Write for SRB

What do we publish?

The SRB publishes longform reviews, essays, and interviews. By ‘longform’, we typically mean anywhere from 3,000 words to 5,000 words (though we sometimes go longer where the subject requires it).

But ‘longform’ isn’t just about length – it’s also about depth of engagement and sophistication of argument. We work with our contributors to publish reviews that do not stint the work of contextualisation, interpretation, and evaluation that is vital to any form of critical writing.

Whom do we publish?

We work with writers at every career stage and from all backgrounds – from authors and academics to journalists to artists and artsworkers across every medium and genre. We’re proud to have published many writers who have been finalists for or winners of the Walkley-Pascall Prize for Arts criticism, but just as proud of our record of platforming new talent through programs such as the Emerging Critics Fellowship.

Being a university-based literary journal, we prize expertise, but also recognise that expertise comes in many (non-institutional or uncredentialed) forms. If you have an informed and original perspective on the literary and cultural matters of the moment, we want to hear from you.

How do I contribute to the SRB?

The SRB is not currently open to unsolicited contributions or pitches. We will alert our readers through our website, social media channels, and newsletter when the submissions portal re-opens.

Throughout the year, we also hold regular editorial information sessions, which we conduct online, as well as pitching workshops in partnership with peer organisations and at various literary festivals.

In the meantime, we hope that aspiring contributors will continue to read and engage with the articles we publish – not to get a sense of the SRB’s ‘house style’ (we don’t have one), but rather to immerse themselves in the conversations for which a published review serves as only one possible outlet and record.

For all enquiries about the editorial process, please email editor@sydneyreviewofbooks.com.

What can I expect if I get commissioned?

The SRB pays for all the writing it publishes – a flat fee of $1,500 for all longform articles.

We also offer one of the most rigorous editorial processes of any literary publication in Australia. Writers can expect extensive editorial feedback (structural and line-edits) in a process that can sometimes take several months. That is to say, writing for the SRB is no small commitment – and yet it’s one that our writers continue to make for the sake of robust criticism.