The Curious Reader is an online literary magazine, the first of its kind in India. We publish intelligent, thought-provoking and well-written original articles related to books, literature, reading and writing.

 

We believe that there lies a writer within every reader. And, if you’re one of them, we’d like to give you a platform to present your thoughts on the books you’ve read, the literature that has influenced you and the authors you love.

 

We also believe that writers should be paid for their work and pay on a per-word basis for essays and features. So, yes, not only do you get bragging rights for having your work published in a literary magazine, but you also get paid for it.

 

We are always on the lookout for new writers to contribute to The Curious Reader. If you think you fit the bill, then take a look at the pitching process below.

 

How it works

Pitch

Pitch your idea following the format below

l

Edit

Wait for us to confirm the pitch.

j

Write

Submit the first draft.

l

Edit

Make changes based on feedback till it’s finalised.

h

Publish

Congratulations! Your article is live!

Get Paid

Cha-ching!

What to Pitch

Anything and everything literary is what works for us. It could be something unique about your favourite book or something about your preferred genre. Tell us what you really think about your favourite authors, about books that have impacted your journey, or why it is important to read about certain subjects to your child.

Or, if you’d like to recommend new and interesting books for our readers, we’ve got a space for you. The lists in our Book Rack section are carefully curated and nuanced lists, and each is treated as per the subject.

However, we are, first and foremost, an Indian literary magazine. While international literature will have space here, we will always veer towards pieces that are about India and Indian authors, and will prioritise those over others.

Before you pitch, visit our website and see the kind of pieces we have commissioned to get an idea of what we like. This also gives you an idea of what not to pitch to us as we aren’t looking to repeat specific themes we’ve published within the past 6 months.

We are currently inviting pitches for the following categories.

  1. Essays (1000 – 1200 words): These are usually personal in nature. You could write about your experiences with reading, how certain books made you feel, the emotions that a genre evoked or even the excitement you felt when you discovered a new genre or way to read. For a better understanding, take a look at our essays.
  2. Features (1100 – 1400 words): These are typically articles which require some research and are analytical in nature. They could focus on an author or critique literary traditions, events and awards, talk about the developments in a genre or dive deep into a book. Take a look at our features to find out more.
  3. Book Rack and Collection: These lists function as thematic recommendations for our readers. So, the ‘why’ of each book needs to be answered along with a short summary of the plot (without spoilers!). Take a look at our Book Rack and Collections to get a sense of what kind of lists we like to publish. Please note that the list needs to feature at least 7 books and we’ll ask you for the names if we find the concept interesting, before we commission it.

N.B.: We are no longer accepting pitches for our Fiction and Poetry sections.

What Happens Next

We may take up to 1 month to respond to your pitch. If you don’t hear from us in that time, it means that we will not be commissioning the piece. We may also approach you to revise your pitch, if we feel it will be a better fit.

Once your pitch is approved, you will receive an email with details regarding the payment and the date of submission for your first draft. While submitting your first draft, make sure you do the following:

  1. Send the article as a Word document (.doc or .docx).
  2. Follow the prescribed word count. (An overage of 10% is acceptable, anything beyond that will be sent back for a rewrite.)
  3. If you have included research/analysis from another source, please provide a link for the same. We are very particular about plagiarism and attribution.
  4. Please ensure that your content is neither homophobic, misogynistic or against any community nor is it libellous or obscene.

N.B.: Do note that we believe editorial feedback is important and it forms a critical part of our process. Please be prepared to work with us on editing your article to ensure that it meets our standards.

Ready to Pitch?


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