THE BRYME WRITERS
OCTOBER 2026 EDITIONThe business, craft & economics of writing — free, independent, human-verified.

Fiction, Poetry, Creative nonfiction

The Aurora Journal

The Aurora Journal pays $12 per piece and takes up to two prose pieces at a time of a maximum 1,000 words each. It emails a decision within one to three weeks and offers paid speed at $3 for a 24-hour response, $8 for detailed feedback within a week, or $14 for both. It asks for First North American Serial Rights while the writer retains all legal rights.

🟢 Currently accepting Verified 2026-09

The docket

The nine things that decide whether a pitch is worth sending. Every answer below is either taken from the publication’s own guideline or computed by BRYME from the 288-publication desk. Where the publication does not say, the docket says so instead of filling the gap in.

Payment
$12 per pieceOf the other 63 records quoting in USD on this desk that state a figure, 15 state less, 48 state more.
Length
Prose: up to 2 pieces at a time, 1,000 words maximum
Who can submit
Not statedNo stated country restriction on the guidelines page.
Reading period
Not yet assessedBRYME has not recorded a reading period for this market from its guideline page. That is our gap rather than the publication's silence: it does not mean the window is open, and it does not mean there is none. Read the guideline linked on this page before you send.
Response time
Decision emailed within 1–3 weeks
Simultaneous submissions
You may submit elsewhere at the same timeWe accept simultaneous submissions, so feel free to submit to other journals or awards. — https://www.theaurorajournal.org/submit (read 2026-09-30)
AI policy
Not statedThe guideline is silent. BRYME records that 127 of the 288 publications on this desk do restrict AI-assisted work, so silence here is not permission — ask.
Rights
StatedThe Aurora Journal asks for First North American Serial Rights. The writer retains all legal rights to their work, with a request to credit The Aurora Journal as where the work was featured.
Experience
Not yet assessedBRYME has read this publication's guideline but has not yet put the experience question to it, so this row is untouched rather than unanswered — it is our gap, not theirs. Treat it exactly as you would an unstated policy.

What this record does not tell you

This publication leaves 4 of the nine questions unanswered. BRYME publishes that gap instead of filling it — a generated answer would look complete and cost you a pitch.

  • Who can submit — the guideline leaves this open, so ask before you spend an evening on the pitch rather than assuming a yes.
  • Reading period — no window recorded yet, so check the guideline before you pitch rather than assuming it is open.
  • AI policy — assume disclosure is expected unless the editor says otherwise.
  • Experience — BRYME has not assessed this one yet, so do not read the blank as either a welcome or a bar. Look at who the publication normally publishes before you pitch.

Record last human-checked 2026-09-30. Sources listed at the foot of this page. Figures are compared only against other records quoting in USD on this desk quoted the same way, so a per-word rate is never ranked against a flat fee.

Quick facts

Payment
$12 per piece
Word count
Prose: up to 2 pieces at a time, 1,000 words maximum
Submission
Email — with paid expedited options
International writers
Yes
Status
🟢 Currently accepting
Last verified
2026-09
🟡 Research only. BRYME has researched this opportunity but has not yet submitted to it. Nothing here should be read as a claim of acceptance, publication or payment.

What this publication wants

This is BRYME's summary of the publication's focus — not a copy of their website. Type of writing: Fiction, Poetry, Creative nonfiction. Official guideline: The Aurora Journal guidelines.

Topics, themes and styles they look for

  • Prose: up to two pieces at a time, 1,000 words maximum each.
  • Poetry, for which the $8 feedback tier gives two full paragraphs of detailed, actionable notes.

Subjects they avoid

  • Prose over 1,000 words, or more than two pieces at a time.

Key requirements

  • Submit by email to the address on the submit page.
  • Keep prose to 1,000 words and send at most two pieces.
  • Take the $3 tier for a 24-hour response, $8 for detailed feedback within a week, or $14 for both.
  • If the work is accepted elsewhere, email to withdraw.

Who can submit

No stated country restriction on the guidelines page.

Rights

The Aurora Journal asks for First North American Serial Rights. The writer retains all legal rights to their work, with a request to credit The Aurora Journal as where the work was featured.

AI policy

Not stated in the guideline

How to write for them

Official requirement: always follow the publication's own guideline exactly.

BRYME's practical advice: write for the publication's audience, use a clear structure, keep paragraphs short, lead with a specific angle, and confirm the word count before submitting. These are practical suggestions — they are not the publication's official rules.

How to pitch

Where a pitch is required, this is the general pattern BRYME recommends — always adapt it to the publication's guideline.

  1. Research the publication and read several recent pieces.
  2. Choose a specific idea that fits their beat and audience.
  3. Write a concise subject line naming your idea.
  4. Introduce yourself in one or two lines (who you are, where you publish).
  5. Explain the proposed piece in a short paragraph — angle, structure, length.
  6. Say why it fits this publication.
  7. Include 2–3 relevant clips or links.
  8. Close professionally and thank them for their time.
  9. Send through the official channel only.
Open Last verified 2026-09-30 Official submission page

Accepting submissions now, with no stated closing date.

Track this pitch

How to submit

Email — with paid expedited options

Apply through the official channel below. BRYME only records submission destinations it has verified.

What the guideline asks you to prepare

  • Read https://www.theaurorajournal.org/submit before sending.
  • The paid tiers buy speed and feedback, not a better decision.
  • Email the journal to withdraw if you place elsewhere.
Safety note. Never pay to submit your work. A legitimate publication does not ask writers to pay a fee or provide identity documents to be considered. If you are asked to, do not proceed.

What happens after submission

Expected response: Decision emailed within 1–3 weeks

If the publication does not state a response time, BRYME records that it is unknown. A follow-up is generally reasonable after a couple of weeks; if there is still no response, treat that as a likely non-acceptance rather than a rejection. Acceptance is normally communicated by the publication. If they accept, they will tell you exactly how to submit the final piece and, for most, how and when payment is made.

Follow along — the BRYME weekly digest