The UNIverse Journal publishes fiction (1,000-7,500 words), poetry (up to 1,500 words), articles (to 5,000 words), research papers (no limit), book reviews and interviews (1,000-5,000 words). The UNIverse Journal publishes fiction which captivates with its intriguing language and characters; non-fiction in a variety of voices and perspectives; and poetry from emerging and established poets. Read the complete guidelines here.
SQF: How did The UNIverse Journal come to be?
Bupinder Singh: When we look at the Literary Landscape of India, we find only a handful of Lit-mags and journals. Some of them are very reputed with a very low acceptance, while others start and stop, are irregular, and the publishing cycle is largely dependent on whether they get a submission or not. Also, the reach is limited to niche-audiences due to the magazines being largely confined to traditional means of acquiring submissions and publication dispersal.
We wanted to create a journal magazine mix with a wider reach, all-encompassing genres, using modern technology, dispersal and reading systems and still not compromise on the quality or the credibility. With an ISSN inclusion and indexing at major journal repositories, we aim to make the journal a highly indexed and referenced one.
SQF: What are the top three things you look for in a submission and why?
BS: To keep it short and crisp, the top three things are,
Adherence to submission guidelines; means you take your own writing and our time seriously.
A higher meaning, value or purpose in fiction/poetry/non-fiction; though we are open to all sub-genres, we love a submission that has a value other than its literary merit.
Language: We are die-hard fans of good language. We hate grammar mistakes, misplaced commas, erroneous syntax, and spelling mistakes. Please proofread before sending.
SQF: What most often turns you off to a submission?
BS: The primary thing that we hate is completely ignoring the submission guidelines; which we see a lot—pasting your submission in the body of the text. Improper formatting of the document, and you would be amazed—submissions in entirely different languages—that is just obliterating the guidelines.
If we read blind, you should not put your name anywhere in the submission. If we ask for DOCX files, you should not send in PDF or at least not in JPG—that is plain disrespect. I know a lot of writers want to submit everywhere, but the primary thing for a writer is reading. You cannot read through the submission page properly, and then expect us to read your whole submission! TURN-OFF.
SQF: What do you look for in the opening paragraph(s)/stanza(s) of a submission?
BS: If I say a hook, I would be totally lying. An opening is like a face; if it is smiling, it is inviting. The opening lines we want are Finnegans Wake or Invisible Man, or Moby Dick. Not the 'once upon a time.'
The paragraph, on the other hand, can be a simple scene-setting or exposé, something grave, or just a descriptive text, but it should tell us about the use of language, the words, the structure, the syntax, the grammar, and the style. A weak first paragraph disconnects you from the story, it feels a burden to read through the rest, and with that mindset, a reader is destined to reject the story.
SQF: The UNIverse Journal is the first one I've interviewed that offers to publish research papers. Are there particular topics you are most interested in?
BS: We love any social/political/moral critique of an existing text. A new angle to a very famous text. Data-driven research papers which talk about some new happenings in the literary world or qualitative literary criticism which brings to light a facet totally ignored by the literary community are welcome. We are expanding our horizons as and when the paper submissions happen. And we are keeping ourselves open to any kind of submission.
SQF: What one question on this topic do you wish I'd asked that I didn't? And how would you answer it?
BS: The question I would love to be asked would be the one I want to ask every editor out there: What are your personal biases and prejudices toward submissions, and how do you overcome those?
And my answer is; I am biased in language and literary merit. I have a very biased view of what consists of good literature, and that, despite being a POC, is prominently a white, cis-male, heteronormative literature; the classical Dickens and Austins and Hardys. That parameter in itself is against an inclusive literary view. The literature that comes from BIPOC, LGBTQ, and disabled people may or may not always adhere to those parameters, for want of MFA's, financial and social upbringings and other allied factors.
To mitigate it, I read a lot of literature from such people to familiarise myself with what they write, to recreate my definition of literary merit.
And with that, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak out and to contribute positively to this dialogue.
Thank you, Bupinder. We all appreciate your taking time from your busy schedule to participate in this project.
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