What We Publish

  • News, politics, and current affairs (reportage, analysis, and opinion, including but not limited to satirical takes)
  • Book, film, TV shows, pop culture, and music reviews
  • Intersectional feminism: i.e., gender, caste, class, sexuality, disability, mental health, etc.
  • Short Stories
  • Poetry & Translations
  • Visual Arts
  • Comics
  • Articles on women’s history
  • Personal narratives
  • Emerging voices in and around India 
  • Video essays 

If, however, you want to submit something that isn’t necessarily covered in this list, write to us anyway. Butter Paper is a new publication, and we hope to grow with you.

Formats and Word Count

  •  Poetry (500-1200 words)
  • Articles (800-2000 words)
  • Personal narratives (800-1200 words)
  • Video essays (< 3 minutes) 

How to submit an article?

  1. If you want to become a contributing guest writer at Butter Paper, please email us at butterpapersubmissions@gmail.com with your introduction and story pitch. (200-250 words). Please also send us one writing sample, preferably published.
  2. Please note that we DO NOT take article submissions on the first go. We’d require the writers to send us a story pitch, a summary of the article they are about to send us.
  3. Please adhere to the structure for sending story pitches:
    • Subject line and time-sensitivity: Give the title of the story in the subject line and mention if the article is time-sensitive. For example: ‘Time Sensitive Submission: A satirical take on current affairs’ or ‘Girl Dinner: Meal for one’
    • Headline: Give a tentative, simple title that best describes the story. 
    • Please submit all pitches in accessible formats such as PDF or Word Doc.
  4. Please note that once you have submitted your article, the editor assigned will do their due diligence to ensure that the article is not similar to any articles published on Butter Paper in the past.
  5. Once the pitch is accepted, the editor and the writer can decide on a timeline within which to deliver the first draft. Again, the first draft, too, will be subjected to editorial scrutiny and will be revised as per the requirements of the website.
  6. The writer must share their bio and a picture that they would like published along with the article
  7. Once the article is published, we do not take down the article.
  8. Currently, Butter Paper is open to submissions from artists/writers who identify as women/non-binary and/or are from the LGBTQI+ community. 

What to expect after you have submitted your article

  • An editor will be assigned to you who will review your pitch and give feedback if necessary.
  • Once the pitch has been approved, the editor will set a timeline for the first draft submission. Submissions will also be reviewed, and feedback will be given if necessary.
  • The editor will inform you in which edition your article will be published and the corresponding timeline for when we promote it on social media. 
  • We will do a collaboration post with the author (depending on the social accounts provided by you).
  • Please note that due to a high volume of submissions, an editor will take 5-7 business days to get back to you. If you haven’t heard from us post one week of submission, please send us a reminder email.
  • We retain final decision rights over headlines, blurbs, date of publishing, and image use. 

Terms & Conditions

  1. Exclusive material, and republications: In submitting an article, you must indicate clearly whether you wish your material to be published exclusively in Butter Paper Magazine, or if it has already been submitted/accepted for publication elsewhere. 
  2. Copyrights and Republication: Copyright for material that is published exclusively is held jointly by Butter Paper Magazine and the authors.
  3. Permission to republish: Authors must refer all requests for republication to Butter Paper Magazine, and must not grant such requests without Butter Paper’s informed consent.
  4. Citation: All republished articles must include the following citation: “This article was first published in Butter Paper Magazine and is republished here with permission.” 
  5. Takedown Requests: When you submit an article to us, it is with the understanding that the article can be used for publication. Removing an article from the website, once published, impacts both the user experience and the search engine optimisation for the site, and hence, we do not remove articles once published. The exception to this rule would be if there is a legal claim, prior copyright or safety issue, whether pertaining to the author, or to the Butter Paper Magazine site or team members.

We look forward to hearing from you! Happy Writing