Website
Type Of Organization
Online
Mission Statement / Editorial Focus
The Twin Bill is an online literary baseball journal. We celebrate the rich history of the game while also recognizing its vibrant present through fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, interviews, and visual art. We welcome writers of all levels and experiences. For more, you can read our profile in The Writer magazine. We have a quarterly publication schedule based on the MLB schedule. We publish on Opening Day (spring), on the day of the All-Star Game (summer), on the first day of the World Series (fall), and on Jackie Robinson's birthday (winter).
Social Media Platforms Used
Instagram, Twitter
Is Your Group Affiliated With A University, Portal Or Other Agency?
no
Primary Editor/Contact Person
Scott Bolohan
Contact Title
Editor-in-chief
Publishes
essays, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art, audio
Submissions Policy
Fiction – We are interested in short stories between roughly 1,000 to 3,000 words. Anything significantly over the word count will not be read out of respect for the number of submissions our editors receive. We are looking for writing that displays a strong personal style and a connection to the game of baseball. Most of all, we are excited by stories that situate baseball in a broader context, beyond the action of an individual game or at-bat. The more surprising connection to baseball, the better. There is a $20 per short story. Creative Nonfiction – Creative Nonfiction at the Twin Bill is a place for true stories, boldly told. We have no formal requirements or word count, and we encourage experimentation in the name of contemporary storytelling.
That said, we urge writers to carefully consider their story and to use not a word more than strictly necessary. Submissions can be on topics within or beyond the world of baseball, and should be on theme for the upcoming issue. There is a $10 honorarium per accepted submission. Four tips for submitting CNF to The Twin Bill: Only original, true stories, please. The more peculiar the truth and complete the story, the better. Submissions on the subject of baseball are expected. Submissions that use baseball as setting, character, mirror, lingering thought, or birdseye view, are welcome surprises. Submissions about how you played baseball as a child and liked it, or about how your children play baseball and you like them, are unlikely to be of interest to our readers. Good writing gets a free pass. Poetry – Please send up to five poems per issue. We love baseball from all eras, but we would particularly like to see poems of a more contemporary style or subject matter. There is a $5 honorarium per poem. Visual Art – We are interested in comics, illustrations, basically anything that you can think of that says something about baseball. Feel free to reach out with ideas, we love to be surprised. We are also looking for illustrators for our pieces. There are no submission fees. Writers retain all rights to their work. Please send all written submissions as a Word doc along with a short bio and any social media you want us to plug. We are only interested in previously unpublished work. Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please let us know if it is accepted elsewhere. Send any submissions, questions, or ideas to [email protected]. We would love to hear from you!
Accepts Unsolicited Submissions
Yes
Submission Guidelines URL
Simultaneous Submissions Accepted
yes
Reading Period
Year round
Reporting Time
1 - 2 months
Author Payments
cash
Number Of Unpaid Staff
4
Year Founded
2020
Number Of Issues Per Year
4
Ads?
no
Average Page Views Per Month
2,600
Average Unique Visitors Per Month
1,350
Publish Print Anthology?
no
Fiction
20
Nonfiction
20
Poetry
50
Art
10
Name
Scott Bolohan
Title
Editor-in-Chief
How Did You Arrive At Your Current Position?
I founded The Twin Bill while sitting on a couch on a farm in Williamstown, MA with Covid at the beginning of the pandemic. I was a sportswriter and quit to get an MFA, and wrote a failed baseball novel. So I started The Twin Bill.
What Is The Staff Structure At Your Magazine/press?
We currently have a fiction, poetry, and CNF editor and I kind of do everything else. All of the editors were on the MFA program with me and have been huge assets. None of us are making any money off of this.
Do You Have Any Cover Letter Advice?
We are always flattered when you mention you read something we've published. The more you seem like a real person, the better. Talk about baseball in it, we love the sport.
How Are Submissions Processed In Your Magazine/press?
The genre editor will read every piece and make notes. If they have any questions or want a second opinion, they'll ask me or one of the other editors. We try to provide good, careful feedback on everything we read.
What Do You Look For In A Submission?
We want a story. We've read so many pieces about a first time at the ballpark or a big moment in Little League, but if it doesn't have a good story or something unique about it, it won't stand out. The more surprising the baseball is, the better.
What Advice Do You Have For First-time Submitters?
Everyone probably says to read what we've published before, which is true, but not everyone will. So, write the baseball piece that you would want to read. What would you be excited by? That's what we want.
Do You Have A Favorite Unsolicited Submission Discovery Or Anecdote?
Our first issue we got a submission from a dad written by his son who passed away a few years before but dreamed of publishing the piece. We carefully edited it with the dad and we ended up with a really special essay.
Who Is Your Ideal Reader?
Someone who brings something to read to a game in case of a rain delay.
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