Writing for Fathom

Content

At Fathom we publish articles, personal essays, profiles, interviews, book reviews, Bible exposition, theological and/or historical analysis, poetry, and short stories. The work we prefer often utilizes personal narrative to communicate the deeper aspects of the Christian faith and to draw our readers into the nuance surrounding an idea. We love writing that examines the unexplored angle and delivers a well-told story.

We suggest familiarizing yourself with our publication before pitching or submitting your work. Scanning through past issues of Fathom will give you an idea of the tone, voice, and approach we tend to take. And looking through our most recent issues will show you what our contributors have recently covered and how you can add to — not repeat — the ideas already in our publication.

Consult our full Writing Guide and Style Guide.

2023 Issue Themes and Submission Deadlines

• Faithfulness | February 6
• Peace | March 6
• Kindness | April 3
• Self-Control | May 8
• Love | June 5
• Goodness | July 3
• Joy | September 4
• Gentleness | October 9
• Patience | November 6

Specs

Our standard articles fall between 1,000 and 1,600 words. Short stories should be at least 3,000 words. Poems vary in length and style.

Audience

Our audience is made up of thoughtful, curious Christians who desire to craft a multi-faceted life of faith. They typically want to engage their minds, connect with artful expression, and consider a new perspective or experience.

We aim to publish pieces that challenge our audience’s expectations, enthrall our readers with a story, and put together strands of thinking our readers haven’t thought to combine. We want to give all people who make their way to Fathom a reason to engage their minds and their emotions.

Submitting

To submit your work for consideration, you can send our editors a well-crafted pitch or a full manuscript.

In your email—even those with the full piece attached—we ask that you include a clear thesis statement, a short outline of how you intend to argue or support that thesis, and any relevant credentials you have that show you are qualified to write on your particular topic. If you’d like a more detailed explanation, or refresher, on pitching, check out this article by one of our editors and this contributor information call

If you are submitting a full manuscript, please attach your work as a Word document or PDF. It helps our editors if your document includes a working title, your full name, and the word count of your manuscript. We will never be disappointed if your submission comes double-spaced.

In the case of poetry, please send the completed poem.

Please send your submissions to: submissions@fathommag.com.

Editing

At Fathom, we think of our contributors as partners. We edit with the intention of helping our contributors communicate effectively with our readers and hone their writing craft. You can expect edits for style, voice, tone, and alignment with Fathom’s current and past publications as well as biblical, theological, and doctrinal edits.

We work hard to follow through with publication on all accepted pitches and submissions. But please know that an accepted pitch does not guarantee final publication. Editors reserve the right to pass on any manuscript at any stage if it becomes apparent that it is no longer a fit for our publication.

Connect With Our Editors

Sign up for our contributor email list to receive updates on themes, deadlines, and contributor information calls.

Find recorded contributor information calls on our YouTube page.