Contributor Manual

First of all: thank you so much for contributing your time and energy to this project. I’m deeply honored (and blown away) by the incredible enthusiasm and support and I look forward to shaping The Bureau Dispatch with you.

* * *

Each writer’s dossier in The Bureau Dispatch is made up of 4 modules: Bureau, Inventory, Dispatch, and Bio. In the section below, you’ll find a brief description of each module, along with some general guidelines to help you get started.

The Dossier

1. BUREAU

One photograph of your writing space (with you in it) AND up to 5 words about your location (to be featured on the photo—it can be the city you're in or something completely random, ie. "behind a tree"—whatever you feel works for you / for this photo.)

Capture who you are. Or use the photo to ask a question. Should it be related to the story you submitted? Maybe. Maybe not. Strike a pose, or don’t. It’s completely up to you.

This doesn’t need to be an actual bureau nor does it need to be shot professionally, but a high resolution image (say from an iPhone) would be preferred.

I’ve compiled a series of reference photos of writer’s at their desks below—don’t feel pressured to recreate any of these, I just wanted to highlight that:

  • Photos with people in them are automatically 10x more engaging than just a desk, for example, so please make sure you’re in the picture.

  • Wider shots that capture life beyond the writing space provide interesting context.

  • Messy or clean or somewhere in between. We’ll take them all, thank you very much.

  • If you’ve got several shots you like and can’t decide, feel free to send them all.

  • IMPORTANT: Portrait orientation preferred!

2. INVENTORY

A list of 5 - 10 things on your desk.

The list will be presented alongside the photograph. What you choose to list (and why) is entirely up to you. Please keep any (optional) additional context or anecdotes to 1-2 sentences max per item.

3. DISPATCH

A previously unpublished story or CNF (500 to 1,500 words). No requirements, themes, genres, or prompts. We are not a spec fic journal, but our stories often contain a hint of the speculative, a dash of the intriguing. The story does not have to be related to desks or furniture of any kind. Experiment, explore, have fun!

4. BIO

Writer’s bio in third-person, 80 to 100 words max.

You know the drill.

d8ed8edd524158a0aa3e2fcf5782199f.jpg
b519b5703da88ca1f73c36199e6c11e7.jpg
6144da6e1afcbb1000c4c1702531a4b9.jpg
23a1c18e882b63f1a8713337aa9ca2bf.jpg
0ccc098c9a252bc248f5ddd9baaf2625.jpg
de28443bf9e6af829f1c3d9e4551d7c3.jpg
3a768ac53018c9a9f7127eb0797cd809.jpg
38143d197eed160749c3b9614960a4b3.jpg
50b976e47f94ee2bdd9bd93567e04d49.jpg
0dcf38af83677dc27717a26acddb6bd6.jpg
2e37e7ece5d61e75335ed00c405cbd5f.jpg

Delivery

Kindly email your dossier content to editor@bureaudispatch.com

In the email, please attach the photo(s) at full resolution and drop all text content into a Word file. Don’t worry about formatting or fonts—everything will be reformatted for consistency before launch.

Payment & Rights

The Bureau Dispatch pays US$50 for work published. We require exclusive electronic rights for 3 months and non-exclusive print rights (for future print anthologies or collections) within 2 years of acceptance. All copyrights remain with the author at all times.

Additional explanations of rights will be available in a contract sent after a work has been accepted and the author notified.

Authors are always paid before their work goes live.