Submit your essays and stories
Every month, The Open Letters becomes a home for a few new voices.
This space was never built around trends or numbers. It was built around writing that feels human, that carries honesty, reflection, emotion, and the things people often struggle to say out loud.
Each month, I open submissions and select eight pieces to feature. Over time, it has become a place where writers can share the pieces that matter to them, and readers can find words that feel familiar to their own lives.
Submissions are now open for the August, September, and October Months.
And if you already have something you’d like to save for later in the year, you’re welcome to submit for future months too.
If you’ve been sitting on an essay you wrote late at night, something personal, reflective, or unfinished in your drafts, this might be the right place for it.
I read every submission myself, and every month, eight pieces are chosen to be published in The Open Letters.
What can you submit?
There’s no strict format.
Writers usually send in:
Personal essays
Reflective writing
Open letters
Poetry
Creative nonfiction
Think pieces
Fictional letters
What matters most is not the category. It’s whether the writing feels honest. Whether it carries something real that someone else can feel too.
Current submission window
Submissions are currently open for:
August Issue
6 slots available
September Issue
8 slots available
October Issue
8 slots available
You can also submit for any later month if you’d prefer your piece to appear in a future issue.
Each Month features 8 selected essays.
A small note: selections for the August issue will be finalized by the end of July, so if you’re planning to submit for August, try sending your piece soon.
Older pieces are welcome too. If you’ve written something months ago and it still feels important, you can send it.
Submission requirements
Word count:
Minimum 900 words.
There’s no strict maximum. The only thing that matters is that the piece says what it needs to say.
Original work:
Your piece must be your own.
Plagiarism will not be accepted.
Format:
Please submit your essay as one of these:
Word document
Google Doc link
PDF
Please don’t paste the full essay into the email body.
Use simple formatting:
12pt font
Arial or Times New Roman
Your name and Substack ID at the top
Author bio:
If you’d like, you can add a short bio (100–150 ish words) at the end of your document so readers can know a little about you.
How to submit:
Send your essay to: hasifnewsletter@gmail.com
Subject line format:
Open Call Submission: [Month]
Example: Open Call Submission: August
If you’re submitting for August, Sept or later, just replace the month.
If your essay is selected
If your piece is chosen, you will receive a confirmation email.
A $25 feature fee will be required only if your essay is selected. Submitting your work itself is completely free.
The reason for this is simple. The Open Letters and Postcards by Hasif have always been free to readers. Even with an audience of more than 160,000+ subscribers across both publications, I’ve chosen to keep the writing accessible instead of moving behind a paywall.
Recently, I also brought an editor on board to help review submissions and assist with editorial work. The feature fee helps support editing, publication design, and the time that goes into maintaining the quality of this space.
Once the payment is completed, we’ll coordinate with you through email to finalize the title, thumbnail, and posting date.
Your essay will be published in The Open Letters (40,000+ readers) and can also be cross-posted to your own Substack so it reaches your existing audience.
Your publication will also be recommended for a week, helping new readers discover your writing and often bringing in new subscribers.
Why Submit Here
The Open Letters exist for writers who want to say something real.
Not everything needs to sound academic to be meaningful. Sometimes, the most powerful essays are simply honest reflections about life, relationships, or personal experiences that many people quietly relate to.
If you’ve written something that feels important to you, I’d genuinely love to read it.
For any questions about submissions, timelines, or formatting, you can always reach me at hasifnewsletter@gmail.com.
Looking forward to reading your work.
~Hasif
One of the first submissions I ever received for The Open Letters was from Kelsey Clarke. Her piece was called The Eternal Act of Almost, and I still remember reading it and feeling how clear her voice already was. There was something in her writing that stayed with me, honest, sharp, and deeply human in a way that made you stop and sit with it. Since then, watching her writing find more and more people has been beautiful to witness. It reminds me why I keep opening submissions every month. Sometimes the right piece finds you before the rest of the world finds it.
Hey! Wanted to submit one of my recent works for this, but unfortunately it is only around 700 words. So I wanted to know if it’s still eligible for submission?
Thanks!
Mine Is also 700 words