acceptance — do not submit releases with your initial portfolio.
Required. You must be able to provide proof that all subjects are 18+ before publication. This is a legal requirement, not a preference.
Required. 100–250 words. Runs as sidebar or closing page in the pictorial.
We are looking for work that creates beauty and desire simultaneously — not documentation. The pictorials in Neon Pulse are intentional and unapologetic. We are not looking for work that hedges or softens itself into something safe. We are looking for the photographer’s genuine vision.
Exposure (Sections 2 and 5) are distinct. Exposure 1 is desire-forward and grounded. Exposure 2 is more conceptual — this is where genre undertones may surface. Fantasy, horror, sci-fi are welcome here if they serve the work.
Do not send full-resolution files in your initial submission. Send a portfolio of web-resolution previews (longest dimension 1,200–1,800px). Full resolution is requested on acceptance only.
Review, essay, cultural criticism
400–700 words. We run 2–3 pieces per issue.
Books, film, art, music, games, performance, online culture — anything touching desire, the body, or sexual culture. Recent is preferred but not required.
Have a point of view. We want opinions, not summaries. We want to know what you think and why you think it.
This section rewards writers with taste and conviction. A 500-word takedown of a film that got desire wrong is more interesting to us than a 700-word plot summary of one that got it right. Tell us something we would not know from reading the back of the book.
We will also consider pitches for cultural essays and think-pieces on desire, sex work, kink culture, the erotics of media, or related topics. Pitch the angle, not the conclusion.
Personal essay, first-person nonfiction, practitioner perspective
800–1,500 words. We run 1–2 pieces per issue.
Kink practice and community, sex work, fetish, sexual health, body autonomy, alternative lifestyles — written from lived experience
Real. Not sanitized, not sensationalized. Your voice, your experience, your terms.
Available upon request. Request in your submission email. No explanation required.
This section exists because voices from inside these communities are underrepresented in literary publishing and overrepresented in journalism that treats them as subjects rather than authors. You are the author here. We are not looking for you to explain your life to a skeptical outsider. We are looking for you to write about it as the insider you are.
Frequencies is not fiction. Pieces submitted here should be clearly nonfiction. If you are writing a fictionalised account of real events, submit it to Skin & Ink with a note about the context.
Anonymity is available without question. If you request it, your piece will run under a reasonable pseudonym of your choosing. Your real identity will not appear anywhere in the publication. This is honoured without exception.
56 pages. Eight sections. Digital PDF and Print-on-Demand. Published quarterly from British Columbia, Canada.
You are doing this now. Good. Check which section is right for your work. Check the word count and format requirements before you write your submission email.
Written work: Word document (.doc or .docx) or clean PDF. Manuscript format — double-spaced, 12pt serif. Title and word count on page 1. No author name in the document. Photography: web-resolution JPEGs for initial submission. Artist statement as separate document.
Send your submission to submissions@neonpulsemag.com. Subject line: [SECTION] — [TITLE] (e.g., SKIN & INK — The Weight of It). Brief cover note: your name, piece title, word count, and one sentence about the work. That is all we need. We will read the work. In the case of multiple submissions, use the title of your first submission.
Response window is 60–90 days. We read everything. We will respond. If you accept an offer elsewhere, notify us immediately at the same address. We will not hold withdrawal against future submissions.
Questions not answered here? Email us at submissions@neonpulsemag.com — but read the guidelines first.