SUBMISSIONS

OPEN

Mynah Books is looking for Pakistani voices in Pakistan and the diaspora for its first short story issue. The theme for this issue is Decolonisation. We want stories that illustrate the effects of colonisation on the Pakistani mindset and how it continues to permeate the collective psyche. We’re looking for any genre, any style, any point of view on this theme.

There are rules, of course, for your submission:

  1. Submission is free.
  2. Stories must be between 2,500 to 5,000 words long.
  3. They must be edited and proofread before submission. Please present as polished and complete a story as possible. We’re a small start-up firm and as we’re not charging for submissions, we need to keep editing costs down.
  4. They must be written in UK English. We will not accept stories written in US English, so please check before submitting. Use the language preset in your word processor before submitting.
  5. Stories must be submitted in one of the following formats: RTF, DOCX, PDF, PAGES.
  6. Please include a title page with your name, word count, email, and any other contact information you wish to provide.
  7. Please include a short bio (up to 150 words) about yourself, a brief synopsis of the story (up to 300 words), and any sources that you may have used for inspiration.
  8. Please DO NOT include complete poems/songs/lyrics/passages from other authors in your story. We cannot print anything that may be seen as plagiarism.
  9. Please make your story relevant to Pakistan. By this, we mean we would like to see Pakistani protagonists, Pakistani villains, Pakistani settings. Remember, this is about decolonisation, so Western heroes with Western sensibilities will just not make the cut.
  10. Feel free to use Urdu liberally; however we’re looking for English stories at the moment.
  11. You may submit as many stories as you like. We may publish more than one.
  12. Please help us spread the word by subscribing to our Substack, following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and sharing this notice on as many platforms as possible.

Submission Deadline: 30 May, 2025.

Submit your story here: submissions@mynahbooks.com. Please include the following in the subject line: Volume 1 Mynah Submission