To submit a story idea, send a pitch, your résumé and a list of your published works to [email protected].

Please note that while we read every pitch we receive, we are unable to respond to each one. We are no longer accepting fiction or poetry submissions.

We do not carry single-book reviews, but larger essays of 3,000 words or more (we are flexible, pieces have gone up to 7,000 or more, if they need the breadth). These use a few books together to examine a particular theme or an author's work. We cover South Asian literature, politics, history and culture though an essay could refer to literature from elsewhere as a point of comparison. It could include cultural, political, literary, social or economic history: the main idea is to communicate a sharp argument about something that has struck you about our current moment and to use books as a pivot for your ideas. It could look at a trend, tendency, form or recurring theme in contemporary writing or draw on the literature or print culture or social movement of an earlier historical period.  Or it could be a reported profile, mixing reportage and essay, to illustrate the legacy of an important author whose writing you feel has been overlooked or deserves renewed attention today. Looking through the section would give you a broad sense of the kinds of essays we run. Please write to Maya Palit ([email protected]), our books editor, for pitches or any further questions.

Pitches for photo essays should consist of at least twenty images from the proposed series, along with a written description of 200-300 words, all in a single PDF file. We prefer photo essays that offer a narrative rather than ones focussed on news coverage alone. Please do not send zipped folders of high-resolution images with your proposal.