Bridge Eight Press is a Florida-based literary publisher producing works that move the eyes and soul. For us, that means publishing accessible fiction and poetry that speaks directly to the world our readers live in today.
Founded in 2014, the Press publishes a small catalog of titles each year as well as Bridge Eight Literary Magazine, a bi-annual print publication. It is also the creator of several literary events in and around Jacksonville, Florida including the Abridged Reading Series and Flash Readings, the self-proclaimed best literary event under 30 minutes.
Send Us Your Sports-Related Essays & Features
We tend to accept essays and features between 1,000 & 2500 words in length, though something outside of that occasionally convinces us otherwise.
What we don't want:
- Game recaps
- Over/Unders and Prop-Bet sort of pieces
- Anti-sports propaganda
- Poetry and Fiction about sports
What we do want:
- Deeper analysis of teams or players
- Personal narratives about your relationship to sports
- GOAT debates and arguments
- Character-studies of your favorite player
- A day in the life of a ________ game
Or, if you're unsure, send an email to editor@bridgeeight.com with a pitch and we'll let you know if we think it's a fit.
We're accepting submissions for unpublished fiction.
Bridge Eight wants to publish another book. Send us your novel, collection, or some hybrid work.
What We’re Looking For
Novels, Short Story Collections, Some Combination of Those
We’re not closed to any genres, but most of what we publish is literary fiction with that “other thing” lingering in the room. We recommend perusing some of the stories we’ve published online to get a feel for the work that resonates with us. That said, we’re always open to being surprised by something new and different, so try us.
Quite simply, we want a book that not only moves our eyes but also leaves us thinking about it. We want something sticky like that, something that hovers about when we've finished reading it.
If we're being completely transparent, we'd like something that's got a sense of humor about it. Think Sam Pink, Christian TeBordo, Kristen Arnett, Etgar Keret, etc.
We are requiring prospective authors to purchase a Bridge Eight title as a "submission fee." This allows us to support our writers by getting more eyes on their work and more change in their pockets.
Who Should Submit?
Anyone with a manuscript OR represents someone with a manuscript. Their ancestors, too.
Guidelines
If we request your manuscript, please follow the following guidelines:
- 45,000 - 90,000 words (a little outside this is okay, but nothing crazy)
- Times New Roman, Size 12
- Double-spaced lines
- Numbered pages
Publishing with Bridge Eight Press
We’re a boutique publishing house that produces a small number of titles each year. This means we pour our hearts and souls into each book that moves through our hands—from first edits to marketing and continued promotion.
In an industry usually set in its ways, we’re into combining traditional and nontraditional marketing plans to get your words into the hands of as many readers as possible.
As a Bridge Eight author, you become family. You’ll have direct access to your editor and publisher, and be brought in as a collaborator in the production and marketing of your work.
"As the inaugural winner of the Bridge Eight Fiction Prize, I wasn't sure what I was in for. I knew they made beautiful objects, as I'd read their print journal all along. But my experience has exceeded all expectations — they combine the collaborative working relationships that make small press publishing rewarding, with an efficiency and professionalism that's rare in the indie world. I'd do it all over again given the chance."
- Christian TeBordo, author of Ghost Engine
"Bridge Eight Press is staffed with warm, friendly individuals with fine, editorial eyes. They've been a pleasure to work with and I feel as though my book couldn't be in more caring hands."
- Couri Johnson, author of I'll Tell You a Love Story
Our Previous Titles
Direct Connection by Laura Farmer (April 2024, Finalist of the Bridge Eight Fiction Prize)
Ghosts Caught on Film by Barrett Bowlin (April 2022, Winner of the Bridge Eight Fiction Prize)
China Blue by Catherine Gammon (April 2021, Winner of the Bridge Eight Fiction Prize)
I'll Tell You a Love Story by Couri Johnson (April 2020)
Ghost Engine by Christian TeBordo (November 2019, Winner of the Bridge Eight Fiction Prize)
Alligator Zoo-Park Magic by C.H. Hooks (March 2019)
We're accepting submissions for thoughts, musings, analysis, etc ... on your favorite movie, your most hated television show, or some hybrid blend of both.
We tend to accept work between 1,000 & 2500 words in length, though something outside of that occasionally convinces us otherwise.
The question we find ourselves asking a lot of the time is, "Is it enough?" Meaning, this thing was fun, or interesting, or for the most part, pretty good, but does it it going to stay with us after we publish it?
In a sea of submissions, leaving an impression is the most important.
We tend to accept stories between 1,000 & 2500 words in length, though something outside of that occasionally convinces us otherwise.
Beyond that, we’re seeking well-developed characters and fascinating voices we can’t stop thinking about. We do not publish genre fiction, but we are open to experimental styles and allegorical approaches. If your work is a tad bit absurd, even better!
From the editors:
Riley: "I like a story that eats its young."
Grace: "I like a story that makes me forget I'm sitting on the toilet while I read it."
The question we find ourselves asking a lot of the time is, "Is it enough?" Meaning, this story was fun, or interesting, or for the most part, pretty good, but does it it going to stay with us after we publish it?
In a sea of submissions, leaving an impression is the most important.
Bridge Eight is happy to read and share your conversations with writers and literary artists.
There are no strict guidelines for this. Whether you interview an editor or a writer, a published author or someone on the come up, we are happy to take a look at it.
Bridge Eight is happy to read and publish well-written book reviews, whether they be for smaller independent presses or those with a much larger reach. If you are passionate about the work, then we're the home for you.
Guidelines
- Please don't send us a review of your own book.
- Additionally, please don't send a review of a self-published title.
- We are interested in prose and poetry alike - especially those books we may not have heard of before, or those you think are underrepresented in the literary media.
- For our sake, please include the genre, page number, and the URL to the press so readers know where to get the book.
- A photo of the cover helps, too!
- When submitting, consider the work Bridge Eight publishes, and how that may align with the books we want to read reviews of.
Based on true events? Who can say for certain. Imagine your MFA program: the workshops, the readings, the dinners, and the bars where the real learning occured. Imagine the seriousness with which you treated each assignment and piece of writing you cobbled together. Imagine a clown was suddenly a part of your cohort. Are they a good writer? Are they hopeless? Do they get around? Are they politically questionable?
Now, write a story.
WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
Short stories in response to the prompt. Maybe they're based on a real experience. Maybe the clown is our narrator. It's all entirely up to you. If enough of you write something fun, maybe we'll make a special issue out of it. If we receive even more, maybe we'll publish a book. Anything is possible.
Let's try and keep these between 2,000 and 5,000 words but we're not going to be strict about it if we enjoy what we're reading.