Submit to TWO LINES and TWO LINES Online

Two Lines Press publishes original translations of world literature into English. We publish translations of single-author novels and books of short stories, an annual print anthology TWO LINES: World Writing in Translation, and an online journal, TWO LINES Online, published monthly.

TWO LINES: World Writing in Translation

TWO LINES: World Writing in Translation is an annual print anthology featuring the best poetry and short fiction from around the world. Past contributors have included Margaret Jull Costa, Lydia Davis, Marilyn Hacker, Natasha Wimmer, Peter Bush, Fady Joudah, and Carolina de Robertis.

The twentieth anniversary edition of TWO LINES will be published in the fall of 2013 and will feature a special folio of work solicited by guest editors Susan Bernofsky and Christopher Merrill. There will be no open call for submissions to the folio, but submissions from any language, in any genre, are encouraged for the rest of the book.

Submissions for TWO LINES: World Writing in Translation are accepted from September 1st through December 1st of each year. Submitters will receive a response by March 2013. For more detailed information on submitting, see the guidelines below.

*DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS TO TWO LINES: WORLD WRITING IN TRANSLATION EXTENDED TO DECEMBER 10*

TWO LINES Online

TWO LINES Online is an ongoing, monthly publication of international poetry, prose, short fiction, and novel excerpts. Recent translators and authors featured in TWO LINES Online include Jeffrey Yang, John Taylor, Deborah Garfinkle, Witold Gombrowicz, and Mario Bellatin.

Submissions are accepted year-round and will receive a response within three months. Please do not query as to the status of your submission until three months have passed—you can view the status of your submission at any time in the submission manager. Note that submissions for the TWO LINES print edition will also be considered for TWO LINES Online.

Guidelines for Submitting to TWO LINES and TWO LINES Online

While the only guiding principal of TWO LINES and TWO LINES Online is excellence, we are especially excited to receive work from less commonly translated languages or regions. We strongly encourage that before submitting you read one of our anthologies and familiarize yourself with the materials we've published online.

Submissions to TWO LINES and TWO LINES Online should include a cover letter with contact information, the text of the work in its original language, and your translation. Please merge the original and translation into one document when submitting online.

IMPORTANT: Translators are expected to have identified the original copyright holder of the work and obtained confirmation that translation rights are available before submitting.

Please Note

  • We only consider previously unpublished translations into English.
  • The translator cannot also be the author of the piece (unless it is a co-translation).
  • If sending poetry, please submit no more than 10 pages.
  • If sending prose, please submit no more than 5,000 words. The average prose we publish is about 2,500 words, but we do occasionally publish longer pieces.
  • Novel excerpts are acceptable if thoughtfully excerpted to stand as independent pieces.
  • In your cover letter, please include a brief bio of the author and any information you think might be of interest about him/her and the project. If chosen for publication in the annual TWO LINES print anthology, you will be asked to expand your comments into an introduction of approximately 400 words.
  • All submissions should include a copy of the original text. Please merge the translation and original text into one file before uploading. If there are extenuating circumstances prohibiting a merged document, please explain in your cover letter.

To Submit Online
Click here to submit to both the print edition of TWO LINES and TWO LINES online via Submittable. Online submissions are strongly encouraged.

To Submit Via Mail

Although online submissions are strongly encouraged, we will also accept submissions by mail. Include a cover letter and a copy of the original text with your translation and mail to:

[Genre] Submissions
TWO LINES Press
Center for the Art of Translation
582 Market St., Suite 700
San Francisco, CA 94104


Submit a Book to Two Lines Press

Two Lines Press Single-Author Book Series

Two Lines Press also publishes book-length single author works of contemporary literary fiction in translation. Manuscripts are accepted year-round and will receive a response within six months of submission. If you have not received a response within this period, you may query by email at twolines[at]catranslation.org.

Guidelines for Agents

Agents for foreign authors should query us directly with a sample and synopsis at twolines@catranslation.org

Guidelines for Translators

Submissions to the Two Lines Press Single-Author Book Series should include a cover letter with contact information and any information that seems pertinent to you about the project, a sample of the translation, and a brief synopsis of the entire work.

IMPORTANT: Translators are expected to have identified and obtained contact information for copyright holders or the agent of the original author BEFORE submitting.

Please Note

  • Submit a 20-40 page sample translation of the book.
  • Submit a synopsis of the entire book (a few paragraphs if a novel, a couple of paragraphs and very brief synopses of each story if a book of stories).
  • We rarely consider retranslations of previously translated work, unless there is a very compelling reason for the retranslation and the original translation is not currently in print.
  • We are primarily interested in contemporary work, or work that both engages with and expands upon the contemporary American literary landscape. We put no specific barriers up in regards to genre or publication date, but we’re very unlikely to consider work whose primary concern isn’t literary excellence.
  • The translator cannot also be the author of the book.

To Submit Online
Click here to submit to Two Lines Press online via Submittable. Online submissions are strongly encouraged.

To Submit Via Mail

Although online submissions are strongly encouraged, we will also accept submissions by mail. Include a cover letter and a copy of the original text with your translation and mail to:

[Genre] Submissions
TWO LINES Press
Center for the Art of Translation
582 Market St., Suite 700
San Francisco, CA 94104