SMALL PUBLICATIONS. BIG IDEAS.

In The Margins is a series of small, curated creative zines built around a single theme, feeling, idea, or strange little corner of the human experience.

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Unlike The Good Within The Khaos™ Literary Journal, these zines are intentionally smaller, more visual, experimental, and collaborative. Poetry may sit beside photography. A handwritten note may become part of an illustration. Several contributors' pieces may come together to create one collage or spread.

The zine itself is part of the art.

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Your work may appear on its own, beside another creator's work, layered into a collage, or combined into a larger editorial composition. The Khaotic Good™ retains creative and editorial control over the placement, sizing, cropping, sequencing, and combination of accepted work while always aiming to preserve its integrity and recognizable nature.

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SUBMISSIONS

Each zine will have its own set contributor limit, which will be clearly listed on the corresponding Open Submissions page. Only that number of contributors will be selected for publication, regardless of how many submissions are received.

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Selection will be based on the zine’s theme, creative direction, originality, atmosphere, and how each submission contributes to the publication as a whole. Submitting does not guarantee publication.

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Once the available contributor spots have been filled and selections are finalized, accepted contributors will be notified and production will begin.

You do not need to submit a finished zine page. Your submission may be a complete piece, fragment, photograph, illustration, handwritten note, or other creative element that can stand alone or become part of a larger composition.
 

What can you submit?

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Written work: poetry, flash fiction, short fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, letters, personal writing, journal-style writing, microfiction, and experimental writing.

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Visual work: photography, illustration, painting, digital art, drawing, collage, mixed media, comics, graphic art, scans, and handmade artwork.

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The handmade & unexpected: crochet, embroidery, fiber art, clay, sculpture, handmade objects, sketchbook or scrapbook pages, craft projects, and creative experiments.

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If you've made something that doesn't fit this list, that's not necessarily a reason not to submit it.

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FILES & FORMATTING

For artwork and photography, high-resolution files are strongly encouraged.

 

Preferred formats: PNG, JPG/JPEG, TIFF, or PSD
Resolution: 300 DPI when possible

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Physical artwork, photography, collage, handmade work, and handwritten pages may be submitted as a high-quality scan or photograph. If you're unsure how to prepare your work for print, don't panic. Submit the best-quality version you have.

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RIGHTS, ORIGINALITY & CONTENT

You must own the rights to the work you submit or have the necessary permission to submit and publish it. If your work incorporates outside material or another creator contributed to it, you are responsible for obtaining the appropriate permissions and identifying collaborators when submitting.

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You retain full copyright ownership of your original work. Submission does not transfer ownership to The Khaotic Good™. By submitting, you grant The Khaotic Good™ permission to reproduce accepted work as part of the specific zine for which it was submitted, including its print and/or digital editions and reasonable promotional materials related to that zine.

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Work may be declined if it:

• Does not meaningfully fit the theme

• Contains plagiarism or copyright infringement

• Contains AI-generated content

• Was submitted without necessary permissions

• Contains hateful or discriminatory material

• Promotes violence or harm toward others

• Includes illegal material

• Contains explicit sexual material

• Includes exploitative or non-consensual imagery

• Otherwise conflicts with the purpose or standards of The Khaotic Good™

 

Individual zine calls may include additional guidelines depending on the theme.

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THE HANDS BEHIND THE PAGES

Every In The Margins zine will include a special contributor section featuring the people behind the work.

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Each accepted creator may be featured with:

• Name or creative name

• Photo

• Short bio — maximum 75 words

• One primary link to a website, portfolio, shop, social profile, book, project, newsletter, or other creative work

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The layout may change from issue to issue depending on the visual direction of the zine. Profiles may appear individually or become part of a larger editorial collage.