What We See Before the Story Starts

At Broad Ripple Review, we love reading your work. Truly. Opening a new submission feels like opening a door—into a mind, a voice, a small world someone built from scratch. Most of the time, that first impression is thoughtful, kind, and full of care. But once in a while, something stops us before we ever make it to the work itself. This post is not meant to call anyone out, but to offer a small window into the editorial side of the submission desk. Think of it as a love letter to writers—with a few notes scribbled in the margins.

Most cover letters are simple and gracious, which is all we ask. But sometimes, we see red flags that make it hard to continue in good faith. A few examples: mocking our request for pronouns, aggressive declarations about how we should respond to the story, or dismissive remarks about literary fiction or the submission process itself. These are rare, but when they happen, they stop us in our tracks. We want to publish work by people who take other people seriously.

Fit matters, too. Not every piece is a match, and that is not a judgment on your work. Sometimes a submission is beautifully written but stylistically distant from what we publish. Other times, the mismatch is more immediate—genre fiction without literary grounding, stories that rely on shock value without emotional depth, or narratives that lean on tired tropes we are consciously working to move beyond. If a story centers violence against marginalized people without critical reflection, or uses identity as shorthand rather than substance, it is probably not for us.

We are looking for writers who care about people as much as language. The best submissions we receive are generous, complex, and deeply human. They ask something of the reader. They pay attention. That spirit shows up in the prose, but it often shows up earlier—in how you address the editors, how you talk about your work, and how you position yourself in the literary conversation. When we see that care, we are already leaning in.

We know submitting can be nerve-wracking. We know you are taking a risk by sending your work out. We are here to meet that risk with respect, curiosity, and care. Most of you are doing exactly that in return—and we are so grateful. This post is just a small reminder that we are not only reading stories. We are listening to people. And we are always rooting for you.

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