The annual Bridge Eight Fiction Prize is CLOSED.
What We are Looking For
Full-length fiction manuscripts—whether they be a novel, multiple novellas, or a tight collection of short stories.
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.
Who Should Submit?
Anyone with a manuscript OR anyone who represents someone with a manuscript. Their ancestors, too.
Guidelines
- Please remove your name from your entire manuscript
- 45,000 – 75,000 words (a little outside this is okay, but nothing crazy)
- Times New Roman, Size 12
- Double-spaced lines
- Numbered pages
Winner Announcement
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Shortlist finalists: Friday, May 6
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Prize winner: Friday, May 13
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Publication date: Spring, 2023
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 touring. 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.
“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.”
Our Previous Titles
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)
Important Prize Information
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The *$1,000 prize will be spread across production milestones predetermined collaboratively by Prize Winner and Bridge Eight Press.
- Bridge Eight Press will select a single manuscript to receive the prize money and 2022 publication, but will also consider shortlisted manuscripts for its future catalog.
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Submission fees can feel like a gamble, we know. In addition to being considered for publication, you’ll also receive 2 copies of Bridge Eight Literary Magazine.
- We’re looking for a book, yes, but also an author to partner with. We’re passionate about the work we do. Part of that is working with artists and authors we admire to make something the world hasn’t seen before.
About Bridge Eight Press
Founded in 2014, Bridge Eight Press is a Florida-based boutique publisher that believes stories build bridges. It publishes a small catalog of titles each year as well as the online (formerly in print) Bridge Eight Literary Magazine. 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.
