Folly is an international, bestselling and award winning, print-only literary journal and publishing project based in New Zealand. Folly is stocked in indie bookstores around the world.
We publish writing and art that reflects the cultural moment as it actually is - intimate, political, funny, uncomfortable, and alive. Our work is smart without being academic, accessible without being polite, and unafraid of desire, power, class, sex, or contradiction.
Awarded a silver medal at the Best Indie Book Awards 2025, and named as one of the 'Coolest' lit mags in the world by ChillSubs, Folly is home for work that both entertains and unsettles (which is probably why Issue 003 was banned from 47 stores of a national book chain in New Zealand).
Each issue of Folly is produced as a limited edition physical object. We care deeply about design, print quality, and the pleasure of reading something that can’t be scrolled.
We publish emerging voices alongside established writers, and we’re particularly interested in work that might not fit neatly elsewhere. We've built a reputation for doing things differently — sometimes contentiously, often joyfully, and always with intent.
We are a member of the Community of International Magazines and Presses, and in 2024 received a runner up award for Best Debut.
SUBMISSIONS
We publish a small selection of poetry, fiction and nonfiction print only each year. In 2026, we are also looking for standalone works that could be published as chap books or collections.
We strongly recommend that you read a copy of Folly prior to submitting to our publishing house.
Visit our website to order directly.
What happens when a literary journal has a torrid love affair with a Victorian gossip rag? Folly happens - documenting our cultural moment in all its messy, magnificent glory. Touted by media as the rebel child of the lit scene, and finalist for the 2024 CLMP Best Literary Debut awards, Folly is found worldwide from parliamentary desks, independent bookstores and the rooms of luxury boutique hotels.
Folly sells out, gets banned and lingers on Best Seller lists. For Issue 004, Folly's editors are seeking the best fiction that doesn't apologise for existing.
We are after light literary fiction that remembers plot exists. Desire, power, class, sex, and shame make excellent raw material, and form the basis of most stories that end up in Folly. We publish the kind of fiction we want to read on long flights, late nights, and slightly hungover mornings. Surprise us.
What we’re looking for
- Short stories: 1,000–2,000 words
- Flash fiction: under 1,000 words
We’re not interested in Westerns, detective stories or work that couldn't be classified as 'fun and entertaining'. For Folly's fictional works, we are looking for work that will make our readers laugh, leave them in (happy) shock, or beautiful wonder at the emotional intensity of your work.
To submit
Standard format, readable font and 1.5 spacing.
In 2026, Folly is looking to create novolty standalone books that remind readers why literature still matters - and why it is fun when it’s done properly.
We’re interested in manuscripts that get read on trains, argued about over wine, and left conspicuously on coffee tables. Work that looks beautiful, feels risky and earns its provocations.
What we’re looking for
- Chapbooks: 20 - 40 pages
- Novellas: 17,500– 30,000 words
- Short story collections: Up to 30,000 words total
We like writing that’s smart without being academic, and accessible without being sanitised. Emotional honesty over cleverness. If the work is sexy, confrontational, funny, or uncomfortable - it should provoke and enlighten. We’re not interested in shock for its own sake and encourage any work based on trauma to have been thoroughly distilled before submission.
To submit
- Complete manuscript as a single document (.doc, .docx, or .pdf)
- Cover letter with a brief bio and a one-paragraph synopsis
- Table of contents (for collections)
We respond within 90 days. Simultaneous submissions are fine — just withdraw promptly if the work is accepted elsewhere.
What happens when a literary journal has a torrid love affair with a Victorian gossip rag? Folly Journal happens - documenting our cultural moment in all its messy, magnificent glory. Touted by media as the rebel child of the lit scene, selling out and lingering on Best Seller lists, Folly is now found worldwide.
Folly publishes around eight pieces of poetry in each issue.
We are looking for work of no more than one page, that is accessible to a general audience of readers (people who wouldn't usually go out of their way to read poetry). We strongly recommend you read Folly before submitting your poetry.
Submission guidelines: - Work must be in English - Work must be in Ariel or Times New Roman, in a type size of 10 or 12pt, with 1.5 spacing. - Each submission must be individually submitted (Up to three poems per submission) - Copyright remains with the author.
This year Folly is considering expanding, should we receive enough quality erotica submissions to justify a special Folly Eros edition. This is an experiment. If what we receive is worthy of Mills and Boon, we shall pretend this experiment never happened. If you wish to write erotica, go full blown erotica. Read The Olympia Reader. Read Henry Miller. Read all the great smut of literary history. Then write your own and send it to us.
All submission lengths and collections welcome.
Folly is a visual object as much as a literary one. We generally only work in partnership with leading art galleries and represented emerging artists. But we are always interested to see what other work may come through.
We commission and publish writing that seduces, disturbs, or complicates the reading experience. For this reason, we are generally looking for work that engages with bodies, identity, place, power, or desire.
Folly is accepting submissions for nonfiction works for Issue 004, which will be published in our print only journal.
Folly is an international print only anthology of high art and literature crossed with a Victorian gossip rag. Built on the radical notion that literature needs to have more fun, our absinthe swilling editorial team have launched three sold out and best selling issues of this unique, award winning, journal into the world.
What we want: Cultural criticism and social critique that treats gossip and opinion as an art form. Folly writing is at its core entertainment, executed well. We are here to amuse, provoke thought and to make people slightly uncomfortable. We publish nonfiction that is intellectually alive and emotionally sharp — writing that understands the cultural moment and isn’t afraid to implicate the writer in it. Be sharp but sophisticated, witty but substantial, controversial but considered.
If you are afraid to submit it, we probably want to read it (and yes, we welcome pseudonyms).
Folly treats the personal essay as a serious art form.
What we’re looking for
- Essays and cultural commentary
- Journalism (pitches welcome ahead of time)
- Cultural criticism with an opinion and a pulse
We don’t publish self-help, inspirational platitudes, or academic language. We do publish difficult, confrontational, or uncomfortable work — when the writing is strong enough to carry it. Note that as we are an international publication, any writing that uses another language within it should do so in a way that the meaning or intent is discernable to most English-language readers. Our reading team don't speak French either but can muddle through most Victorian novels that have a smattering of French. Do as the Victorians did.
Length: Around 1,500 - 2,500 words. However we welcome slightly longer works if the length is required for successful execution.
We strongly suggest you read Folly before submitting your work. Folly can be purchased from our website or independent bookstores throughout New Zealand, magCulture UK and Manic Books in Australia.